Jim Oregel – Class of 1972
Jim Oregel, a life-long Anaheim resident who has served his community from an early age, and even more so since graduating from Anaheim High School in 1972.
Born August 5, 1953, Jim has always been a key leader for his alma mater and for St. Boniface Church, where he has been a member for seven decades.
Jim has taught catechism, conducted youth programs, and filled many other volunteer positions for his church community.
He also represented St. Boniface on the interfaith Orange County Congregation Community Organization (OCCCO), which he helped found. OCCCO develops leaders from a diverse multicultural, interfaith community who work together to shape equitable public policy in Orange County.
Jim has been a blessing for Anaheim High, Home of the Colonists. In the 1950s and beyond, Anaheim High’s football program was a powerhouse, winning numerous league titles and championships. The Colonist football games were broadcast on radio and the entire town turned out for pep rallies and filled the stadium. His father, siblings and cousins always attended games and took Jimmy along. Without a doubt, Jimmy holds the record for attending the most Colonist gridiron contests. In fact, since 1969, he has only missed five games.
Jim became a Junior Colonist upon entering 7th grade at Fremont Junior High, located across the street from Anaheim. When he began attending high school, he immediately became involved with the football program by serving as a team manager.
Always sporting the school’s colors of Blue and Gold, Jim is certainly the best example of the famous Colonist “Spirit, Pride & Tradition,” which earned him a position as yell leader.
His volunteer work for the school included decorating the gym and team locker room for every game and pep rally, creating unique awards and décor for football banquets that were major celebrations attended by hundreds of players, booster club members, business sponsors and others.
In fact, his work for the high school has never stopped. Upon graduating, Jim joined the Football Booster Club and took over the presidency in 1976, which he recently relinquished.
Jim has supported the football team by raising funds with Colonist merchandise sales, running the snack bar, recruiting parents as program volunteers, providing the traditional pre-game team dinners, organizing the annual post-season banquet, and more.
Jim is a founding member of the AHS Alumni Association and serves on the Board of Directors.
Inducted in the Anaheim High Hall of Fame in 2008, Jim truly bleeds Blue and Gold and has dedicated his life to his alma mater by keeping Colonist tradition alive. Please join the Colonist community in recognizing his life-long service to the Anaheim community.
