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Alumni Remember Treasured Theater Organ

November 19, 2013 by

A meeting of the city’s Historical Society at Anaheim High’s Cook Auditorium offered several alumni from the ‘40s and ’50s an opportunity to share memories of playing or hearing the school’s treasured Robert Morton Theater Pipe Organ.

Those who couldn’t attend sent e-mails or called to “recall their happy days” of playing the organ or enjoying the music others created on the now vintage instrument which was taken out of storage for the event.

Don Shilling, Class of ’50, was one of the alumnus in attendance who remembers playing the organ and taking lessons on it. Virginia Criss from Class of ’41 recalled hearing the organ being played as a part of concerts and other performances. “It was exciting because the organ was brand new then,” she said.

The organ, manufactured in 1928 and installed in the (Victoria) Liberty Theater in Oklahoma City, was purchased in 1940 by the AUHSD for installation in Cook Auditorium, which was constructed as part of a WPA Project after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and opened to the public in 1936.

Among the organ’s expert players was James Friis (1946) who recently passed away. His classmate Delmer Rogers remembers when he and James performed George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at a school assembly in 1945. ” James, a fine organist, played the orchestral part on that classic organ, while I commandeered the piano solo. . . It was a highlight of my young years.”

Peggy (Kohlenberger) Boland from AHS Class of ‘54 also played Anaheim’s 3/12 rank organ (three levels of keyboards and 12 ranks divided between two chambers). During her senior year, Peggy performed at all the assemblies, frequently playing the Star Spangled Banner and the Alma Mater. On Monday nights, she would play for community forums featuring travel log programs.

She also remembers the custodian in that day being musically talented and, if he was working in Cook after school when Betty was practicing, he would join her on the grand piano located in the auditorium’s orchestra pit. She said he also played the organ and taught her songs from the ‘30s.

She also played the classical organ at church and found the theater organ delightful because of all the bells and whistles. “You could make such fun music with the theater organ.”

Efforts were made in the ‘80s to refurbish the organ. Unfortunately, the instrument was not configured in the correct manner and did not have the best tonal quality. After a few concerts, it was no longer played. More damage to the organ was caused by a flood from a broken ceiling pipe. When water threatened the organ console, the cables leading to an electro pneumatic relay system were severed so the organ could be removed from the auditorium. The organ’s pipes were later damaged by vandals and by electricians who used the chamber as a short cut during their work.

A plus side to refurbishment project is the swell shades, which were obtained from the USC Bovart Auditorium. According to the experts, the swell shades are “gangbusters” and they have never seen more in a theatre installation. Also encouraging news is the organ’s original Spencer blower, which is still in good working condition.

Theater organs and the music they produce are undergoing a revival as people realize the organs and their intricate pipe work are irreplaceable. Santa Monica High School installed a refurbished Wurlitzer, donated by the LA Theater Organ Society, in its recently rennovated Barnum Hall.

Closer to home, the Fullerton high school district, with the support and expertise of the OC Theater Organ Society, restored its Plummer Auditorium Wurlitzer Organ, one of the few Wurlitzers that still resides in its original installation site. The organ is frequently played for community concerts.

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Alumni Remember Treasured Theater Organ

A recent meeting of the city’s Historical Society at Anaheim High’s Cook Auditorium offered several alumni from the ‘40s and ’50s an opportunity to share memories of playing or hearing the school’s treasured Robert Morton Theater Pipe Organ.

Those who couldn’t attend sent e-mails or called to “recall their happy days” of playing the organ or enjoying the music others created on the now vintage instrument which was taken out of storage for the event.

Don Shilling, Class of ’50, was one of the alumnus in attendance who remembers playing the organ and taking lessons on it. Virginia Criss from Class of ’41 recalled hearing the organ being played as a part of concerts and other performances. “It was exciting because the organ was brand new then,” she said.

