West History

West High School

Appleton West High School is a member of the Appleton Area School District. The building housing Appleton West High School was originally home to Appleton Senior High School.

From 1915-1938, the school was at a different location. In 1938, the current facility was built. "Appleton Senior High School" is still etched into the front of the building. After Appleton East High School was built, the school was renamed to Appleton West in 1967.

Appleton West has an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students. The mascot of Appleton West is the Terror, a cross between a wolf and a fox, as the school is situated in between the Wolf River and the Fox River.


Appleton West Hall of Fame

The Appleton West High School Hall of Fame honors outstanding Appleton High School and Appleton West High School alumni and staff who, through their achievements, have brought honor to themselves, to their school, and to their community. Candidates for membership in the Hall of Fame are former Appleton High School and Appleton West High School students and/or staff who meet the requirements established when the Hall of Fame was created in the fall of 1998.

Past Hall of Fame Inductees

John B. Murphy, M.D., Class of 1878 – Hercules School
Frank W. Harriman, Class of 1878 – Hercules School
Carrie E. Morgan, Class of1881 – Hercules School
Edna Ferber, Class of 1903 – Ryan High School
Gladys Bagg Taber, Class of 1916 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
William E. Buchanan, Class of 1920 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
William Beverly Murphy, Class of 1924 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
Tom Dietrich, Class of 1929 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
John R. Reeve, Class of 1930 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
Raymond H. Herzog, Class of 1933 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
John P. Frank, Class of 1935 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
Kenneth Sager, Class of 1935 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
Douglas A. Ogilvie, Class of 1937 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
Walter B. Wriston, Class of 1937 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
John J. Keller, Class of 1937 – Appleton High School (Morgan)
Gus Zuehlke, Class of 1939 – Appleton West High School
George P. Mueller, Class of 1939 – Appleton West High School
Major General Robert D. Bohn, Class of 1939 – Appleton West High School
Ethel Keller, Class of 1939 – Appleton West High School
William DeLong, Class of 1941 – Appleton West High School
John Bradley, Class of 1941 – Appleton West High School
Oscar C. Boldt, Class of 1942 – Appleton West High School
Leland “Mickey” McGuire, Class of 1943 – Appleton West High School
William Nelson Campbell, Class of 1948 – Appleton West High School
Maurice Locklin, Class of 1948 – Appleton West High School
Michael Hammond, Class of 1950 – Appleton West High School
Judge Harold Froehlich, Class of 1950 – Appleton West High School
Ann Kloehn, Class of 1951 – Appleton West High School
John E. Mielke, Class of 1951 – Appleton West High School
Richard C. Boronow, M.D., Class of 1952 – Appleton West High School
Walter S. Rugland, Class of 1955 – Appleton West High School
John E. Mullen, Class of 1956 - Appleton West High School
Brigadier Gen. Joseph Stringham, Class of 1957 – Appleton West High School
Carol Ann Piette – Sister Carla, Class of 1957 – Appleton West High School
Bob Landis, Class of 1958 – Appleton West High School
Jim Zwerg, Class of 1958 - Appleton West High School
Rhonda Cundy, Class of 1959 – Appleton West High School
Franklin C. Jesse, Jr., Class of 1959 – Appleton West High School
David T. Prosser, Class of 1961 – Appleton West High School
Patricia “Shag” Norman, Class of 1961 – Appleton West High School
Ralph Whitehead, Jr., Class of 1961 – Appleton West High School
Dr. Larry Stephenson, Class of 1962 – Appleton West High School
Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Class of 1962 – Appleton West High School
Bill Bassett, Class of 1962 – Appleton West High School
Patricia Riley Johnson, Class of 1963 – Appleton West High School
Terry Maves, Class of 1964 - Appleton West High School
Roland Stephenson, Class of 1964 – Appleton West High School
Martin Jack Rosenblum Ph.D, Class of 1964 - Appleton West High School
Marilyn Justman Kaman, Class of 1966 – Appleton West High School
Dennis Lamers, Class of 1966 – Appleton West High School
Donald Dafoe, M.D., Class of 1967 – Appleton West High School
Kathi Seifert, Class of 1967 – Appleton West High School
Tom Boldt, Class of 1970 – Appleton West High School
Paul J. Hoffman, Class of 1972 – Appleton West High School
Catherine Ebert-Gray, Class of 1973 - Appleton West High School
Arnie Fielkow, Class of 1974 – Appleton West High School
Bradford L. Smith, Class of 1977 – Appleton West High School
Lan Samantha Chang, Class of 1983 – Appleton West High School
John Bernardin, Class of 1986 - Appleton West High School
Charles J Ryan, MD, Class of 1987 – Appleton West High School
Mary Beth Nienhaus, taught physical education and coached for 28 years at Appleton West High School.
Dave Lee, Class of 1965 - Appleton West High School
Claudine Happel - Librarian, Coach, and Volunteer 

Notable Alumni

  • Donald Dafoe, transplant surgeon
  • John Bradley, Navy Corpsman, one of six soldiers to raise the flag at Iwo Jima during World War II
  • Brian Butch, 2003 McDonald's All-American basketball player, and former player of the Denver Nuggets
  • Matt Erickson, major league baseball player, current manager of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
  • William Beverly Murphy, former CEO Campbell Soup Company
  • Daniel J. Piette, 1975, Director of Petroleum Geo-Services, President and CEO of OpenSpirit Corporation
  • David Prosser, Jr., Wisconsin Supreme Court
  • Kathi Seifert, former Executive Vice-President of Kimberly-Clark and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Fox Valley Performing Arts Center