San Pedro High School - Black and Gold Yearbook (San Pedro, CA)

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5. SPHS complete by 1959 - or was if ' Not parking lot at I5th and Leiand absence of building and small gym. bungalows across I5th Street How many other differences can you find SBfllSgjS«iS «;l%r 75th Anniversary

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HomMoming, Novambar 7 , 19SI } -mm. :l ' Princ«st« Corol Thomat ond Dion Etcobor •mil during lh« afternoon HoitiKOming po- rad« on Donicl ' t Field. Homecoming queen. Michelle lufkin ond Vor- tiry footboll ' i Vance Honion lake the Aoor ol the Homecoming Donee. When WWII began, blackout curtains were adcied, air raid drills were practiced and the Japanese Garden abandoned be- cause of anti-Japanese feelings. Despite stringent regulations and the shipment of Japenese-American students to relocation camps, student life continued. The Fore n Aft continued publication b t the yearbook was sus- pended for 1 ■ ' and ' 44. Before the war riod ended, many stu- dents had quit school to fill the ranks in defense of their country. Classes grew smaller and patriotism stronger. The safety drills and brown -outs began again in the late forties as the Cold War began . Student publications were filled with the serious comments by concerned Pirates, angered by the war and ever ready to defend the States and their beliefs. Buckling down in sports as well as out- look, SPHS received the Eastern Marine League football trophy — the first since 1940. Another first in a long time was the Pirate participation in Pasadena ' s Playhouse One-Acts, this the first since 1903. In 1959, SPHS received top honors with its production of Riders to the Sea, ' ' earning 997 out of 1000 points. The 1951 winter class was the first to choose a prom queen, and they invented the Girl of the Week. Any girl with good posture, suitable school clothes, good grooming and neat habits could hope to see her clothes, favorite record and jewelry in the main hall showcase. The student exchange program was started and SPHS ' s first American Field Service student was Barbara Guetz from Berlin, Germany. She was made honor- ary member of the student body cabinet for both semesters in 1959. Bleachers were built on Dodson Field so that SPHS would no longer have to pay rent for the use of Daniel ' s Field. Another first in 1959 was the election of Janice Ong as the first female student body president. Another star was Jim Zar as he was named the Marine League football co-player of that year. 1 Homecoming in the late 50 ' s Not really much different from today, only the styles change, the feelings remain the same. 2. How often does one see snow on Son Pedro hills ? Once every 30 years seems to be the emerging pattern. This photo was taken in February of ' 49. while this February San Pedro has braued the freaky outbreaks of rain. snow, sleet and hail. 3- Athletic students such as Jim Oliphant and Osamu Matsutani worked hard to make their 1959 gymnastic team the League Champs. 4. Do students in the early 50 ' s resemble those of the late 70 ' s? Why not? Those were our parents! In the upper left, students practice drop drill during the Cold War.

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The sixties were years of change, the post-WWII baby boom had filled high school classes to overflovying. SPHS classes had the largest enrollment ever, before or after that period. With the large classes also came an apathy. The school was no longer the center of students ' lives. There were the five percenters, who pushed to under- mine participation in school activities. These were the fellows who cackled so heartily at the male yell leaders that the species disappeared. Until this time foot- ball games were attended in such num- bers that it wasn ' t hard to fill three, four and even five rooter buses, although the Pirate team didn ' t win many games even then. School dances, with live bands, were popular and usually held every month. Tickets were 85 t or a dollar at the door — scalping was popular. Sportsnights held between dances were only 25 r. These featured a small band and basketball, volleyball, ping pong, checkers and chess. Although apathy was in, these acti- vities were still widely attended, the apathy was directed more toward who would run the school and exactly how well the students did in their classes. Grades weren ' t considered important — yet the fear of failing was great. If a student re- ceived a fail or decided to drop out, he was considered a social outcast. The five percenters were the hippies and drug users that are often referred to in connection with the sixties. Two such students were Eugene March and his sister Rachael. These two worked in vain to produce an underground news- paper and to promote the free speech movement. Their demonstrations were usually met with waves of fruit by the rest of the student body and ended with the rescue of the demonstrators by the long time principal, Mr. Arthur Farnham. Mr. Farnham was with the school for 13 years. He taught off and on before and during the second world war, becoming principal for the remainder of his stay at SPHS. SPHS never really had many problems with the free speech movement during the 1960 ' s, as a matter of fact, Pedro was often the recipient of awards for being the least vandalized of schools during that time. l!uiSi e,(bBill% .. s V MARCHING BAND AND ORCHESTRA p-hrH-;-:--}-