Inductees

Ralphene has been associated with the wrestling program at Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks from 1962 until the present day. She directed and worked at numerous high school, sub-section and section tournaments. Ralphene and her husband, Charlie, met at the University of Iowa where they graduated in 1961. In 1971, she and Charlie, held the first ever age-group wrestling tournament in the Sacramento area at Bella Vista High. She helped form the Sacramento Area Wrestling Association in 1972, assisting her husband who was the first president of the group, and continuing her activities in the organization through 1984. The Lees created the Sacramento Super Stars Youth Wrestling Club in 1977, and the team won three national titles and had many national age-group champions. Four of their wrestlers were included among the 26 members of the 1979 World Schoolboy Team.

As a pairings official at all levels, she began at the grass-roots and worked up to theWorld Wrestling Association’s highest ranking. Ralphene was the Head Pairings Official at the Concord International Greco Tournament from 1981-99, and she served as the Head Pairings Official at the 1984 Olympic Festival in Houston and was the United States Pairings Official to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Ralphene worked on pairings for California Olympic Trials from 1980-98, she directed or worked on pairings for the U.S. Open, and she was assigned by USA Wrestling to direct the Hawaii State Tournament in 1988 and the Alaska State Tournament in 1990.

She directed or worked at numerous local, state, regional, national and international tournaments from 1971-99. In every year from 1981-99, she worked the National Juniors Tournament that started in Iowa City, moved throughout the years, and is now held in Fargo, North Dakota. Ralphene has also conducted rules clinics and administered tests for advancement in USA Wrestling officials’ ranking system at tournaments listed.

Ralphene has been San Juan Unified Teacher of the Year, Sacramento County Teacher of the Year, and California Teacher of the Year. In 1995, she was recipient of the California Outstanding Contributions to Literacy Award. She was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003, joining her husband (2001) and son (2000). In 2015 Ralphene published “Coach–The Life of Charlie Lee” which contains a history of BV wrestling from 1962 to the present. She maintains a “Bella Vista Wrestling Fan Club” Facebook page.