The organ, manufactured in 1928 and installed in the (Victoria) Liberty Theater in Oklahoma City, was purchased in 1940 by the AUHSD for installation in Cook Auditorium, which was constructed as part of a WPA Project after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and opened to the public in 1936.

Among the organ’s expert players was James Friis (1946) who recently passed away. His classmate Delmer Rogers remembers when he and James performed George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at a school assembly in 1945. ” James, a fine organist, played the orchestral part on that classic organ, while I commandeered the piano solo. . . It was a highlight of my young years.”

Peggy (Kohlenberger) Boland from AHS Class of ‘54 also played Anaheim’s 3/12 rank organ (three levels of keyboards and 12 ranks divided between two chambers). During her senior year, Peggy performed at all the assemblies, frequently playing the Star Spangled Banner and the Alma Mater. On Monday nights, she would play for community forums featuring travel log programs.

She also remembers the custodian in that day being musically talented and, if he was working in Cook after school when Betty was practicing, he would join her on the grand piano located in the auditorium’s orchestra pit. She said he also played the organ and taught her songs from the ‘30s.

She also played the classical organ at church and found the theater organ delightful because of all the bells and whistles. “You could make such fun music with the theater organ.”

Efforts were made in the ‘80s to refurbish the organ. Unfortunately, the instrument was not configured in the correct manner and did not have the best tonal quality. After a few concerts, it was no longer played. More damage to the organ was caused by a flood from a broken ceiling pipe. When water threatened the organ console, the cables leading to an electro pneumatic relay system were severed so the organ could be removed from the auditorium. The organ’s pipes were later damaged by vandals and by electricians who used the chamber as a short cut during their work.

A plus side to refurbishment project is the swell shades, which were obtained from the USC Bovart Auditorium. According to the experts, the swell shades are “gangbusters” and they have never seen more in a theatre installation. Also encouraging news is the organ’s original Spencer blower, which is still in good working condition.

Theater organs and the music they produce are undergoing a revival as people realize the organs and their intricate pipe work are irreplaceable. Santa Monica High School installed a refurbished Wurlitzer, donated by the LA Theater Organ Society, in its recently rennovated Barnum Hall.

Closer to home, the Fullerton high school district, with the support and expertise of the OC Theater Organ Society, restored its Plummer Auditorium Wurlitzer Organ, one of the few Wurlitzers that still resides in its original installation site. The organ is frequently played for community concerts.

There’s talk about refurbishing the Cook Auditorium Robert Morton. Stay posted for progress reports. In the meantime, enjoying a slideshow of photos from the AHS meeting and of the organ and its pipes.

Robert Morton Theater Organ

Students who attended Anaheim High in the 1940s, and some years beyond, may still remember performances featuring music played on the school’s Robert Morton Theater Pipe Organ. The now treasured instrument, housed in Cook Auditorium, was once played at concerts and other performances, and also provided musical accompaniment for daily announcements.

Alumni and history buffs aren’t the only ones who appreciate the one-of-a-kind Cook Auditorium organ; theater organ enthusiasts also treasurer the instrument. Several experts have examined and chronicled the organ’s history and its various parts, which includes swell shades, ranks, pneumatic valves, chambers, blowers, diaphone beaters and more.

Based on information gathered by these experts, the following history of the Cook Auditorium Robert Morton Pipe Organ has been revealed:

Anaheim High’s 3/12 rank organ (three levels of keyboards and 12 ranks divided between two chambers) was manufactured by the Robert-Morton Company in Van Nuys, California, the second-largest theater organ builder in America. Robert Morton’s are considered one of the top organs ever produced.

The Anaheim High Robert Morton was manufactured in 1928, installed in the (Victoria) Liberty Theater in Oklahoma City, and then purchased by the Anaheim Union High School District for installation in Cook Auditorium in 1940. 

This information comes from records kept by experts who have tracked the serial number of the organ’s Spencer blower (#21846) and the opus number of the organ, which is visible on an engraved brass plaque on the organ chest (see attached photo).

