CHARLES JAMES (JIM) CHAPMAN – 1927 – 2014
July 25, 2014 by
Charles James (Jim) Chapman, AUHS Class of 1945, passed away July 18, 2014, of natural causes at his home in Anaheim at the age of 87. Jim was born in Sigourney, Iowa on Jan. 7, 1927. Tired of shoveling snow in Iowa, he moved with his family to Anaheim in 1941.
At age 16, he joined the US Navy where he would spend the next 30 years of his life serving in WW II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War. His chosen area of Naval service was a Boatswains Mate, one of the oldest and most distinguished rates in the Navy. This rate, however, kept Jim away from his family much of the time, as it was a shipboard deck position so he worked hard and rose to the rate of Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate, the highest rate in the Navy without being an officer. He was also a Company Commander in San Diego at the Naval Training Center, training young sailors in boot camp and worked as Shore Patrol in Long Beach. After his Naval service and military retirement in 1972, Jim got his real estate and broker’s license and spent the rest of his life in the Orange County area listing and selling property.
In 1948, he married the love of his life Phyllis Ruth (Petey) Hill, also an Anaheim High graduate. They would have been married 66 years on July 21. Jim is survived by his wife, Phyllis; son Mark Chapman of San Clemente and his wife Diane; daughter, Tracie Keough of Yorba Linda and her husband Tom; and his grandson, Mark Keough, also of Yorba Linda. For his last and final deployment, Jim will be buried at sea with full military honors.
Anaheim High Class of ’29 Triplets a Unique Part of Colony History
July 9, 2014 by
Among Anaheim Colony pioneers were the famous Bever triplets, Orena, Reona and Ramona, the city’s first set of triplets.
Born Aug. 9, 1910 to Miles and Anna Bever, the triplets rounded off a family of four girls, including older sister Rose.
At birth, two weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces; the third was 4 pounds, 8 ounces. A newspaper article announcing their birth stated, “They are all apparently well and sound and the mother is doing nicely.”
Their father was a rancher and architect in partnership with Leslie R. Wilson. Their construction company built many residential and commercial buildings in Anaheim, including the Kraemer Building, Anaheim City Hall (1923-1980), Angelina Hotel and the S.Q.R. Department Store.
On a side note: The six-story Kramer Building, erected on the corner of Center (now Lincoln Street) and Claudina streets at the cost of $300,000, was billed as a “skyscraper” and was, at the time, the tallest and costliest building in Orange County. The ground floor was occupied by American Savings Bank and the other stories were divided into offices occupied by local businessmen.
Records on file at the Anaheim Heritage Center show that the family owned a vineyard lot at 143 S. Ohio. They later lived in another home located at Chestnut and Lemon.
Class of 1929 Anaheim High graduates, all three girls were active in school. Orena was on the Girls’ League cabinet and on the yearbook staff. Reona was a member of the Art Club, Hi-Jinx, and the Girls’ Athletic Association, playing varsity hockey, basketball and baseball. Ramona was a member of the yearbook staff, Hi-Jinx, Art Club and served as treasurer of her sophomore class.
The triplets worked at the Henry Bros Drug Stores and were related to the store’s owner, according to documents on file at the Anaheim Heritage Center. One store was located at Palm and Center (now Harbor and Lincoln) and a second store at Lemon and Center Street (now Lincoln).
All three girls married and became Orena Daughtery, living in Long Beach and Bellflower; Ramona Jordan of Whittier and Anaheim; and Reona Bryan of Anaheim. Their older sister Rose Keller lived in Long Beach and Chino. Ramona had three daughter: Patsy, Joan (Class of ’44) and Marcella (Class of ’42).
An obit was on file only for Reona. She passed away of natural causes on Dec. 30, 1982, in Anaheim, her life-long home.
Photos of the girls and their family show a set of cherubic children always wearing matching dresses and engaging smiles. These Anaheim High graduates are certainly a unique piece of Colony history.
