Ron Davini – AHS Class of 1965While he was an all-around athlete, playing football, basketball, track and field and baseball, it was his outstanding performance as a catcher for the Colonists that led to Ron Davini’s life-long career in the world of baseball as a player, coach and a member of numerous professional organizations supporting America’s favorite pastime. [Read more…]
Dr. Paul Demaree – AUHS Faculty – 1925-1937/AUHS Principal – 1941-1954/AUHSD Superintendent – 1941-1958
Dr. Paul H. Demaree
One of the most beloved Anaheim principals, Paul Demaree’s tenure at the high school started in 1925 as a social studies teacher and football and baseball coach. In 1926, Demaree’s “B” teams had the best records of all the AUHS teams.
In 1937, Demaree was hired to serve as principal of Capistrano High School. Three years later, upon the death of Joseph A. Clayes, who served as principal for nearly 22 years from 1919 to 1941, the School Board rehired Demaree, this time as principal.
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 son Dan (’50).
Demaree and his wife, Mary, 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.
Also a community leader, he was active in 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. A special favorite was Mrs. Demaree’s hot caramel yeast rolls she baked each morning for the hungry campers.
An active board member of the local YMCA, Demaree was a counselor for the Blue and Gold Hi-Y Club of more than 100 members. Six of his Hi-Y boys jointly shared valedictorian honors at graduation in 1950.
Principal 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 formed 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. Poignant in that Demaree was born in Japan to missionary parents, he was especially vocal in speaking out against discrimination toward Japanese-Americans, a courageous position to take considering the war fervor at the time.
The principal 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 being 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, he 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 the new schools.
AUHSD Superintendent Mike Matsuda with Gania Demaree Trotter whose father was Superintendent and Principal Dr. Paul Demaree
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 continues to serve as a benefactor to the students of Anaheim High School through the “Dr. Paul Demaree Endowed Scholarship” established by his daughter Gania (Demaree) Trotter (’44), who later became a music teacher at AUHS.
To donate to this fund, which will be managed by the Scholarship Committee of the AHSAA, a non-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, please mail a check to the AHSAA, P.O. Box 389, Anaheim, CA, 92815, with the notation that the donation is to be placed in the Demaree Endowment fund. Questions may be e-mailed to anaheimalumni@yahoo.com. For more information on the AHSAA, visit www.anaheimcolonists.com.
Under cloudy skies but bright Colonist pride and spirit, more than 100 cyclists pedaled Saturday, April 8, on behalf of Anaheim High clubs and athletic programs to raise funds for campus clubs and athletic programs.
The 1st Colony Bike-A-Thon was sponsored by TheCyclist.com owner John Marconi, the City of Anaheim, Visit Anaheim and several other sponsors. Support was also provided by AHS BROS.
Cyclists were provided free helmets from the Anaheim Fire departments, and free bike tune-ups and bikes were provided by TheCyclist.com.
Following the Bike-A-Thon, a Resource Fair was held in the campus central quad featuring numerous community organizations.
Class of ’55 graduate Bob Penfield is convinced his life has been charmed. During his 42 years with Disneyland, he always seemed to find himself in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. Bob shares his journey, and the story of the world famous theme park he grew up with, in his new book “The Last Original Disneylander – Stories & Secrets from the Last of Retire of the First to be Hired.”
Similar to Walt Disney’s humble beginnings, Bob was raised in a small Midwestern town, then headed for the sunshine and opportunity out West. Blessed with an insatiable curiosity, days after graduating from Anaheim High School he went looking for summer work at the strange new amusement park being built down the road. He lucked into a job days before it opened, starting in July of 1955 as a ride operator on Disneyland’s Carrousel.
Three days later, he was named foreman of the Snow White ride and, as soon as he turned 21, was promoted to management. He later transferred into the Facilities Division, where he got the opportunity to explore and examine every square inch of the park. Along the way, he also enjoyed side trips to help open Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics, and the New York World’s Fair.
After working in a variety of positions that gave him the opportunity to explore every square inch of the park, he retired in July of 1997, as the last of the original employees. His intimate knowledge of the park, its history, and its amazing cast of characters provides a unique, up-close look at the creation and operation of the world’s most beloved vacation destination.
He continues to be actively involved with Disney, regularly participating in promotional events for the Company, organizing a monthly breakfast club for retirees, and serving as “keeper of the flame” for “Club 55,” the group comprised of fellow longtime cast members who started in 1955.
Today, much of his efforts go into promoting the Walt Disney Birthplace Museum in Marceline, Missouri. Proceeds from his book sale will, in fact, go toward the restoration of a Midget Autopia ride, which Walt donated to the city in 1966. His book may be purchased at Amazon.com.
