AHS History

On Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 7:50 AM, Brad Pettigrew wrote:

Anaheim High
(Central School)
From 1874 through 1881 James Guinn was the elementary school principal in a temporary building and offered subjects for a high school diploma. In 1878, he wrote and championed the first school bond in the United States for the construction of the Central School. The first student to graduate with a high school diploma was Matilda Rimpau in 1880, daughter of the pioneer Theodore Rimpau. Students at that time had an oral examination as a graduation requirement and the public was invited to come for local entertainment. Mr. Guinn left Anaheim to become the superintendent of Los Angeles High School 1881.
High School classes officially started in 1898 on the second floor of the Central School where George Washington Park is now. Within three years this facility was outgrown. A school bond for $12,500 was raised in 1901 for a school to be built on the south side of Center Street (now called Lincoln Ave.) near Citron Street and became Anaheim High School; it was the third high school in Orange County proceeded by Santa Ana and Fullerton High. In 1908 Loara and Magnolia Elementary School Districts were sending their students to Anaheim High and the parents wanted some authority in the high school, therefore Anaheim Union High School District was formed. In 1910 the voters cried out for more space and approved a bond in 1911 for $105,000 to buy eleven acres of land at the north east corner of Center Street (Lincoln Ave.), and Citron just a half block away.
In 1912 the new campus was dedicated and graduated its first class with seventeen students. The buildings designed in the Greek revival style with Ionic Greek columns and a Parthenon-type frieze on the cornice over the main entrance. The interior had elegant plantings in the various patios. The school was the pride of the community for twenty-two years until the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred and rendered them unsafe. When the swimming pool opened in 1924, it was the first one in Orange County schools. The current Art Deco main building, library and auditorium completed and dedicated in 1936 replaced the unsafe Greek revival buildings and were very modern for the time. It has since been the new pride of the community and the newest buildings now under construction on the west side of campus on West Street are complementing it’s Art Deco style and completed at the end of 2008 has been opened in February 2009.
The beautiful sunken garden and fountain completed in 1937 was filled in and replaced by the present day “Cereal Bowl” fountain in 1964. All of the work in the 1930’s “Depression Era” was being done through the “WPA” (Works Projects Administration) project #8291. In 1940 the new pipe organ was installed in the auditorium and added much more to the assemblies and the singing of the alma mater. A new pool was built in the late 1940’s to replace the 1924 pool and is unfortunately now also gone.
When Western High School opened in 1957 Anaheim Union High School changed back to it’s original wording of Anaheim High School. New buildings were constructed at that time replacing the remaining pre-earthquake code buildings. The 1957 brick Senior Circle constructed in front of the music building is now gone. In 1972 the Art Quad and other buildings were built to replace the old barracks that had been temporary quarters for fifteen years. Wimpy’s Stand, which was a popular landmark for several decades, was changed into the Student Activities Office in 1977 and was torn down 2008.
Anaheim High School has always had proud and winning sports programs since it’s beginning, but nothing compares to the 1950-1972 coach Claire Van Hoorebeke football era. Claire has won more games as coach in the Sunset League history and has had many great stars such as “The Galloping Ghost of La Palma Park” Mickey Flynn, who was arguably the best football players ever at Anaheim High and for that matter Orange County. Mickey won many accolades in football such as being chosen the CIF Player of the Year in 1955 and from the1956 game the LA Times dubbed “the prep game of the century”, chosen the Co-Player of the year and placed on the High School All American Team. The same year the LA Times presented the Southern California Team of the Year Award to Anaheim High School and Mickey Flynn and Joe Avitia, another outstanding running back, both had their numbers retired.
By Brad Pettigrew 2009

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Thank You,

–
Brad Pettigrew
http://gallery.me.com/bradleyj.pettigrew#100194
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