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

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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. — ,

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J r lrsJi r i i r i i gJr li Jpalr r I a a a a a a r EJnzJr i Jr i i Jr Jr lt l i JF F J i a a a a a a a a a i p i il utntmnmiM With the onset of the twenties, HPUHS began To take on an entirely different look. With 21 rooms consisting of a print shop, a publication room, a student store, an office, classrooms, and restrooms, the new Liberal Arts building was added to the existing structures. Then, in the following year, an auditorium was built on the same loca- tion as our present auditorium. Each building was con- nected to the others by corridors and broad covered pavements. Together with the reflecting pond, greenery, and spacious lawns, it was a splendid view. The students were proud of their school, but little did they suspect of the tragedy that would befall HP in the earthquake of 1 933. Due to the size of our school in the 1910 ' s, sports were very limited. Our entire athletic program then con sisted of a baseball team, boys ' and girts ' basketball, track and cross country. But soon, diverse and exciting sports such as water polo, tennis, swimming, volleyball and hockey became an integral part of HP ' s tradition. Football made its entrance at HP in 1921. Although losing the first season miserably, the players always put up a hardy fight for the good old Honor and Pride. Could you imagine yourself being classified as a Flea- weight? Well, you would have been just that had you been on a Cee team. It was in the early twenties that both football and basketball teams were divided into Heavy- weights, Lightweights and Fleaweights instead of Varsity, Bee and Cee. Organizations such as Girls ' League, Boys ' Forum, Spartans, Red Cross and C.S.F. all originated during the pre-30 ' s era. Many other clubs were widely active during that time. Cives Romani (Latin Club), the Debate team. Rooters Club and the Ukelele Club were a few that one might have belonged to. The large music department, composed of Advanced Orchestra, Band, and Glee Club not only enriched and enlivened the existence of many HP students, but those of the community as well. Class activities were continually in the making. With each year, every class — Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior — produced their own plays. These were per- formed in the evenings for the community. Included in the long list of dazzling performances were such plays as, Romeo and Juliet and Snow Whtte. On these nights, the auditorium was filled to capacity. Many significant changes came about in this decade at HP that may have gone unnoticed. One quite obscure incident occurred in 1925 when the Bell branch of Hunt- ington Park Union High School (now Bell High School) was opened to ease the overcrowded situation at HPUHS It was also in this year that a name was given to the, as yet, nameless school newspaper. It became, appropriately, the Spartan Shield. One additional change came about when problems arose concerning school colors. Proud of their green and white colors, HP relinquished them and opted for the new Spartan orange and gray when it became difficult to distinguish one school from another. During these swinging twenties, what would life have been like without a few parties? HP was not about to be left out of the song and dance. To keep up with the times, each class threw a wild party in the school bungalow. Apparently these parties could not have been too wild for by twelve o ' clock midnight, it was time to go home. Clockwise from the left: 1 . An architect ' s rendition of the school in 1922. 2. Students out for a drive in a 1920 Chrysler. 3. Cast of the school play Merton of the Mov- ies, 1925. 4. The Ukelele Club. 5. The Bell branch of HPUHS. 6. HP ' s first yell leaders.