AHS Class of 1962 graduate David Macaray is a playwright and author who recently published a new novel about his time spent as a Peace Corps volunteer in India in 1967-68
Titled “How to Win Friends and Avoid Sacred Cows: Adventures in India: Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims When the Peace Corps was New,” the memoir describes his youthful time in India with disarming honesty. [Read more…]
Anaheim High’s Sheila Taylor Lowe (’67) will be one of three award-winning writers featured at the Sunday, March 19, Anaheim Public Library Foundation Mystery Authors Luncheon and Silent Auction.
The Whodunnit?-themed event will be held at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort. A silent auction begins at 11 a.m., followed by the lunch and author program at 12:30. Tickets are $60 per person or $550 per table of 10. Reservations, due March 10, may be made by contacting ginnygardner340@gmail.com.
Like her fictional character Claudia Rose in her award-winning forensic handwriting mysteries series, Sheila Lowe is a real-life forensic handwriting expert, as well as the author of the acclaimed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handwriting Analysis, Handwriting of the Famous & Infamous, and Handwriting Analyzer software.
Her six-book mystery series are inspired by actual cases she’s become involved in as a handwriting expert. The series titles include: Poison Pen, Written in Blood, Dead Write, Last Writes, Inkslingers Ball, and Outside the Lines.
She’s also published What She Saw, is a standalone novel of psychological suspense that follows a young woman through the terrifying labyrinth of amnesia.
Lowe holds a Master of Science in psychology and lectures around the country and in Canada and the UK. Her analyses of celebrity handwritings are seen throughout the media. In addition, she is president of the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes education in the area of handwriting. To learn more about her work, visit:
www.claudiaroseseries.com
www.sheilalowe.com
www.superceu.com
Football program cover
It is considered the biggest high school football game in California history – the legendary 1956 CIF championship game between Anaheim and Downey High Schools. The game has never been matched in terms of local interest, young idols, and a record-setting crowd. Sixty years later, the game that ended in a tie between the two undefeated teams is still being celebrated by historians, football fans, and alumni from both high schools.
In anticipation of an Oct. 21-23 60th anniversary celebration of the game, both Anaheim and Downey are planning reunions and commemorations to honor players from the 1956 teams.
Both sides are also teaming up to help kick start a documentary film project, “A Last Hurrah.” The fundraising effort is to provide film maker Paul Molina with an initial production budget to record and edit interviews with players, including Anaheim’s star running back Mickey Flynn, as well as fans who attended the game.
“There is a sense of urgency,” says Molina. “It’s almost certain that these reunions will not be formally arranged ever again.”
A 5-minute promo video of the project may be viewed via the project’s GoFundMe campaign. When achieved, the $24,000 goal will allow completion of a work-in-progress by November in order to obtain finishing funds from foundations and organizations dedicated to historical and cultural preservation.
Molina graduated as a football star from Katella High School in Anaheim. He went on to UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, spending the past 25 years producing and writing documentaries and news programming for PBS, The Learning Channel, E! Entertainment, NBC affiliates, Netflix and others. Now he’s ready to film a project that is much more personal to him.
“As a native southern California, I am very passionate about this dream project,” Molina said. “In today’s digital world, it’s difficult to appreciate the amount of hype this game generated 60 years ago, but the media buzz was unprecedented. Each team had a superstar in the backfield, Anaheim’s Mickey Flynn and Downey’s Randy Meadows. Each guy averaged over 16 yards per carry!”
The documentary will take viewers back to when Anaheim and Downey were still considered small towns that were truly represented by their high schools teams, each a football powerhouse with legendary coaches who would achieve hall of fame status: Anaheim’s Clare Van Hoorebeke and Downey’s Dick Hill. Businesses closed early, and opposing schools brought busloads of fans to watch the teams clash in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
But it’s also the aftermath of the gridiron match that proved a game of such magnitude could not – and would not – ever happen again.
“Although the game is what drives this story forward, this documentary is about much more – a social and cultural transformation of an entire region, when all eyes of the nation were on California,” says Molina. “This documentary would appeal to all persons interested in American history in the 1950s.”
Molina is collaborating with Art Hansen, a CSUF professor emeritus who is writing a book entitled “The Golden Kingdom: Prep Football and Early Cold War Society and Culture in Southern California.” The book, once published, will provide a social and cultural “context” to help readers fathom why the fortunes of high school football programs, as embodied and symbolized by the 1956 Anaheim Colonists and the Downey Vikings, assumed such potent significance, meaning, and value within early Cold War Southern California.
