Celebrating Judge Alumni During Black History Month

We are pleased to honor some of the amazing Black Judge Memorial and St. Mary of the Wasatch alumni who have made significant contributions to our communities.

We know there are many more Black alumni in the Judge and St. Mary’s community who deserve to be recognized and honored, and we are grateful for all who continue to strengthen our Judge community and enrich our lives. We celebrate all these Black alumni who have and continue to impact our lives. If you would like to recognize a Black alumnus/alumna in the Judge or St. Mary community, please email our Communications Director.

LaMarr Jefferson ‘65 is believed to be one of the first Black graduates of Judge Memorial. He played football and baseball.

Samuel M. King ‘66 is believed to be one of the first Black graduates at Judge Memorial. He was in the Glee Club.

Keith Webster '68 was a National Merit Semifinalist and semifinalist in the “National Achievement Scholarship Program for Outstanding Negro Students,” one of only two in Utah. He was a member of the Math, Photography and Glee clubs. Keith also played basketball and baseball. He now lives in Port Orchid, WA.

Norma Bridgewaters Hart ‘70 St. Mary is believed to be one of the first Black graduates of St. Mary of the Wasatch and was vice president of the Glee Club. She went on to earn a bachelor of arts degree in music from Loretta Heights College in Denver, CO. She raised four children and passed away in June 2018.

Anthony Adams ‘71 was a semifinalist in the seventh National Merit Scholarship Program for Outstanding Negro Students. He was editor-in-chief of the Judgeonian newspaper his senior year, a member of the Sacristans who prepared for Masses and other liturgical ceremonies, performed in “The York Nativity Play,” participated in debate, belonged to the Geology Club, and played soccer. After graduating from Judge he was a community activist whose life was tragically cut short in November 1978 during the violent period against gays and lesbians in our city.

Mike Mason ‘79 participated in football, wrestling, and power lifting while at Judge. He has had a long career in sales in the airline industry and currently resides in San Jose, CA.

Valerie Harris Kimble ‘80 in the owner of Val-U-Fit and lives in Murray, UT. She was previously a swim coach at the Wasatch Front Fish Market.

David Martin '80 graduated from Judge Memorial in May of 1980, but his life was tragically cut short three months later. David, along with his friend, Ted Fields, were murdered in Liberty Park at a time of increased racial tensions in our city. Today, you can visit a memorial dedicated to David and Ted at the northwest corner of Liberty Park between two trees. As our nation continues to grapple with questions of race, we hope memories of David can point us all towards a more hopeful and Christlike future that accepts all peoples regardless of race and identity. We thank you for being a Bulldog David, may we continue to be a community that strives to build a more just society.

Gary Mason '80 is a career Catholic high school educator and is currently the Dean of Discipline at Bishop O'Dowd Catholic High School in Oakland, CA.

Kim Mason '83 is a former on-site adminstrator at TRC Professional Services and lives in Atlanta, GA.

Adia Waldburger '93 is a school counselor at Judge Memorial. She received a BA in Communications from DePauw University and M.Ed. in Sports & Recreation Administration from Temple University. Adia is also a doctoral candidate for sports communication with Indiana University Bloomington.

Sean de Four ‘94 was the first Black student to be elected Student Body President. He was also the Homecoming King and participated in debate. He is now a licensed Master Social Worker and the President & CEO of Southwest Solutions in Detroit, MI

Jarett LaTour '99 has been an account manager at MRM in Salt Lake City since 2016. He earned a BS and BA from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business in marketing and management in new and small new business concentration.

LaShell Wright-Hopkins Robinson '01 is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd. She leads the company’s strategic vision for increasing diversity in clinical trial programs. Her work includes collaborating with communities and addressing operational barriers to enrollment to ensure equitable patient access to clinical trials. Previously, LaShell was the Clinical Operations Lead, Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials at Janssen Research & Development, a Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Company. Her work included providing strategic and tactical support to clinical trials including the COVID-19 vaccine and treatments trials. LaShell's career in the pharmaceutical industry has centered on highlighting the patient to enable a better clinical trial experience.

Dom Lewis ‘07 is the Social Marketing Manager over Brand, Sports & Entertainment for MGM Resorts International.

Pardis Nkoy '08 is a marketing manager & operations associate for UNI.DIAMONDS in addition to being an account executive for Boom. She is also one of six co-founders of the Collective for Black Iranians

Lewis Walker '08 graduated from the University of Utah in 2013 with a BS in Mass Communication and Media studies. He was a part of the Utes football team as they entered the inaugural year of the Pac-12 Conference. After graduating, Lewis played professional football in Sweden before returning to America. He was fortunate enough to get into coaching football at Columbia University in New York City and is currently the Secondary Coach at Monmouth University.

Alexander Benjamin '10 is a Project Manager in the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Utah and his Master of Science in Health Administration and MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Alan Lang '17 played basketball for Weber State University and Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana. He was All-State his senior year at Judge.

Fredrick Okongo '18 received the First Ascent Scholars Program Scholarship Award through the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah which is a full ride, four-year academic scholarship. While at Judge, he received the Most Outstanding Performance in Athletics Award for Track & Field. Fredrick also participated in football, soccer and men’s dance. In addition to excelling in athletics, he has also received service and leadership awards, as well as being recognized for academic achievement.

Christopher James '18 received the First Ascent Scholars Program Scholarship Award through the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. While at Judge, he received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts, Academics & Athletics. He was an Academic All-State Nominee in both basketball and track in addition to being a member of Men’s Dance Company.

Mary Ndeze '19 received a scholarship from the University of Utah Eccles School of Business First Ascent Scholars Program given to students who demonstrate leadership and strength in their communities. While at Judge, she was a member of the student Council Senior Core and one of the founders of the Black Student Union.

Joshua Ben-Baba '20 won the Class of 2020 Christ the King Award, the highest award the school bestows on a senior who best represent the ideals of Judge Memorial. He was an honor student, one of 10 students to complete the AP Capstone Program, and president of the Black Student Union. He is currently attending Howard University.

Nyayeek Deng '21 received a scholarship from the University of Utah Eccles School of Business First Ascent Scholars Program given to students who demonstrate leadership and strength in their communities. While at Judge she was the president of the Black Student Union and was heavily involved since it was started in 2018. Nyayeek was also a Student Body Officer over activities.

Emmanuel Okongo '21 was a recipient of the University of Utah Eccles School of Business First Ascent Scholars program scholarship given to students who demonstrate leadership and strength in their communities. During his senior year he was part of the Student Council as a member of the Senior Core. Emmanuel was also a member of the Boys Soccer Team for three years.