(FYI: Cook Auditorium was constructed as part of a Federal Public Works Project to rebuild Anaheim High School after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The newly constructed school and auditorium were opened to the public in 1936.)

The Cook Auditorium organ is one of only three public high school theater organs that still exist in Orange County. The auditoriums at Fullerton Union and Santa Ana high schools, which opened in 1896 and 1889, respectively, also house theater organs. Fullerton’s is a Wurlitzer that is fully restored; Santa Ana’s theater organ is in disrepair, as is Anaheim’s.

The Cook Auditorium organ was refurbished once in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the organ was not configured in the correct manner and did not have the best tonal quality. After a few concerts, it was no longer played.

Besides the inadequate refurbishment, the saga of Anaheim High’s theater organ also includes a flood caused by a broken ceiling pipe. When water threatened the organ console, the cables between the console and electro pneumatic relay system were severed so the organ could be removed for the auditorium. The organ always sat stage left at floor level.

Pipes were later damaged when electricians used the chamber as a short cut during their work. Sadly, the organ was also damaged by vandals trying to steal a separate sound system that apparently shared space with the organ’s housings.

A plus side to the ‘80s refurbishment project is the swell shades, which were obtained from the USC Bovart Auditorium. According to the experts, the swell shades are “gangbusters” and they have never seen more in a theatre installation. 

Another plus, though not related to the ‘80s refurbishment, is the organ’s original Spencer blower, which is in good working condition. But more than gangbuster swell shades and a good blower are needed to restore the organ to its glorious past.

For now, it’s important to know that theater organs and the music they produce are undergoing a revival as people realize the organs and their intricate pipe work are irreplaceable. Many organ restoration projects are taking place throughout the country, including at Santa Monica High School, where a Wurlitzer donated by the Los Angeles Theater Organ Society was recently installed in the school’s Barnham Hall. 

Looking closer to home is the successful restoration of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District (FJUHSD) Plummer Auditorium Wurlitzer Organ, one of the few instruments installed by the Wurlitzer Co. which remains in the original installation site. In 1993, the organ underwent a complete reconfiguration that continued into 2003 as new technologies became available.

This renovation was supported by the Orange County Theater Organ Society (OCTOS) and the FJUHSD Educational Foundation. The activities of the OCTOS include assistance in the maintenance, continuing restoration and enhancement of the instrument. The Society also works with the FJUHSD Educational Foundation in the presentation of concerts which allow the community to enjoy this wonderful musical heritage.

Photos of the Cook Auditorium Robert Morton Organ taken by Anaheim High art instructor Brad Pettigrew, a member of the City of Anaheim Historical Preservation Committee, are available for viewing on the AHSAA website www.anaheimcolonists.com or on the artist’s website at http://Gallery.Me.com\BradleyJ.Pettigrew#Gallery.

Colonist WWII Fallen Hero Returns Home

May 6, 2023 by

The remains of Class of 1937 Colonist John F. Minogue, who had been listed as missing in action since 1943, were return home for burial after being identified in 2022. He was buried April 20, 2023, next to his mother, Pearl Thessie Minogue Miller, at Loma Vista Memorial Park in Fullerton.

On Aug. 1, 1943, 2nd Lt. John F. Minogue, age 24, was shot down over Romania. But for nearly 80 years, he was among the fallen troops who could not be identified at the time.

Born May 1, 1919, Minogue played football for Anaheim Union High School and attended Fullerton College after graduating from AUHS in 1937. A Gold Star Flag was displayed in the window of his home at 506 Claudina Street, where he had lived with his mother until moving to Richfield, CA, 550 miles north of Anaheim, sometime before enlisting in the Army Air Corp on May 20, 1941.

By the end of 1941, Minogue earned his Army wings of gold and was sent to Europe. In the summer of 1943, he was assigned to the 328th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Army Air Force.

On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator bomber named “Euroclydon The Storm,” on which Minogue was co-pilot, was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania.

