Cypress Creek High School alumni Martha Madison, left, and Ike Nwankwo smile and pose for photos after the two were recognized as members of the 2022 Wall of Honor class during a ceremony May 17. The two join Dr. Marc Fries to make the three-member induction class for Cypress Creek’s Wall of Honor.
May 26, 2022—Three alumni were inducted into the Cypress Creek High School Wall of Honor during a recognition ceremony at the school May 17.
The Wall of Honor recognizes lifetime achievements and significant contributions made by former students dating back to the opening of Cypress Creek for the 1976-1977 school year.
A Wall of Honor committee consisting of current and former principals, counselors and Cypress Creek staff selected the following three graduates to be inducted into the 2022 class:
- Marc Fries, class of 1991;
- Martha Madison, class of 1995; and
- Ike Nwankwo, class of 1992.
Dr. Marc Fries is a planetary scientist within the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division at the Johnson Space Center. He is an expert on carbonaceous materials in natural systems, ranging from organic compounds to diamond, and uses innovative methods to track the entry of meteors, comets, asteroids and lunar and other stratospheric bodies collected by NASA aircraft.
Known as the Cosmic Dust Curator, Dr. Fries and his team verify the authenticity of samples and examine their carbon tracings. His objective is to isolate meteoric timelines as well as to extract interplanetary roadmaps to their points of origin.
Dr. Fries has worked with methane plumes that emanate from Mars, lunar samples, and geologic specimens from Antarctica which he collected when NASA collaborated with the U.S. Antarctic Meteorite Program and National Science Foundation. As a result, he was awarded the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Service Metal in 2007 and 2009 for his contribution to the program that supported recovery efforts in harsh environments.
“I have accomplished some things through hard work and no small amount of luck, but my story is only a very small part of what the Wall of Honor is all about,” Dr. Fries said. “The greater story of the wall is all about the teachers and staff of Cypress Creek and their critical role in sending capable and prepared young men and women out into the world. It showcases in a very real sense how the Cypress Creek family has made the world a better place.”
Each honored alumni received a plaque as part of the Cypress Creek High School Wall of Honor. Dr. Marc Fries joined fellow Cypress Creek alumni Martha Madison and Ike Nwankwo in making up the 2022 Wall of Honor class.
Martha Madison is an award-winning actress, restaurateur and celebrity advocate best known for her role on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives from 2004-2008. Her acting career began in Houston at six years old. She was a student at the Actors’ Theater of Houston and later joined Theatre Under the Stars, where she developed as a dancer, singer and actor.
After earning her Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University in 1999, Madison attended the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy of New York City while auditioning for roles on Broadway. She later moved to California to pursue acting.
Madison landed a regular role on Days of Our Lives for four years, and returned in 2015. In 2019, she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the Daytime Emmy Awards. Madison has amassed an impressive body of film and television credits, produced and hosted a weekly vodcast and produced and appeared in a digital daytime series Winterhome, which led to another Daytime Emmy Award nomination.
“You never think when you’re going through high school that you’re going to be back 30 years later and be acknowledged for anything exciting or different,” Madison said. “The journey to here didn’t necessarily feel Wall-of-Honor-worthy, so this is wonderful. I’m honored and just very moved.”
Jim Wells, retired Cypress Creek High School principal and chair of the Wall of Honor committee, presents the members of the 2022 Wall of Honor class to honorees and guests at the school May 17. Inductees Ike Nwankwo, left, and Martha Madison join Dr. Marc Fries as the three-member induction class.
Ike Nwankwo attended the University of California, Los Angeles following his graduation from Cypress Creek in 1992, playing on the mens’ basketball team and being a member of the 1994-1995 NCAA Division I national championship team. In 1996, he transferred to California State University, Long Beach and continued his basketball career.
His career turned to the professional ranks following graduation, with stops that included Puerto Rico, Turkey, Denmark, Poland, Russia and Portugal from 1998-2010. Nwankwo spent time in the NBA, signing with the Miami Heat in 2000 and the Houston Rockets the next year. He was also selected to represent Nigeria in 2003 and 2006 in International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Africa and World Championship competitions.
In 2010, Nwankwo founded the Top Flight Basketball Academy, which is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. His mission is to share his passion for basketball to make a difference in the lives of young athletes and promote a sport that is not popular in that part of the world. He also created the Thailand chapter of Hoops from the Heart, which works with orphanages, children infected with HIV, and local schools for underprivileged students, and focuses on organizing fundraisers, special events and clothing drives. They build interest in basketball by donating equipment and shoes.
“This honor has a special place in my heart because of what this school meant to me when I was here,” Nwankwo said. “Cy Creek means everything to me. The community and just the shared sense family that we had here at Cy Creek. It endured with me during my time overseas and my time at UCLA. This has always been home to me.”