-
- Reona Bever
-
- Ramona Bever
-
- Orena Bever
Raymond Gerald Baker – 1918 – 2014
July 3, 2014 by
RAYMOND GERALD BAKER
July 30, 1918 – June 18, 2014
Gerald Baker, an AUHS Class of ’36 grad, was born to James A. and MaeBelle Baker on their citrus ranch located on West Broadway near Magnolia St. in Anaheim. He attended Magnolia Elementary School (now Maxwell) where Mattie Lou Maxwell was his teacher and coach.
Gerald married Eleanor Becker in 1939 and they celebrated 55 years of marriage before Eleanor’s passing in 1994.
During World War II, Gerald served in the U.S. Navy and was deployed to the Pacific Fleet, serving on a Minesweeper. He was severely wounded when the ship was sunk near Borneo and was presented The Purple Heart.
Gerald worked for most of his adult life on Signal Hill, Long Beach, in various positions with the oil industry. He was a lifelong member of the Anaheim Christian Church where he served on the Board, taught Sunday school and sang in the choir.
A life-long resident of Anaheim, Gerald came from a family of Colonists. His father, James Baker is an Anaheim graduated who taught at Centralia Elementary in Anaheim in 1912, became the first Superintendent of Schools for the La Habra district and served as an Orange County Supervisor.
Gerald’s uncle Arthur was in Anaheim’s second graduating class (1902), and three of Gerald’s siblings graduated from Anaheim, as did his wife, Eleanor Becker (1937), and their sons, John (1958) and Bob (1959).
(Incidentally, Gerald’s mother, Mae Belle Dickenson Baker, who attended but didn’t graduate from AHS, had a sister who married John King, the writer of Anaheim ’s alma mater.)
While at Anaheim High, Gerald served was senior class vice president, ran track, played baseball, acted in school plays and sang in the Mozart Choir and Boys’ Quartet.
Gerald was preceded in death by his wife, Eleanor and son, John Edward. He is survived by son, Robert Paul; daughter-in-law, Charlene; seven grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren.
Gerald was a kind gentleman, faithful to God, his family and country; he will be greatly missed by all who love him!
Dr. Les Holve ’44 Inducted in AHS Hall of Fame
June 22, 2014 by
From his humble roots as a farm boy living and working on his parent’s small ranch midway between Garden Grove and Anaheim, Dr. Les Holve advanced to become a doctor who transformed children’s lives as a pediatrician and cleft palate specialist.
His childhood was complicated by significant allergies, infantile eczema and asthma, worsened when he contracted whooping cough at age 3. Maybe because of his childhood ailments, Holve became a pediatrician, eventually serving as chief of pediatrics at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica and president of the Los Angeles Pediatric Society. [Read more…]
Class of ’44 Shares Graduation Date with D-Day
June 6, 2014 by
It’s been 80 years since nearly 200 Anaheim High students graduated on the same day that 16,000 U.S. Troops landed on the beaches of Nazi-occupied Normandy, France.
Unbeknownst to these students in the small town of Anaheim, while this massive land, sea and air battle that changed the course of WWII was being fought on June 6, 1944, they were collecting their diplomas on the stage of Pearson Park Amphitheater and preparing to say good bye to classmates who would soon leave to join the fighting.
Donald R. Betzsold – Oct. 28,1925 – May 6, 2014
May 31, 2014 by
Donald Roy Betzsold from AUHS Class of 1943 passed away peacefully at age 88 on May 6, 2014, in Anaheim, where he was born Oct. 28, 1925. Donald lived in Anaheim most of his life except for a brief period in 1938, when he lived in Tacoma, Washington.
While at Anaheim High, Donald was a scholar-athlete, playing baseball and football. In recent years he enjoyed attending the varsity football games with his daughter Robyne Betzsold, a teacher at Anaheim High School.
He met his wife, Ruby Strange, to whom he was married for nearly 70 years, when he was serving in the U.S. Navy in WWII. She died in 2008.
Donald attended Fullerton College and later the University of Southern California, where he received his architectural degree. He worked for Frank Homolka and Associates in Long Beach, designing many Home Savings, as well as buildings at CSU Long Beach and the Belmont Plaza swimming pool for the 1984 Olympics. He also designed several private homes in Orange County.
On a community level, Donald served as president of the Anaheim Historical Society and organized their display at the 100th Anniversary of the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa.
