Huntington Park High School - El Recuerdo Yearbook (Huntington Park, CA)

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•■in SPARTAN STOCK DOWNS 1920 ' s 1930s 1940 ' s WAR! 1950. . . 1970 ' s Growth and development of Devastating earthquake Reconstruction Spooling upward. school. destroys school.

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aJi=Jr=Jr=Jr=Jf=lr=Ji=if= lr=ii=lf=li=if=Ji=Ji=li=If= B ■ . sk D ! a o D In late March of 1909, Huntington Pork Union High School was but an idea Dedicated men from he sur- rounding communities of Huntington Park, Vernon, Fruil- land (now Maywood) and Bell recognized the need for a local high school and set out to provide their community with one After putting forth tireless effort in raising the $65,000 in bonds needed to begin construction on the school, the men began to see their infant dream become a reality. While the first buildings were under construction, the High School was temporarily housed on the second floor of the Weber Building on the northwest corner of Pacific Boulevard and Randolph St. On September 7, 1909, consisting of little more than 5.72 acres of land, six teachers, one building and a few temporary quarters, Huntington Park Union High School opened its doors to a grand total of 35 students. The first school year went smoothly with no unfortu- nate mishaps and the first annual commencement exer- cise was held on June 17, 1910, with only one graducte. Miss Olive Pettus. When the second school year arrived, the teaching staff was increased from six to ten teachers. It was also in this school year that a very special proiect was begun. In 1911, a committee of seniors was formed to decide on an appropriate name for the first edition of the year- book. After rejecting several suggestions, they agreed upon El Recuerdo , meaning the keepsake or memento, offered by Leonard Byres, a graduate of 1 91 3 It was also in this year that the school purchased 16 additional acres of land for the purpose of building an agricultural school and for the installation of a pumping plant which furnished 65 pounds of pressure for a fire sprinkler system in case of fire But Huntington Park Union High School was not to be so fortunate that year. In the early hours of October 18, 1911, disaster struck and left the school in ruins. In order to better recreate the scene, this quotation from the El Recuerdo for 1912 bears this sad but inspiring legend: INMEMORIAM On the morning of October 18, 191 1, a disastrous fire left the material part of our High School, a mass of smouldering ruins; but the spirit which made our school and the associations which have become dear to us were not destroyed. On the ruins of the old we hope to see even a better edifice arise — one worthy to be the intel- lectual laboratory of the rising generations. ' Undaunted by the loss of the buildings and equipment, Principal A. F. Wood, together with the school board, rented a group of tents, equipped them with folding chairs, temporary blackboards, carpeted them with saw- dust and reopened the school almost immediately. Many of Huntington Park High School ' s present build- ings and locations have been rededicated to former prin- cipals and faculty members. Reeder Field was named for J. M. Reeder, the school ' s second principal. K. L. Stock- ton, a later principal, was honored by having Stockton Court dedicated to him. Squire Gym was renamed and dedicated to HPHS ' s first athletic coach, R. E. ( Pop ) Squire. Huntington Park Union High School ' s first 1 1 years were indeed eventful, though oft times tragic The spirit of both student body and faculty helped renew the hope for an even better and more successful second decade. Clockwise, from the left: 1. Olive Pettus, Sparta s first graduate and the only graduate of 1910. 2. View of Auditorium and reflecting pool. 3. J. M. Reeder, HP ' s sec- ond principal. 4 The Weber Building, where the first classes v ere held. 5. HP ' s first cafeteria as it appeared m 1916. 6. Sparta ' s first undefeated Varsity basketball team, 1916. 7. K. L. Stockton, for whom Stockton Court was named 8 R E. Squire, our first coach. 9. The Tank, HP ' s first swimming pool rt-t. — ,