Piloted by Lt. Enoch Porter, “Euroclydon The Storm” was part of the first wave of the mission and was positioned as lead aircraft left wing. The bomber took a direct hit and was seen attempting to climb to 300 feet. The plane broke in midair before crashing in flames over a school at Plopu. Of the 11 crewmembers, three were taken POW, the bombardier bailed out but his parachute failed to open, and it is believed that two gunners also jumped with failing chutes. Five bodies were never recovered, and only two crew were initially identified.

More than 500 airmen died in this mission, and 54 planes were lost. All of the 93rd Bombardment Group earned the Presidential Unit Citation. Minogue was awarded, posthumously, the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role. He was also awarded an Air Medal and Purple Heart.

Minogue’s remains were buried as “unknown” in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan in Romania.

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), the organization that searched for and recovered fallen American personnel, disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. The AGRC was unable to identify more than 80 unknowns and those remains were permanently interred at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium.

In 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) began exhuming the remains of those believed to have died in Tidal Wave in an effort to identify them and, in August 2022, Minogue was announced as successfully named.

Minogue’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Euroclydon The Storm Crew

1Lt Enoch M. Porter Jr. – Pilot

2Lt. John F Minogue – Co-Pilot

Raymond P. Warner – Navigator

1Lt Howard Dickson

Fl. Of. Joe E. Boswell

1st/Lt. Jesse D “Red” Franks, Jr

T/Sgt.Frank C Ferrel

TSgt Bernard R Lucas

SSgt Earl L. Frost

Filed Under: AHS Football Legacy, AHS History, Colonist Wall of Valor, Featured Articles

THE ANAHEIM COLONISTS – An American Football History – On Sale Now!

September 17, 2022 by

THE ANAHEIM COLONISTS – An American Football History

The Anaheim Colonists have established a proud football tradition for more than a century, setting the precedent which many successful football programs follow to this day. Now, the memories and experiences that forged a gridiron legend have been brought together in THE ANAHEIM COLONISTS – An American Football History. This is the definitive chronicle of Orange County’s most historic football program.

* Exclusive commentary and memories from dozens of former players, coaches, opponents, fans and boosters
* Rare and never-before-seen photographs chronicling more than 100 years of Anaheim Colonists football
* Complete all-time team records, season-by-season results, extensively researched
* Foreword by Jim Fassel, former Anaheim quarterback and NFL Coach of the Year with the New York Giants

Written by Dennis Bateman
Edited by Thomas Bateman
Published by the Anaheim High School Alumni Association
Printed by Advanced Imaging
Cover Art by Annie Salness

Price: $30.00 (+$10 shipping) – All proceeds benefit the Anaheim High School Alumni Association, a 501c3 non-profit organization.

The book will also be sold at home football games and other alumni events.

To order and pay by check, download and fill out this form and mail with your payment to AHSAA, P.O. Box 389, Anaheim, CA 92815

To order using a credit card payment, please fill out the form below. Questions may be directed to anaheimalumni@yahoo.com.

Anaheim Colonists Book

This form to purchase the book "THE ANAHEIM COLONISTS – An American Football History"

  • This is where your order will be mailed.
  • Price: $40.00
    Book : $30 + $10 shipping per book
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Filed Under: What's New

Corona Virus Quarantine Motives Grad to Unpack Historic Photos

May 5, 2020 by

When Class of ’56 grad William “Bill” Foster began his Covid-19 quarantine, he knew it was the perfect time to tackle boxes of packed away photos that date back to the early 1900s and start organizing albums.

His project has unearthed some treasured photos of his mother, Arline Mary Foster (nee Bobst), also an Anaheim High grad from 1920.

Arline was born in Anaheim in 1902, and her family owned a small dairy and farm near Manchester (Santa Ana Freeway) and Crescent Avenue. Bill said the farm was “long gone” by the time he came along and he has no recollection of it.

Bill has an older brother, Richard, who also graduated from Anaheim High in 1944. Bill, Richard and their mother all attended and graduated from Loara Elementary School. Richard also had children who graduated from Anaheim, but Bill moved out of Anaheim by the time he was starting a family.

