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[Caption picture one: Students walk across
campus at Chaffey High School, which opened its doors as Ontario High in 1901.]
[Caption two (do not use; not accurate); An
aerial view of Chaffey High School in the 1930s.]
[Caption for GWS: Right, Chaffey High School
Gardiner Spring auditorium. After being a source of vandalism for some years,
the Chaffey Tiger, designed by Betty Davenport Ford (Class of '42), was finally
moved inside the auditorium. Bottom, Chaffey High School when it was known as
Chaffey College of Agriculture in the late 1880s.]
What do Ontario Councilman Gary Ovitt, Mayor Gus Skropos, Ontario residents
Tony Zenz and Gabriel Barbosa and West Los Angeles resident Jim Densmore have in
common?
They're all Chaffey High School graduates.
"It was a lot of fun, said Skropos, a member of the Chaffey class of
1975.
When Skropos attended Chaffey, the school was still feeling the effects of
the 1960s. There were hippies and some of the student body was boisterous, he
said.
"Still, it wasn't as prevalent as (at) other institutions," he
said. "The majority was till pretty conservative."
Chaffey High School was the place to be because of its history and high
academic standards, he said. Plus, everybody wanted to play football at Chaffey
stadium, added Skropos, who was on the football team.
Twenty years after Skropos graduated, Gabriel Barbosa joined him as a Chaffey
alum.
"It was pretty fun," said Barbosa, who was involved in band and
German Club.
Barbosa wasn't really aware of Chaffey's long history until about two years
ago, when he was creating a Web page about the school.
The history of Chaffey High School begins with the history of Ontario.
George and William Chaffey wished to create a model community that would
feature an educational center. On Oct. 15, 1885, Chaffey College of Agriculture
of the University of Southern California opened its doors to Inland Valley
students.
In 1901, Ontario High School District was formed. It converted the college
into Ontario High School.
In 1912, the newly formed Chaffey Union High School District secured the high
school property and an acquired an $80,000 endowment fund created by George
Chaffey. The site was renamed Chaffey High School.
Five years later, Chaffey Junior College was established at the same
location.
In compliance with the 1934 Field Act, most of the school's structures were
razed. In their place was built the Mission-style campus, Chaffey High School,
still standing today. The junior college later relocated to Rancho Cucamonga.
In the 1920s, Chaffey High School's agriculture department was so strong that
Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo used it as a training ground for its teachers, said
Ernie Payne, class of '25.
Chaffey was an athletic powerhouse, playing such high school teams as San
Bernardino, Redlands and Riverside as well as its biggest rival, Pomona. Harold
"Tony" Zenz, class of '28, played baseball.
Chaffey also had many clubs. Payne belonged to the Camera Club and Future
Farmers of America, the biggest organization on campus.
Teachers were respected and considerate, said Payne, who returned to teach at
Chaffey in 1931.
"I don't think I ever heard criticism of a teacher because of their lack
of knowledge," said Zenz, who would eventually become the first county
planning director and county manager. "They were great."
Right before his sophomore year in high school, Jim Densmore's family moved
from a small Alabama town to Fontana in 1947. For Densmore, attending Chaffey,
with its 3,800 students was a shock.
Sports were still big. Densmore was captain of the football team. And the big
rivalry remained unchanged, Pomona High.
In the 1960s, Chaffey was the largest high school west of the Mississippi.
Fridays were football nights, recalled Gary and Sue Ovitt, a Chaffey history
teacher.
"It was a more innocent time," Ovitt said.
Jim Bowman also remembers a simpler time.
"It was a tremendous experience," said Bowman, who graduated in
1963. "It was fun, but academically, you had to really apply
yourself."
The high school continued with its strong agriculture focus, said Bowman,
deputy fire chief with the Ontario Fire Department. He was involved with FFA,
sports and the marching band.
In 1967, Ernie Payne retired as principal after 17 years. And Jerry DeBois
graduated.
You needed to be a jock then, said DuBois, who played football and baseball.
DuBois, who later became an Ontario city councilman, recalled Assistant
Principal Cleo Martin, who was dubbed the "White Rat." Martin was
short, white-haired and in charge of discipline.
"You didn't want to see him," DuBois said, smiling.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, the saying goes. It's
the same with Chaffey. Academics is still highly regarded.
"The teachers strive to bring out the best in us," said Steven
Gomez, 15.
There is still a lot of school spirit, said 16-year-old Lou Escanuelas.
Football is still king, although Chaffey no longer plays Pomona. Students
continue to be involved in a myriad of school activities and clubs.
"It's a great school and a great heritage," Zenz said. |