Molina adds: “The landscape of southern California was changing so rapidly that if we look back at that period from afar, perhaps we can also reflect on how we sometimes treat our heroes, and what that says about us,” he explained. “Most importantly, this film will allow the men and women interviewed to tell their stories – which will make us all richer by reflecting upon their experiences, and ours.”
Click here to donate via the GoFundMe campaign. Any amount is welcome, but incentives are being offered as follows:
$25 – A digital download of the finished documentary “A Last Hurrah.”
$50 – Digital downloads of “A Last Hurrah” and the 1956 Anaheim vs. Downey title game preserved by the OC Sports Hall of Fame and the Anaheim and Downey alumni associations.
$100 – Digital downloads of “A Last Hurrah,” the 1956 Anaheim vs. Downey title game, and the game program.
$250 – All of the above, plus a hard copy replica program signed by Mickey Flynn.
$500 – All of the above, plus an Anaheim High Mickey Flynn #25 jersey.
$1000 – All of the above, including a signed #25 Mickey Flynn jersey and a collectible OC Sports Hall of Fame book and poster featuring Anaheim High memorabilia from the 1956 game.
$5000 – All of the above, and screen credit as an executive producer
More information about the Anaheim celebration on Oct. 21 is available at www.anaheimcolonists.com. For those who wish to make a donation by check, donations may be mailed to the AHSAA, P.O. Box 389, Anaheim, CA, 92805. Please write “A Last Hurrah” on the check’s memo line. Questions may be directed to anaheimalumni@yahoo.com or to Paul Molina via paulgmolina@gmail.com.
Long-time educator Minard Duncan will join 60 other outstanding Colonists in the Anaheim High Hall of Fame when he is inducted March 4 at a reception in the school’s library. Duncan was selected for his decades of work as an educator and for his role as an activist who has made a significant impact in his community.
Duncan has been highly involved in the North Orange County community for more than 58 years, serving children in the Fullerton School District. An educator who never left a child behind even before it was a national mandate, Duncan created programs that increased test scores and parent involvement and also founded a free children’s dental clinic with the help of Anaheim dentist Dr. Harris Done.
A home-town boy who attended Lincoln Elementary and Fremont Junior High before attending 
Anaheim, Duncan went on to Santa Ana College where he earned an A.A. degree in 1952. His education was interrupted when he joined the U.S. Army in 1952 to serve in Korea through 1954. As soon as he returned home he enrolled in CSU Long Beach and earned his B.A. in elementary education in 1957. Shortly thereafter, he began his 41-year career with the Fullerton School District, where he taught elementary school for eight years and served as a principal for 33 years.
During that time he earned his master’s degree from CSU Long Beach in elementary education with an administrative emphasis, as well as a master’s in governance from the California School Board Association. He retired from the District in 1998, but continued working in education for CSU Fullerton until 2002, when he was elected to the Fullerton School District Board of Trustees, a position he held for eight years.
Duncan made a major impact in the lives of the children he served by recruiting the help of local business owners. When he took on the principalship of a low performing school, he recruited 50 small businesses to provide incentives to increase parent participation which, in turn, helped increase test scores from a 22 to 80 percent pass rate.
Another example of his town-and-gown efforts included starting the first free dental clinic in the City of Fullerton for children without dental insurance. He still is involved by securing funding for the clinic.
Duncan has received numerous awards for his work in education and the community, including the PTA Golden Oak Award, the highest PTA award presented; the Orange County Department of Education Outstanding Contribution to Education Award; the CSU Fullerton Honored Educator Award; and the Spirit of Volunteerism Award from the Volunteer Center of Orange County and the Orange County Register and the Leon Owens Foundation Making a Difference Together Award for Education Services.
Still an active community member, Duncan continues to participate in numerous organizations, including serving on the board of Pathways of Hope (formerly known as the Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Service); the Rotary Club of Fullerton; and on the board of the Museum of Teaching and Learning (MOTAL), an organization whose purpose is to educate people about education with traveling exhibits on subjects including the Mendez vs. Westminster School District court case that consequently desegregated schools in the United States
In his spare time, Duncan enjoys golf, reading, water volleyball, camping and travel and, of course, spending time with his family, including son Phillip Duncan, daughter and son-in-law Denise and Richard Godhardt, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A founding member of the Anaheim High School Alumni Association, Duncan is also busy supporting his alma mater by participating in alumni events and serving as one of his class leaders who have helped plan reunions for several decades.
Click here to view photos from his March 4, 2016 AHS Hall of Fame Induction.
