2010 Hall of Fame Inductees
Bill Brown (retired teacher and coach, deceased)
When South High School opened its doors in August 1959, Bill Brown was there. After teaching and coaching at Central High School for nine years. Coach Brown brought the South basketball team to the state playoffs in its second year. It established a tradition that continues today. Brown continued to coach and teach history until he was asked to become the school's administration as Athletic/Activities Director, a job he held until he was asked to join the national staff of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Brown served as West Central Regional Director and was instrumental in establishing the FCA program in Northern Colorado, among other areas. A love of teaching brought Mr. Brown back into the classroom where he finished his career in Longmont, retiring in 1988. He and his wife Jane, also a lifelong educator, returned to Pueblo. He was the father of 2 girls, and a grandfather and great-grandfather. He died in 2018.
James A. Brunjak ('75)
Jim graduated as a Gold Cord senior after lettering in basketball, football and tennis. He was named to the all-tournament team at the 1975 state basketball tournament. With his family he moved in 1999 to Chattanooga, TN, to oversee an oil pipe company. His experience selling oil tubular pipe began through ties to CF&I in Pueblo. In 2006, he and wife Rhonda, also a 1975 South grad, took out a loan to form their own oil field supply firm, working out of their living room with one computer. Today, their brainchild, Power Solutions LLC, has grown to be a medium-sized powerhouse in its field, and remains family owned and operated. It has branched into product delivery via its freight brokerage and delivery truck businesses. Product is stocked and delivered from three cities in Texas and one each in Oklahoma and North Dakota.. Jim and Rhonda say their keys to success have been passion, old-fashioned relationships, a willingness to make decisive commitments, and personal accountability. They remain active supporters of South High School students and programs through the alumni foundation, and have volunteered countless hours giving back to the communities in which they have lived. He and Rhonda , married since 197-- , have three daughters: Jessee, Maggie and Emma. His father, Ray Brunjak, was a longtime teacher and administrator at South. To learn more about Jim Brunjak’s business philosophy, click Here for the executive interview. He died in April 2019.
Jack D. England ('61)
President of his graduating class and a member of South's first state tournament team in basketball, Jack went on to excel in basketball and track at the University of Denver. There, he was an all-conference player in basketball and a world-class athlete in the 400 meter hurdles. He was voted to the DU all-century basketball team. After attending medical school and specializing in emergency room medicine, Jack has been a leader in the field. He helped found the first certification program for emergency room physicians and is a founding member and Fellow in the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. Dr. England's work as a humanitarian in the medical field has taken him overseas on medical mission trips and he routinely acts as a mentor to others. Dr. England and his wife Lory have two grown children.
Nino Giarratano ('80)
Nino played four years of baseball, two years of basketball and one year of golf at South, and continued his baseball career at Trinidad State Junior College. There, he began his successful coaching career and guided them to three Junior College World Series appearances. After a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Arizona State University, Nino has been the head baseball coach at the University of San Francisco for 20 years and is the winningest baseball coach in its history. He also was an assistant coach of the 2008 and 2010 Team USA squads, which won the gold medal in 2008 and the silver medal in 2010. He has been three-time West Coast Conference Coach of the year and three-time National Junior College Coach of the Year at Trinidad. Forty-eight of his USF players at USF have signed professional baseball contracts -- four have been first-round draft picks and several have played in the major leagues. Additionally, his athletes have excelled off the field, with 40-plus named All-WCC academic selections, and one who was the valedictorian. Nino also was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame later in 2010. A 1985 graduate of William Jewell College with a bachelor's degree in physical education, he also holds a master's degree in secondary administration from Adams State University in Alamosa. He and wife, Brenda, also a South graduate, have two grown children. Daughter Bianca is a USF alumna as is their son Nico, a four-year starter at shortstop for the Dons.
Kathrine Thomson
Kathrine has taught at South High School for 50 years as of 2019. After graduating cum laude from SCSC (now CSU-P) in 1968, her first and only teaching job has been at South. Currently the chairperson of the Department of Social Studies, she has served in almost every volunteer and sponsor capacity in the school, including president of the site-based committee for the last 12 years. Currently sponsor of the yearbook staff, among others, Ms. Thomson served as interim Pueblo School District 60 Secondary Social Studies director; and president of the Junior League, the Colorado Outdoor Performing Arts Association, Pueblo Zoological Society and Pueblo City Schools Accountability Committee for the past 10 years. Kathrine is married and has a son.