George Washington High School - Continental Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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Mr Hughes' Cold rainy, winter daysg hot, dusty, sIm.,:mmIer t c i- days and wind. often accompanying both, such was e k d of the life in the tents Study was made matic bac groun . difficult social events were almost at a stand still, athletics B th s irit of carried on under tremendous difficulties. ut e p W shin ton held steadfast. The class of Summer '33 had 3 8 named themselves Pioneers and felt the name well chosen. Undoubtedly, however, the outdoor life made of us a hardier l'aCC. At the very first there was no gene g cept the bleachers, but soon the big circus tent was erected in h t is court making Washington a real tent city. There t e enn , new students were introduced to the school, operettas were ' ' f t the musical presented on the tiny home-built stage, o ten o b t of the billowing canvas, and there students strained their ea backs or craned their necks to see around tent poles in order ' ' d Il to miss nothing of the only too few au ca s. I mnus recalls none too quiet study hours in the Many an a u improvised study hall scattered among the lockers of the girls ' ' h ' I drafting gym and framed on all sides by offices, mec annca classes, and the sound of passing feet. And who can forget that never-to-be-forgotton hash line where beans were thor- oughly watered in rainy weather, and where one almost died from heat while waiting in the sun during warm September and june days? It was with difficulty now that Washington continued its d I ment. Enrollment naturally dropped off, for what ral athering place ex- eve op student enjoyed sitting in an English class in one tent and having Spanish float in from one side, shorthand from another, ' 'f d th ' d history from the back as the various teachers li te eir an , voices to bring all eyes away from the out-of-doors too close igafzflzqualze Days, 33- '36 ll5Il

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Mr. Hughes: Tragedy comes in the form of an earthquake! The ground rumbles, the building rocks, the Board of Edu- cation acts, and the once proud school is closed as the entire population moves into tents. Fortunately no students were in the building gbut the head custodian, Mr. Harry Messersmith, was, and now he'll step up to the traveling news mike and in his own words give you his impressions of those memorable seconds. Mr. Messersmith: l was iust about to leave when I sud- denly became conscious of what sounded like a terrific rush of wind and a roar underneath the building. Then it hit. The building began to sway and rock, and the air became dark with dust and plaster. The fire walls around the top of the building fell. The water pipes in the tower creaked, and bricks and huge blocks of cement crashed thunderously to the ground while the building swayed wildly. The quadrangle had the appearance of a stormy sea, and the flagpole whipped through the air. After things had stopped moving, l began to look around and see what was what. The cafeteria received the most dam- age, having been shaken two inches off its foundation. The water pipes broke, and the whole floor was flooded. The tower of the main building from top to bottom, had swung to the west five inches. This was caused by the swishing of the water in two one-hundred-and-twenty-ton water tanks in the top of the tower. There were about 35,000 gallons of water in both the tanks. The tower then was a little more than four stories high, and there was a crack all down the front of it, from top to bottom, about five inches wide. ln the book room books and shelves were piled on the floor. ln the chemistry room bottles of chemicals had fallen off the shelves and broken glass was about two feet deep all over the floor. A fire started from the chemicals but was quickly put out with soda and water. Debris in almost every room was from one to four feet deep. gafzfluqualze - i933 4

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econsffzuction Begins Finally after two years of nomadic existence the govern- ment took steps, and the contract which provided for the rehabilitation of the school was approved. Care was taken to see that none of the original buildings was removed or the quadrangle's arcades destroyed. Re-occupation of the build- ings was set for September, l935, and to the waiting students it seemed as if that day would never arrive. However, the in- sistent buzz of the air drills and the steady throb of the mul- tiple construction engines sang a song that promised better times. At last the day did come when the buildings were opened, even though they were still in the process of recon- struction. Students were admitted to the partly finished Science and Administration buildings amidst the smell of fresh paint in the rooms and piles of building materials in the halls. The tower was far from complete: so anyone wishing to pass between the two buildings was forced to walk outdoors. Gradually each separate unit was finished, until in june, I936, the plant was complete with the exception of the Art building and the Auditorium. As each part was pronounced ready for occupancy, teachers and students eagerly took pos- session. Busy times followed, as old regulations were re t and students were t h s ored, aug t that the informality of tent eti- quette was not suited to the more di 'f' eve d gnu led habitations. How- r, a justments were cheerf ll b u y made, the more quickl ecause everyone was so h Y appy to resume normal conditions. lfl61