Alex Maese (fourth from left) and Mickey Flynn (far right) were among the outstanding athletes who helped break ground at the Angel Stadium for the OC Sports Hall of Fame.
A series of happy coincidences has led to the recovery of a treasure trove of Colonist memorabilia, including items belonging to legendary Anaheim High football coach Clare Van Hoorebeke. These highly prized relics will be displayed for the first time in nearly 20 years at the Feb. 15 AHSAA 7th Annual Golf Classic, Dinner and Auction at Western Hills Country Club.
The memorabilia was last viewed by the public at the 7,000-square-foot Orange County Sports Hall of Fame housed at Angel Stadium. The Hall of Fame was forced to close when the Angels were bought by Disney, and the entire contents of the museum – cases, fixtures, boxes of sports memorabilia and more – were being stored at a location near Anaheim High School.
A change in ownership again required moving the museums contents, which serendipitously coincided with a phone call to the Hall of Fame caretaker Ed Munson from AHSAA Preservation Committee members Janet (Young) Brown ’77 and Debbie Vidana ‘76. Within days of the call, the AHSAA took possession of items lent to the museum by Mickey Flynn ’57 and Clare Van Hoorebeke, who were inaugural inductees to the OC Sports Hall of Fame in 1981; Gerry “Moon” Mullins ’67, Alex Maese ’46, Bill Cook ’22 and Jerry Shipkey ’43. (All of the Colonist OC Sports Hall of Fame inductees but Bill Cook are members of the AHS Hall of Fame.)
Along with unearthing these Colonist treasurers, the AHSAA was also gifted with several valuable display cases that were refurbished by Anaheim’s SkillsUSA program headed by instructor Jeremy Cates. Four of these memorabilia-filled mobile cases are on view in the Main Building.
The AHSAA Preservation Committee has also decorated several Main Building built-in display cases and the foyer trophy cases with blue and gold memorabilia donated by several Colonist families. Caring for these precious items falls to Preservation Committee members, who are also working on scanning yearbooks and preserving copies of Anaheim High’s Anaranco newspapers. Currently the AHSAA has a collection of 513 Anarancos ranging in age from 1934 to 1992. The newspaper and other historic documents are stored in acid free sheet protectors and boxes. A few of the papers have been scanned and may be viewed by clicking this link.
Please join the AHSAA in celebrating Anaheim High’s rich history at the 7th Annual Golf Classic. Golfer and non-golfers are welcome. The dinner and auction is a great time to enjoy the off-course action with Anaheim High Hall of Famer and former NFL Super Bowl Coach Jim Fassel ’67, who has served as the Golf Classic auctioneer since the tournament’s inception.
Headed by Phil Anton ’63, the event is an important AHSAA fundraiser and has helped raise the more than $100,000 donated to the high school in the form of scholarships, support of school clubs and programs and preservations efforts. Participants, sponsors, volunteers and donations are being sought for the Feb. 15 President’s Day fundraiser. For more information, email anaheimalumni@yahoo.com or call Anton at 714-815-9562.
More information on the AHSAA, including how to become an active member, is available at www.anaheimcolonists.com