So, thanks to the quarantine, we’re able to share some photos and old newspaper articles from Arline’s albums, as well as Bill and Richard’s senior photos. He hasn’t finished going through all the boxes, so maybe he’ll find more treasures to share! Once A Colonist, Always A Colonist!

Filed Under: Alumni Spotlight, Featured Articles

AHS Class of ’32 Grad Elmer Thill Celebrates 106th Birthday with Quarantine Parade

April 19, 2020 by

Class of ’32 Colonist Elmer Thill

Despite the Coronavirus quarantine, AHS Class of ’32 graduated Elmer Thill celebrated his 106th birthday on Sunday, April 19, 2020, with a drive-by parade. This is the second pandemic Elmer has lived through, the first being the Spanish flu in 1918 when he was 4 years old.

Led by the City of Anaheim Police and Fire Departments at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Stephen Faessel, a lifetime friend of the Thill family, the parade made its way down Citron Street, past Anaheim High School, to the house Elmer built, and has lived in, for more than 60 years. Councilman Faessel is married to Susan (Warden) Faessel from AHS Class of ’67. Both Steve and Susan were part of the parade!

Other vehicles, include several classic cars and trucks, joined the parade to celebrate Anaheim’s oldest resident and the oldest living graduate of Anaheim High. Elmer sat on his front porch playing “Happy Birthday” on his clarinet and waving to the well wishers. Several neighbors gathered across the street from his home with “Happy Birthday” banners.

A musician his entire life, Elmer played in the Anaheim High orchestra and band. Elmer, whose parents owned Anaheim’s Central Hotel, made his living as a real estate agent and broker. (He still has his real estate license.)

Thill’s wife, Genevieve “Jean,” passed away Dec. 12, 2016, at age 101. The couple raised five children, and traveled around the world during their 78 years of marriage. Elmer lives with his son, Richard, an Anaheim High Class of ’57 graduate.

The Anaheim High School Alumni Association helped organize the surprise parade after Elmer’s birthday party was cancelled due to CV-19. When Elmer celebrated his 104th birthday, the AHSAA arranged a surprise performance by the Anaheim High School Marching Band on his front lawn.

Enjoy these photos documenting this special occasion:

 

Filed Under: Alumni Spotlight, In Memory

Educational Program by Anaheim High Alumni Designed to Preserve the Legacy of Relocated Japanese American Families

August 14, 2019 by

The story of Japanese and American-born students of Japanese ancestry, who were unable to complete their education at Anaheim Union High School due to their forced relocation to WWII incarceration camps, will be remembered as part of  Aug. 24 admission-free event at Cook Auditorium.

Anaheim High graduates organizing “The Poston Experience – Paving the Way for the Next Generations” say this unique program will illustrate how the stories of minority students from 75 years ago are strikingly similar to experiences faced by many of today’s generation.

The 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. program will offer a rare opportunity to hear special guest speaker Gania Demaree-Trotter, a 1944 graduate whose father, Dr. Paul H. Demaree, was principal of Anaheim Union High School from 1941 to 1954.

Cook Auditorium was a second home for Gania, who was a performing arts student and, later, a music teacher at her alma mater. Her return to the Cook stage is an occasion being celebrated and embraced by Anaheim High alumni, especially her students from the 1950s.

To preserve the legacy of these Japanese and Japanese-American students, the majority of whom were sent to Poston, Arizona, this two-hour program will feature Orange County leaders who went to Poston during WWII, as well as a special presentation about an Anaheim pioneer family represented by AHS Class of 1962 graduate Marlene Shigekawa. Marlene will talk about her family and her work in preserving the legacy of the Poston, Arizona camp where she was born.

Other panelists include Don Miyada, Robert M. Wada, and Tom Leatherman, who is representing the National Park Service Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program.

This unknown chapter has never been featured in a major educational event until now, according to Patti Hirahara, a Class of ’73 AHS grad who is the event coordinator and moderator.