Anaheim High, with support from the school’s Alumni Association, is staging a Read Across America celebration highlighting Anaheim High authors, as well as books that feature Anaheim High and its graduates. Student activities promoting literacy are also part of the week-long celebration that kicks off Feb. 29 and runs through March 4.
Appearances on the stage of Cook Auditorium by four authors, including OC Weekly editor and AHS Class of ’97 graduate Gustavo Arellano, student activities, an Alice In Wonderland-themed reception in the school’s library and a Hall of Fame induction are among activities that will take place during the week. All the events are free and open to the public.
Throughout the week the AHS Library will serve as the event hub and site of a display featuring Anaheim High authors, including Lois Battle, a Class of ’56 graduate who achieved success in the literary world with seven bestselling novels. The display will also spotlight books about famous alumni, including Charles Walters (’30), an MGM director and choreographer during Hollywood’s Golden Age, and Marie Wilson (’33) of My Friend Irma fame who earned three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in radio, TV and film.
The celebration will culminate Friday, March 4, with an Anaheim High Authors’ Forum, 3 to 5 p.m. in Cook Auditorium, featuring a graduate who has become a celebrated voice in the Latino community, a Colony writer who published a book featuring Anaheim High haunts, an alumnae who has authored of a popular mystery series based on her experience as a forensic handwriting analyst, and writer and historiam Dennis Bateman, Class of ’89, who will talk about his book Anaheim Colonists Football – A Century of Tradition and The Orange County Football Book.
Returning to his alma mater for the first time since graduating in 1997, Gustavo Arellano, editor of OC Weekly, is also the author of several books and a nationally syndicated column Ask A Mexican. He will speak about his evolution from an Anaheim High student leader to an award-winning writer.
Like her fictional character Claudia Rose in the award-winning forensic handwriting mystery series, Sheila Lowe from Class of ’67 is a practicing forensic handwriting expert. Also the author of the acclaimed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handwriting Analysis, Handwriting of the Famous & Infamous, and Handwriting Analyzer software, she is president of the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes education in the area of handwriting. Sheila holds a master’s degree in psychology and lectures around the country and in Canada and the UK. Her analyses of celebrity handwritings are seen throughout the media.
Lowe and Suspense Publishing have made her book 
Inkslingers Ball available to Anaheim High students to read as part of the celebration.
A popular subject among Anaheim High students is the rumor of ghosts that haunt the high school. It’s also a favorite subject of Tom Zaradich, author of Anaheim’s Dead – Ghostly Encounters With the Passed, which includes a chapter on Anaheim High and interviews with several AHS graduates and staff members.
After the authors’ forum, attendees will be invited to the AHS Library for a reception celebrating Anaheim High authors and supporters of literacy in the Colony community. A special mention will be given the school’s SkillsUSA program for its creation of free little libraries being placed throughout the Colony community.
June Glenn’55 and Susan Faessel ’67 will also be recognized for their support of literacy in the Anaheim community. Another event highlight will be the induction of long-time Anaheim High teacher, writer and historian Louise Booth in the school’s Hall of Fame.
Thanks to a sponsorship by the AHS Alumni Association, all activities are free but donations of books are encouraged. For a list of titles requested by the AHS Library, visit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/?ie=UTF8&cid=A1SDJXD5BSLQVG
Books may also be brought to the Friday event to be donated to the school library or the little free libraries.
The AHSAA has identified 19 alumni authors who will be recognized as part of A Celebration of Anaheim High Authors and Colony-Inspired Literature. Biographies, with photos, on each of these individuals, as well as information on books written about Anaheim High alumni, literature that includes photos or information on Anaheim High, are available at https://anaheimcolonists.com/celebration-of-anaheim-authors/
To RSVP for the reception or to inform the AHSAA of additional authors, please contact Janet Brown at anaheimalumni@yahoo.com or 714-726-4372.
Anaheim High, the third oldest high school in Orange County, has a rich history that inspired writers to include “Old AU” in their books, including Tom Zaradich’s book Anaheim’s Dead – Ghostly Encounters With the Passed, which includes a chapter on Anaheim High and interviews with several AHS graduates and staff members.
The history of the Anaheim Union High School District and Anaheim High, established in 1898, is documented in Louise Booth’s book One to Twenty-Eight. Booth is a member of the Anaheim High Hall of Fame for her dedication as a teacher and her literary legacy.
Anaheim author and historian Stephen Faessel has included facts and photos about Anaheim High in his popular books documenting the history of the City of Anaheim. His wife Susan (Warden) Faessel from Class of 1967 is a major supporter of Anaheim organizations and service groups, including the Anaheim Public Library.
If you know of any other books featuring Anaheim High, please contact the AHSAA at anaheimalumni@yahoo.com.