Donald was especially proud of his 65 years in the Elks. He joined the Anaheim Elks with his father and brother. When that Elks closed, Donald moved to the Buena Park Elks Lodge 2046, the “Lodge with a Heart.” He held many positions with the Elks and served as Exalted Ruler from 1995 to 1996.
One of his most rewarding accomplishments was raising funds for Buena Park Junior High’s American Heritage Scholarship Program to send students to visit Washington, D.C. One year he traveled with them. In his last years, Donald kept active with the Elks and visited Walnut Village to help patients enjoy Bingo. He was living at Walnut Village at the time of his death.
Don Betzsold’s parents, George and Mary, were owners of Betzsold Studios, a long-time Anaheim business.
Donald is survived by his daughter, Robyne Betzsold; granddaughter, Jennifer Balsiger; and grandson, Austin Lawrence. He was interned at Anaheim Cemetery.
Wilhelmina G. Van Hunnick – July 27, 1936 – April 29, 2009
May 21, 2014 by
One of Anaheim High’s exemplary graduates was Wilhelmina Grace Van Hunnick from Class of 1954.
After graduating 15th in her class at Anaheim High, Willi (as she was known by her friends and family), she attended USC, where she was a business major and member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She also served as a USC Associate and on the Humanities Committee for Letters, Arts, and Science.
Anaheim was to continue benefitting from this pioneer daughter who returned to her hometown to teach for 32 years in the Anaheim Union High School District. She became a renowned business teacher at John F. Kennedy High School, earning Teacher of the Year three times and Orange County Teacher of the Year.
She served as chairman of Kennedy High Business Department and as an advisor for Future Business Leaders of America, a program with 
which she was involved throughout her high school years. Her service as a student adviser, as well as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors at the state and national level, earned her a place in the FBLA Wall of Fame and the title of California Business Person of the Year.
Along with her passion for teaching, Ms. Van Hunnick loved the performing arts and chaired the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, helping establish a state-of-the-art auditorium at high school.
Her sister, Elizabeth Van Hunnick from Class of 1956, taught at Fremont Junior High School and is a Lifetime Member of the Anaheim High School Alumni Association and has donated many of her and her sister’s AUHS memorabilia items to the Alumni Association’s for preservation.
More about Wilhelmina’s life can be read at:
http://www.kpacfoundation.org/wilhelmina_vanhunnick.html
AHSAA Announces First Endowed Scholarship
May 20, 2014 by
-
- Paul H. DeMaree – 1941-1954 (13 years)
Gania (Demaree) Trotter, an Anaheim Union High School Class of 1944 graduate, along with other alumni, has established an endowed scholarship through the AHS Alumni Association to honor her father, Dr. Paul H. Demaree, who served as a AUHS teacher and administrator from 1925 through 1958.
The income from the endowment will provide annual scholarships for Anaheim High graduates to further their educations and advancement to professional careers. All alumni are invited to contribute to this fund as a centerpiece of continuing care for their alma mater. Many former AUHS students may personally remember Dr. Demaree or may have parents who were students during his years at AUHS.
Demaree’s tenure at Anaheim High started when he joined the AUHS staff as a teacher of social studies and to coach football and baseball. In 1926, Demaree’s “B” team had the best record of all the AUHS teams. Upon the death of Joseph A. Clayes, who served as principal for nearly 22 years from 1919 to 1941, the School Board rehired Demaree, who had left Anaheim for three years to serve as principal of Capistrano High School.
At the first assembly of the 1941 school year, Demaree reminded the student body that “principal” ended in “pal,” a word he hoped would describe his relationship with the students. Not only was he a friend and father figure to Anaheim pupils and teachers, four of his students were his own children, including daughters Kathleen (’38), Gania (’44), Ruth (’45) and and son Dan (’50).
It was most definitely a family affair for Demaree and his wife, Mary, who often entertained students and teachers at their home and, for many years, prepared and served a turkey dinner to the faculty and staff as a prelude to the school holiday break.
He was also a beloved figure in the community and gave leadership to the Rotary Club, his church and the YMCA. Mr. and Mrs. Demaree worked each summer at the YMCA’s Camp Osceola in the San Bernardino Mountains, where they would cook elaborate meals for camp’s teenage occupants. Memorable to many from that era were the hot caramel yeast rolls the Demarees baked each morning for the hungry campers.