To heighten the learning experience, recordings of  songs from the Poston era and popular tunes from the 1940s will provide a musical backdrop for the event. Performers include Anaheim Elementary School District children and the Anaheim High Las Sirenas Advanced Women’s Choir.

In addition, a new and original 10 minute documentary produced by the Anaheim Union High School District Summer Film Academy students entitled, “Remember Us: An Historic Chapter at Anaheim High School, will make its debut at “The Poston Experience” program.

For a nominal fee, persons who attend the August 24th morning program will be given an opportunity to be part of a sneak preview of the City of Anaheim’s new original exhibition – “I Am An American – Japanese Incarceration in a Time of  Fear,” which will run from Aug. 25 through Nov. 3 at the Muzeo Museum & Cultural Center.

For further information e-mail: anaheimalumni@yahoo.com or phone: (714) 392-2103. The event can also be found on Facebook @AZPostonAHS.

Filed Under: AHS History

Carey Lord Gibbs – 1932 – 2017

October 12, 2017 by

Carey Lord Gibbs passed away Monday evening October 9, 2017, following a noble fight against a cancer diagnosis received shortly after celebrating his 85th birthday with family and friends.

Carey was born July 5, 1932, to Robert Aubrey and Margie Lord Gibbs. He was raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his sisters, Marian and Laurie, and brothers, Thomas Adin, Roger, Carl, and Ed.

As a young man in North Carolina, Carey enlisted in the Navy and traveled to Southern California to serve his country. While stationed in San Diego from 1950 to 1954, he served as the Chaplain’s assistant.

Following his discharge from service he went home to North Carolina, only to return to complete his education as a music major from Chapman College and make California his permanent home. In later years, Carey received his Master’s Degree from California State University at Fullerton.

Carey was the choir director and taught reading at Anaheim High School from 1959 to 1996. During those 37 years, he was known affectionately as Mr. Gibbs by students who loved and appreciated him so much. He left an indelible impression on so many of his students. Throughout the years, he and his wife would encounter so many of his former students along life’s way and often hear so much expression as to what a difference and influence Carey had made in their lives.

Carey also served as Minister of Music at several large churches over a period of more than 30 years. He enjoyed many years serving at Anaheim First Christian Church with their lifelong friends Rev. Ragon and Joyce Flannery from 1968 to 1984. Carey’s wife, always accompanying by his side, served as the church organist. Together, they brought beautiful music to many during Sunday church services, weddings, and funerals.

During his musical career, Carey also played the organ at the Wurlitzer exhibit on Main Street at Disneyland. In addition, he gave private instruction in voice, organ, and piano to many students through the years and also provided instruction to students at Fullerton Junior College.

In November 1966, Carey married his former student and choir accompanist, Linda Pebley. Carey and Linda would have celebrated their 51st anniversary in November. Together, they raised their family of five girls in Anaheim.

His greatest passions in life were God, family, music, and travel. Carey and Linda enjoyed more than 15 years of retirement together and traveled the beautiful lower 48 states extensively in their motorhome and even braved the Alaskan Highway for the trip of a lifetime. They returned to Alaska several times with various daughters to share this experience and the beauty.

Carey walked strong in his Christian faith and was a good and faithful servant. He knew exactly where he was headed in his final travels and he seemed at peace knowing the outcome. He was the greatest example to all of us by his strong faith, incredible love, amazing perseverance, and positive spirit.

All who knew Carey recognized him as a man of the highest moral integrity, who was loving, caring, compassionate, humble, humorous, always with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile in his heart, and always had a gentlemanly outreach to all he encountered. It was impossible to find anyone who didn’t love him and think he was the greatest of guys.

