An Observer reader tipped us off to the anniversary and although we have covered a bit of its history in the past, we must revisit for this one. 125 years–what a milestone. A special election was held in 1893 to create Fullerton Union High School, and the first classroom was a rented room on the second floor of the Fullerton Elementary School building.

Pictured (above) is the original high school and (below) a photo of the current location, which was a walnut orchard prior to the purchase in 1911. The current photo shows one of the buildings and the Plummer Auditorium, which was built in 1930- 32 and renovated in 1993.

Going through some papers recently revealed a letter from then President Nixon to Virginia Shaw, my wife’s grandmother, who attended Fullerton High School with Nixon and Clarence “Leo” Fender, who of course went on to make his Fender Electric Instrument Company a dominant force in music.

Other notables are Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Walter Johnson, and position players Arky Vaughan, Del Crandall, and Steve Busby among others, John Raitt, well known for his Broadway career and of course father of singer and guitar player Bonnie Raitt, State Assemblywoman and former Fullerton Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva, former Mayor Pro Tem and councilmember Pam Keller, poets Diane Wakoski and Ann Stanford, author Jessamyn West, and Sue S. Dauser, Superintendent of the United States Navy Nurse Corps. There are many more alumni included in their Wall of Fame.

We can be very proud of all of our schools here in Fullerton, and it’s amazing to find out that Fullerton High School is ranked in the top 5% of high schools, with diverse course offerings and many opportunities for the nearly 2,000 students, who are as diverse as the courses offered. 74 credentialed teachers, 5 administrators, 4 full time counselors and 2 full time guidance specialists make the school what it is today, a place where every student can expect to become well-pre- pared for their future.