An active board member of the local YMCA, he also found time to be counselor for the Blue and Gold Hi-Y Club of more than 100 members. Six of them jointly shared valedictorian honors at graduation in 1950.
Demaree also organized a Toastmaster’s program to encourage public speaking skills in the community. He is credited with being one of the original founders of Toastmasters International. He also founded a Junior Toastmasters program at the high school.
The start of World War II dramatically changed the atmosphere of AUHS when 50 students of Japanese descent were forced to relocate with their families to concentration camps. Demaree was vocal in speaking out against the discrimination towards Japanese-Americans, a very courageous position to take considering the war fervor at the time. Demaree kept in touch with many Japanese-American students who were interred during the war and encouraged them to continue their studies.
Life at the high school was further affected as students left for jobs in the defense industry and to serve in the military. Demaree asked all his students to carry identification cards in case of bombings. On the first day of school in 1942, Principal Demaree called the student body together with all of them being sworn in the Victory Corps. Students participated in scrap metal drives and held contests to sell the most war bonds and stamps. All teachers were required to take a 10-week course in first aid.
When a manpower shortage affected the 1943 harvest, Demaree responded to pleas for student volunteers from local farmers by declaring half day schedules (called the Victory Schedule) from the beginning of school in September through mid-October.
The popular Nutrition Period of today originated in 1943, when Demaree introduced a 10-minute “relaxation period” because too many students were coming to school without eating until noon. He felt their health and learning efficiency were impaired.
The war in Europe was over just as the Class of 1945 was getting ready to graduate. The Japanese surrendered in August, leaving a sense of freedom in the United States that had not been felt for years. Demaree held the first assembly on Sept. 24 at which he introduced the new student body president who read the list of AUHS students who had died in the war.
The next 10 years saw the City of Anaheim evolve from a sleepy farm community to a post-war boom town. Change was inevitable for the school as well. For the first time since the District’s establishment, Anaheim High’s principal vacated his post to become the full-time superintendent. Demaree and his staff kept up a frantic pace of buying land and building schools to keep ahead of the educational needs of the children moving into Anaheim. The District asked Anaheim residents to approve a bond measure for $6 million to help accomplish this monumental task.
Demaree retired in 1958 when the building program was in full swing. Yet even after retirement, Demaree continued to be involved in the dedication of new schools in the AUHSD. Throughout his time as Anaheim’s principal and the District superintendent, Demaree provided steady leadership and support to the students and teachers, continually espousing the “one family” concept for the faculties of schools as new ones opened.
Demaree left behind a legacy as one of Anaheim High’s most beloved principals, serving during a time of amazing transformation of the school system and its students. He will continue to serve as a benefactor to the students of Anaheim High School through the newly established “Dr. Paul Demaree Endowed Scholarship.”
To donate to this fund, which will be managed by the Scholarship Committee of the AHSAA, a non-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, please send a donation to the AHSAA, P.O. Box 389, Anaheim, CA, 92815, with the notation that the donation is to be placed in the Paul H. Demaree Endowment fund. Questions may be address to anaheimalumni@yahoo.com. For more information on the AHSAA, visit www.anaheimcolonists.com.
Alumni, Student Musicians Headline AHSAA Membership Mixer
May 12, 2014 by
Anaheim High alumni, family and friends enjoyed an evening of Colonist connections and outstanding entertainment at the AHS Alumni Association’s June 9 Membership Mixer, which featured entertainment by accomplished musician and famous piano man Dave Bourne from Anaheim High Class of ’57 and by the Anaheim High Jazz Band directed by Breysi Garcia from Class of 2000.
The event, which celebrated the Alumni Association’s 6th year as a non-profit corporation, was at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel and featured hors d’oeuvres, an opportunity drawing for special prizes, a silent auction and memorabilia display.
Thanks to the generosity of alumni, family, friends and the business community, the AHSAA has donated $80,000 to Anaheim High and its students, including this year’s scholarship awards totaling $10,500. Please join the AHSAA in supporting “Old AU” by joinging today: Click here for the 2014 Membership Donor Form!