Carey is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter and son-in-law, Laurie and Bob Morey and granddaughters, Leah and Joy; daughter and son-in-law, Shirley and Rick Noble and grandchildren, Joshua, Jessica, Jason, and Jonathon; daughter, Patricia and grandchildren, Sarah and Steven; daughter and son-in-law, Marie and Fred Fanucchi and granddaughter, Kasey; and daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and David Montz and granddaughters, Sarah-beth and Caitlin.

Carey was also the loving and playful great grandfather to nine, with the tenth great grandchild expected in December. He was a wonderful and incredibly loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who was loved so deeply by all and will be missed immeasurably.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00pm, Friday, October 20, 2017, at Anaheim First Christian Church, 520 W. South St., Anaheim. The family will receive friends following the service at the home Carey loved so much in Anaheim.

Published in Orange County Register from Oct. 15 to Oct. 19, 2017

Filed Under: In Memory

Reggie Massey – Nov. 6, 1926 – Aug. 22, 2017

September 18, 2017 by

Anaheim High has lost Class of 1944 graduate Reggie (Reynolds) Massey. Her birth name was Mary Jane but this spunky lady chose to be known as Reggie. She was nearing her 91st birthday when she passed away peacefully with her family at her side.

Reggie helped launch the Anaheim High School Alumni Association (AHSAA), when she was directed in 2008 by her classmates to explore what they could do to help “Old AU.”

Cook Auditorium was identified as an area of the school that needed renovation. While a major remodel hasn’t occurred as yet, the District painted, installed new flooring and made other improvements to the historic 1,200-seat auditorium built in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project. Architectural plans were also drawn up for a complete renovation that would improve the stage site line, upgrade equipment and restore the school’s historic Robert Morgan pipe organ. 

But more importantly, this effort brought alumni back to the school and helped provide a voice for some 3000 students.

Another of Reggie’s efforts focused on the importance of obtaining the block of buildings on Lincoln Avenue next to Cook Auditorium. In 2016, the School District purchased this large parcel of land that will be used to expand the AHS campus.

Along with planning her class reunions for many years, Reggie was a champion of the high school by donating funds and materials, including hundreds of books used for the “Read Across America” program.

Reggie was a transplant to Southern California by way of El Dorado, Texas. More about Reggie’s life may be learned from a story about her in the Orange County Register written in 2008 by Eric Carpenter (also an AHS graduate):

“Her adult life had taken her away from Anaheim.

After high school, Reggie attended Fullerton Junior College for a few months before marrying her high-school sweetheart, Robert Massey, a career Navy man who flew fighter planes in the Pacific during World War II.

After the war, the couple moved around the country before settling on the East Coast.

That’s where Reggie first got the bug to become a leader for change. When she enrolled her son in school, she noticed there was no sidewalk leading to the school. And the lumber yard next door burned wood during the day, creating a potentially dangerous cloud that drifted toward the school.

“So I went to the mayor…And before long, they built a sidewalk and stopped burning wood,” she says. “That’s where I learned: When you see something you want changed, you have to ask.”

Reggie had five children – four boys and a girl. And the family settled in Arlington, VA where she lived for 43 years. She worked full-time as an administrative assistant for a U.S. Congressman, where she learned plenty about finding the people with the power to make change.

And she gained skills as an organizer and fundraiser there too, helping start an alternative school for students unmotivated by sitting at a desk all day.

Reggie returned to Orange County every few years to visit family, but she had no plans to move back – until Valentine’s Day 2002, when her husband died after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Reggie (far left in front row) with her classmates at their last reunion.

Once Reggie returned to Orange County, she immediately began contacting her Colonist classmates and helped organize several reunions.

“Reggie was a visionary!  She had creative ideas that made it possible for her many friends to have a really good time together, “said classmate Gania Demaree Trotter. “Reggie’s  suggestions were always different and unique! ”

Gania related this story about Reggie: “After the excitement of graduation she topped it all off by proposing she drive six of us to Laguna Beach for an overnight by the ocean.  We spent the entire weekend laughing, swimming, and getting really sunburned! The memory of her inspired leadership and great friendship will remain with us always.”

Filed Under: In Memory
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