1939 Eagle Rock High School Yearbook
Happy New Year! I hope it’s not too late to say that 🙂 I’ve had some writer’s block lately and haven’t felt like saying much, but then yesterday I received an eBay package that I’m excited to share! I bought a 1939 yearbook from my high school in Eagle Rock, CA (northeast part of Los Angeles). When I was in high school I loved looking through the old yearbooks, and I’m thrilled to have one of my own.
Eagle Rock High School was opened in 1927 and was built in a traditional Spanish style, with tile roofs, arched doorways, and a courtyard. The original buildings were torn down in 1970 and rebuilt (due to earthquake safety standards, I believe), and unfortunately the “new” buildings weren’t nearly as cute. The only original building still remaining is the auditorium.
The ERHS yearbook is called the Totem, as a tribute to the Native Americans who first settled the region. The yearbook still retains this name, I believe.
In this period, the school had 2 graduating classes per year – Winter and Summer. I think they combined the classes in the 40’s? My yearbook has all the Winter classes/clubs/sports at the front, and Summer in the back.
The yearbook is dedicated to the burgeoning city of Los Angeles. It’s fun to look at the pictures of our historical LA landmarks (Hollywood, Los Angeles City Hall, and Griffith Observatory) and think how they were so new back then. I guess they’re still new by most architectural standards, but they feel old to us Angelenos!
Some snapshots of the old school – you can see the courtyard and classrooms, and I think tennis courts?
Winter Class 4-H Club. I think those are classrooms in the background?
This is one of my favorites – this club is standing in front of the auditorium, and you can see the class plaques out front. Every graduating class votes for a Class Name, designs a logo, and raises funds to have a plaque made for the front. It’s nearly full out in front now! Next time I’m driving by the school I should take a picture – it’s quite cool to see how the graphics changed over time.
Of course, there are loads of hair and clothing inspiration in this book, so I will be posting more. (did someone say Stripey Socks? They’re all over!) After I finished scanning I found the book’s original owner – Shirley Martin. She’s quite cute and judging from the inscriptions she was quite popular with the boys!