George Washington High School - Surveyor Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

Page 9 text:

Mr. O. I. Schmaelzle Principal Since 1945 Mr. 0. I. Schmaelzle is the second principal of George Washington High School, having come here in March, 1945. He attended the University of Illinois and obtained his Masters Degree at the University of Stanford. He went on to do additional work at the University of Chicago and the University of Cali fornia. Before coming to Washington, Mr. Schmaelzle served as principal of high schools in Tuscola and Morton, Illinois; and in Fresno and San Francisco, Cali- fornia. In the years of 1941-1945 he was Director of Counseling and Guidance in the San Francisco School System. His wife, Dorothy Fair Schmaelzle, is a graduate of Stanford University. He has a son, John, who is a medical student at the University of California and his daughter, Sue, is a senior in Home Economics at Oregon State College.

Page 8 text:

Mr. Ernest J. Cummings Principal 1936-1945 Mr. Ernest J. Cummings was the first principal of George Washington High School, having come here in 1936 from Galileo High School. He attended pri- vate school and then graduated from Stanford University. He taught at Lowell High School for a time and then went to Galileo High School. There he taught Latin and Greek and was also principal of the night school. Mr. Cummings served as George Washington ' s principal until January of 1945. After leaving George Washington High School he went to the Board of Education as Deputy Superintendent of Secondary Schools. Following his retirement in 1950, Mr. and Mrs. Cummings moved to Santa Barbara where they now live. He is active, still raising lemons and oranges.

Page 10 text:

George Washington ' THE BACKGROUND OF GEORGE WASHINGTON The foresight of San Francisco pioneers is reflected in the total investment for a section of the George Washington High School site, as far back as 1861, when 150 x 240 feet was set aside for school purposes under the provisions of the oustide lands act. Out of this nucleus the remainder of the site was purchased by the Board of Education in 1925. The above paragraph, an excerpt from a program of the Ground Breaking Exercises which took place November 4, 1934, at 31st Avenue and Anza Street, shows that our school was considered, planned for, back in the days when the Richmond district was sand dunes, when George Washington High School was a rock quarry. 1961 — cable cars (or their forerun- ners) were pulled by horses, gold strikes were common occurrences, clipper ships sailed the Pacific; and San Franciscans of that day had the vision to provide for schools, and especially for one particular school, located at what is now 32nd Avenue and Anza Street. Seventy-five years later, in 1936, financed partly by a bond issue, partly by the Federal Government, Washington High School was erected at a cost of approximately $2,000,000. The official George Washington ground- breaking ceremony took place on Novem- ber 4, 1934. Shown above is the cover of the original program. Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin A. Lee spoke. Presido, Mission, Galileo and Lowell help with cere- mony. 6