Alumni

Hempstead Bobcat Alumni Hall of Fame
Hempstead ISD Recognizes the following as the first members selected to the Hempstead Bobcat Alumni Hall of Fame for their success and contributions to Hempstead ISD.
Mary J. Ragston, Retired Educator
Sam Schwarz Class of 1951
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Mary Ragston is a retired educator from Hempstead ISD who continues to work for the district in many ways. Mrs. Ragston is the President of the Waller County Retired Teachers association and has held that post for the past 15 years to help work for local teachers and all teachers across the state. She serves as a community member on the District Sited Based Committee and has volunteered numerous hours at Hempstead ISD to help tutor students struggling in math. Mrs. Ragston helped organize the fire house tutorials in 2008 to help prepare seniors to pass their exit level tests. She worked in the classroom with Mrs. Poole's 6th grade math class at the middle school and she has worked two years with the 4th and 5th grade students at the elementary as well.

During her career in education, Mrs. Ragston taught 20 years in the classroom teaching grades 1-12, mostly concentrating on 5th and 6th grades. She served 10 years as the middle school principal and worked four years as a math coach/coordinator for the district. She also coached girls basketball for four years at Sam Schwarz High School. The Mary J. Ragston Chapter of the National Junior Beta Club at Hempstead Middle School is named in her honor.
Mark Berman, FOX 26 Sports Director
HHS Class of 1974
 4075    Mark Berman has been the sports director at FOX 26 for the past 24 years and has a great reputation for reporting sports with some of the hottest sports stories in town. Mark was born in Houston and grew up in Hempstead. He is a 1974 graduate of Hempstead High school. Mark graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications. Before his 25+ year career at KRIV, he worked as a weekend anchor/reporter at KOSA-TV and then as a sports director for KIKK radio. He became a weekend sports anchor/reporter at KRIV in 1986 and in 1988 became the sports director, the position he has held since that time. Mark has come back home many times to cover news in his community and has spoken to student athletes. Mark is married and has two children and one grandson.
Johnny Holland, Linebacker Coach
 HHS Class of 1983
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Johnny Ray Holland is the linebackers coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and a former linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He played linebacker for the Green Bay Packers from 1987-1993. He is an inductee into the Texas A&M Hall of Fame, the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

While attending Hempstead High School, Holland was a letterman in several sports and became an All-State player in both football and basketball while simultaneously becoming a Top 10 student.  Holland was the first Hempstead High School Alumni to play in the NFL.

Prior to his Pro-football career, Holland was a four year letterman and was a three year starter at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.  Holland was picked up by the Green Bay Packers in the 2nd round draft pick and posted over 100 tackles for the six consecutive seasons he played for the Packers.

Holland retired from the NFL after the 1993 season and moved into coaching in the NFL.  During his coaching career, Holland helped lead the Packers to back-to-back NCF Championships following the 1995 and 1996 seasons and an NFL Championship in Super Bowl XXXI. Holland has returned to his home community many times to speak to student athletes and hold sports camps for the youth.  Holland is married and has three children.