Richmond High School - Shield Yearbook (Richmond, CA)

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GUR CQLDEN YEAR Q 5:::::: ' ' E -1- E i i W- 2 Wg ' ff: , -. , 'if 4 f hf I fanniii i nw ' f ' Ax WOT -' X957

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IN MEMORY GLEN E. UNDERWOOD On February 25, I957, Glen E. Underwood, feacher of English af Richmond Union High School, passed away. He is mourned by everyone, and fhe place leff vacanf by his deafh will be hard fo fill. Yef, sorrow is nof fhe sole emofion we feel abouf Mr. Underwood. None who wifnessed his gallanf affempf fo refurn fo his classes, affer a long and harrowing hospifalizafion, can fail buf be sfirred and up- liffed by fhe memory of his sheer pluck and game spirif. Mr. Underwood broughf fo his sfudenfs a wealfh of knowledge, since he himself was a lifelong sfudenf of fhe humanifies. He also broughf fhem fhe wisdom of a pracfical man, for his career included much pracfical business. Mr. Underwood was a graduafe of Soufh Wesf Missouri College: he received his M.A. degree from George Peabody College for Teachers in Tennessee and complefed his work for his Ph.D. degree. ln Arbyrd, Missouri, he was superinfendenf of schools for nine years. He also faughf af Sfafe Teachers College in Marysville, Missouri, and af Tennessee Polyfechnic lnsfifufe, in Cookeville, Tennessee. When Mr. Underwood came fo Richmond, he served as Dean of Boys af Longfellow Junior High School before he came fo Richmond High fo feach English. lf was plain fo all fhaf Mr. Underwood 1 loved fo feach and hugely enjoyed his work. lf was also plain 'l'o fhose who knew him well fhaf his family of wife and daughfer were all 'lhe world fo him. He himself was fhe sixfh of eleven children, and no doubf his grow- ing up among so many brofhers and sisfers gave him his easy social presence and his profound love of family life. His home, as fhe saying goes, was his casfle, and he looked affer if and his gay gardens wifh unsfinfing love and care. Mr. Underwood also fook a keen in- feresf in fhe frends and issues of nafional, infernafional and local af- fairs. His opinions and convicfions abouf polifics and fhe social scene were sfrong. Yef, in no sense were fhey narrow or pedanfic, for his greaf good sense, his broad knowl- edge and his sense of humor would nof allow if. Indeed, in his balance and femperafeness, Mr. Underwood approached fhe old Greek ideal of 'l'he man of pracfical wis- dom. Learned, open-minded, even-fempered, warm-hearfed and eminenfly pracfical and efficienf, he was a man whom all could respecf and ad- mire. lf is liffle wonder fhaf he became a superlafive feacher, since fhere was nof a single excellence af- fribufed fo fhe ideal feacher which he did nof possess.

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-L, Firs+ church - Mefhodisf l90l Sfandard Oil i902 i f N Lf .kj J 5 it GG if T' i fo? I ,W-125: UL: Q I dll C! ,' Ci! , fi Firs+ lelephone exchange I90I Firsf felephone direclory l906 .7Volun+eer Fire- Depl. ISVORGZTLK-Tlli I f K ..L'..L..l-'QALLL 4 I I'-, -L f 'LL f 1 1,14 f ..1Z ,',LL-,Y--?i:TJ,-ff ,6 TC' air FIFTY YEARS OF Richmond Union High School is far differenl from The fhree-room former grammar school on S+andard Avenue 'rhal served fhe high school s+uden+s l'iHy years ago. This early school had fhree feachers, Mr. Berf X. Tucker, Miss Rulh Peierson, and Miss Alberla Bell, and a iolal enrollmenl' of forly-Five sfudenfs. H was eslablished as a +emporary high school, while plans for a new high school were be- ing made. The proposed high school became an obiecl of discussion. Some cifizens lhoughl' Richmond capable of suppor+ing a school of i+s own and opposed fhe esfablishmenl' of a high school dislricf. Wal- 'ler T. Helms, principal of fhe femporary high school andisupervising principal of Siege, San Pablo, and Poini' Richmond disfricls, fel+, however, +ha+ Siege and San Pablo should share lhe benefils fhe new high school would afford. Thus H' was decided l'ha'l fhe new school would be a union high school. Pelilions were +hen made up by lhe heads of families in 'lhe lhree dislricls and were filed wi+h fhe Counly Superinlendenl' of Schools in January of l907. An elecfion was held, and resulls show +ha+ ihe public was unanimously in favor of lhe esfablishmenl' of 'lhe high school. Bonds for fhe new school were fhen vo+ed upon and passed. ln May of l907, archilecfs prepared plans for fhe new building and on 'lhe 23rd of +he same mon+h consfrucfion was begun on lhe building which is now Longfellow Junior High School . By Febru- ary l2 of +he nexi' year, 'rhe school was compleled al' a cosl' of 585,- 000. The Sfandard Avenue school moved fo i'rs permanenf quarfers, and on April I5 RUHS, hailed as a Hmagnificenl' s+ruc+ure of s+eel and brick and dedicaied lo +he cause of learning, was opened lo 1'he public. ln May of l908, Waller Smallwood, +he 'lirsi' presideni' of fhe Associaied S+uden1' Body of RUHS, became 'rhe firsl sl'uden'l' +0 graduafe from fhe school. Since lhe new school laclced an audi- lorium, commencemenl' exercises were held in The Poinl Richmond Opera House. Richmond High grew rapidly. By l9l4 il' was evidenl' 'lhal' addi- lions fo 'lhe school were needed. A cafeferia, an assembly hall, and several classrooms were conslrucled. ln I92l more rooms were added. The school which had been buill' for 400 sfudenfs now had nearly lwice lhal' number. The Board of Educalion decided fhal' a new high school was needed. ln I925 an eleclion was held 'ro vole on 'rhe bonds for +he new high school. The bonds were passed and conslruclion of our pres- enl' high school was begun in November of l926. The new school, which consisled of 1'he Academic, 'rhe Science, +he Home Economics, 'rhe Commercial buildings, +he shops and fhe gyms, was occupied