Taft Union High School and Junior College - Derrick Yearbook (Taft, CA)

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Heres where the real change in the school shows up, Theres a con- spicuous space where the science building now is, That space was the tennis courtg Theres no music building or boys' gym and the present hottie economic building wasnt there The practice fields behind the stadium twhat little stadium there was! were just vacant lots, And look! there were even some parking places scattered aroundlfl 1 Not only has the layout of the library changed but also the librarian and the clothes styles. Remember the water fights the boys got into when they watered the field? The squad was impressed by your slow- talking, easy-going ways and by the results you got. Neyer before or since then had we beaten Bakersfield so many times, We quote from the 1930 Derrick, Perhaps one thing which leads to Coach johnstons success in the coaching line is his popularity with his team, The whole town was behind you and your team. too. You received at least ll telegrams in regard to the Bakersfield game in Nos ember, 1939, We quote one of these telegrams that was from the Mayor of Taft at that time. Coach Eugene Johnston c o Hippodrome Theater. Taft Tomorrow's Daily lN1idway Driller will print a proclamation signed by me requesting all business houses to close between Z p.m. and 5 pm. on Satur- day to enable the entire city of Taft to attend the game in support of our team, Heres hoping we win. Mayor li, Cf. lfmmons Before Monty graduated in 1931. he played in all the sports exents ln basketball. he said. l can visualize Coach Johns- ton sitting in the present girls' gym during the thirties when he coached baslcetball arms aboxe his head. hanging on the I2

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This was your basketball team in 1957. These were some of the boys who played to the finish and helped establish your record of having won more games than any other Taft teams. ,ff - kj diff 47126732 L cfeggijfif, rf' 'Zi vc' .fm . 5 dcwdwvf lc V 464 'Af We ,af Among lfaur Jlffcmvries elf? f awp, Mr. Johnston, our way of thanking you for your years of service at Taft High is by reenacting your life here through pictures and words. You came to Taft in 1928 after havin tauffht in various states. In the academic line, 'ou tau ht science and math but 2 a- l 8 you were also sophomore class advisor, B class football coach, and head track coach. The athletes you coached remem- ber 'our motto, Play the frame or run the race to the finish, Mont' tells us that when 'ou coached him and the rest of 7 , 2- l l the tea in '28,ihe boys had to hose down the field so they would be able to practice. Z' 47 4x'6 -TM , , , 122614-.v4...f f y ff 12-4.4. 'V' 7 45 4 -fife sf U at X C, K - .7 ' ' 4, A A , Q-f-6 f X X gif, -,.,efffgQ,e1,,4, , fe be -1 U' ,nqfx,flfL'f ' 'fi fir , b,7Cfa.Q L7-CL' K , ,if A lv-, '4,rNcy6,,i4Z H ii! Z! f 1 1 A--. e be -9.- ,t f'! AJ., -X i Q , at s5Fegy-y an? T .QQ I :' 1, L+ --1--'f . ' , I Th' 'r ,r, k '1937f' b bll 5 'CR 1 we-v1x,r -5' ,,. teahi. PThuerE-bacigroilivrlitsl hiseclhzihlged somce ahilusio liz: tlie i i ,lip MHNF J AFL! X515 ' foreground. Taft High doesn't have a wipe-your-feet x' y emu., I ., VL ' mat now! 4 l .- - I r - SV' F - ' l I i ' 4 I 1 1 l. - L J plaza- 53' ear: 5' 1

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bars, watching his team in action. The records show, Mr. Johnston, that your basketball teams won more games than any other basketball teams in Taft's history. Tom O'Brien was one of your players in the late twenties. In 1929 Taft had the championship team. Mr. O'Brien tells of a game that took the team to Visalia, and you had to get out at every railroad crossing and crank the bus. Vern Mullen says you're a good man to side with, especially in golf. A 1934 golf score card from the Petroleum Club shows that you and Moon tied with while Butch Carlson was a close second with 81. Quite a few of Taft High's present employees graduated from Taft while you were on the faculty. There was Monty Reedy, Tom O'Brien, your secretary, Thelma Bennett, joyce Schasteen, 'lesslyn Frazier, Dorothy Harrington, Dale Huey, 5 1 a ' l fflfzwfdaw - f LAT. few! ,ffj'UL'4 l ,Lv Q ,144 ,1!Z440'4,'l 1 W - cfwv fwfr 1 l.gl44,lfv1fr,-foflfrffdae' dl ' 0 ffuaq, fff li ,L 441:51 wwca fdfu - 7, f ' f Jzftw C 1' VHA, V. fllffaz 4, These men were the coaches in 1936. Monty had long, wavy hair, otherwise he hasn't changed much. Look at Mr. Mullen's bright striped socks. Pop Helma was right in style with his white bucks. and thats a pretty flashy tie you have on. Mr. Johnston. Laurence Ritter, Garlyn Basham, Agatha Sellman, Pete Gianopolus, Norman Vincent, Hillman Shugart, Vena Duvall. The students know Bea Pruiett, who once taught P. E., Ben Dykes, who was once junior class president, and Leroy Hogue, who was treasurer his freshman year. Mrs. Frazier relates that school had be to held in tents due to reconstruction, and that school even had to be closed because a flood filled the basements. The school itself has changed since 1928. The dome on the administration building was torn down, the amateur wire-. less towers were taken down, and the auditorium building has changed. Many buildings were either torn down or re- modeled, too: the science building, the. home economics building, the cafeteria, the boys' gym and the music building, the college, and we even got our own pools. In the forties the students did their part toward winning the war. They displayed a japanese submarine to raise funds for war bonds. Boys in the service came to the school dances in uniform. The shop crew had not only an. auto shop, but also an airplane hangar where they learned the mechanics of airplanes. I3 1