Monday, May 11, 2009
Fairview School
Wow! Fairview School...............
Can you believe that it has been nearly 70 years since that picture was taken.
For those of you that are not aware..............that picture is of the entire student
body of the school. (about 45 students). Today Fairview Elementary School is
the largest elementary school in the Modesto City School District. In those days
the school was two rooms with an auditorium in the middle. The "Little Room"
was for the grades of 1 to 4 and the "Big Room" was grades 5 to 8. Four rows in
each room, a row for each grade. Today nearly 90 percent of the students are
learning English. Nearly 70 years ago there were three little Swiss boys trying to
learn the English language with no bilingual education programs to assist. They just
dumped you in class and hoped you survived. I think we did.
Shortly after this picture was taken, World War II broke out and I can remember some
of my Japanese classmate crying because they knew that they would not be returning to
school on the next Monday. They and their families were being sent off to Concentration
Camps for the Japanese. The Turlock Fairgrounds was one of those sites.
Lori, your dad Ernie is not in the picture. This was before his time in school. He probably
was still in diapers at the time. Anita and John were yet to follow even later.
Fairview was a 1st to 8th grade school through June of 1947. I was in the last eighth grade
graduating class at Fairview. After my class, I believe 7th and 8th graders were sent off to
Jr. High. I think Walter Wright but I can't be sure.
Speaking of the last eighth grade to graduate from Fairview. For some reason or another
the graduating ceremony was to have an arch way for decoration and the call went out for an arch.
Just happens that brother Bill taking Ag Mechanics in high school had built a rose arbor that stood
out on the west side of the house at the ranch. I volunteered the arch and asked Dad if he would
deliver it to the school. His comment............."I don't have time, you put it on the pickup and take it to
school." The next morning I drove the Model A with the arbor to school. Can you imagine a parent,
today, allowing an eighth grader to drive a car to school? Oh well, it was nice to be King of the Campus
for one day.
Olemarge, thanks for finding the picture. Brings back many fond memories. And by the way, Mae Hensley
Jr. High in Ceres is named for our Fairview principal in the picture, Mae Hensley, a very special lady.
Dad, Brother, Uncle, In-law,
Leo
