Distinguished Alumni Carolyn Hernandez
Carolyn Hernandez
Olpe, Kansas, native Carolyn R. Mockry Hernandez dedicated her 43-year career to teaching, coaching, advising, sponsoring and supporting students to prepare for their future. She received a BSE in physical education in 1978.
As an educator at Nogales (Arizona) High School, Hernandez was PE curriculum leader, student council advisor, class sponsor and member of the scholarship committee and North Central Evaluation Team.
Hernandez coached volleyball, basketball, softball, track and field, and cheerleading.
Among the numerous awards she received were Teacher of the Year, Class Sponsor of the Year, Santa Cruz Valley Shining Star, Female Head Coach of the Year, Arizona 4A Coach of the Year, National Spiritline Coach of the Year, National Cheerleading Association Top Camp Manager of the Year and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award. She was inducted into the Nogales High School Hall of Fame. She also judged cheerleading competitions. Her cheerleading teams won 20 state and two national championships, as well as an American Grand National large co-ed championship. Her coaching produced more than 125 NCA All-American team members.
She is married to Alfredo M. “Fred” Hernandez, a Hornet baseball player who graduated in 1979 with a BSE in physical education. They live in Rio Rico, Arizona, and are parents of two sons, Keith and Jamie Hernandez. Keith, who also played baseball at ESU, graduated with a BS in recreation in 2010. Daughter in-law, Laura Pfautsch Hernandez, played softball for the Lady Hornets and graduated in 2008 with a BSE in elementary education. Jamie, who played baseball at Sterling College, is married to Sarahi, who is an RN in Banner Mission Hospital in McAllen, Texas. “Her commitment and passion for the sport of cheerleading and her student athletes is unmatched,” said Keith Hernandez, who nominated Carolyn Hernandez. “(She) is very supportive of the high school and all of the athletics programs.”