- Class Name: Olympians
- Class Colors:
- Class President: Johnnie Stiles
- Class Vice President: Jerry Sutherlin
- Class Secretary: Marilyn Ornelas
- Class Treasurer:
- Class Advisors:
- Class Gift to GHS: Painting "Act 1"
- Class Play: "Melody Jones"
Deep thanks to Shirley Bernhard for the information!
- Class Name: Continentals
- Class Colors:
- Class President: Richard Veres
- Class Vice President: Jerry Drummond
- Class Secretary: Barbara Costa
- Class Treasurer:
- Class Advisors:
- Class Gift to GHS: Painting "Remaines" by Robert Watson
Deep thanks to Shirley Bernhard for the information!
- President: Dwight Eisenhower
Vice President: Richard Nixon - Headlines
- February 8th - Nikolai Bulganin becomes Soviet Premier, replacing Malenkov
- April 6th - Winston Churchill resigns. Anthony Eden replaces him.
- May 6th - Warsaw Pact is signed.
- September 19th - Argentina outs Peron.
- December 1st - Rosa Parks refuses to sit at the back of the bus
- Top 10 Songs
- Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
- Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets
- The Yellow Rose Of Texas - Mitch Miller
- Autumn Leaves - Roger Williams
- Unchained Melody - Les Baxter
- The Ballad Of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes
- Love Is A Many Splendored Thing - Four Aces
- Sincerely - McGuire Sisters
- Ain't That A Shame - Pat Boone
- Dance With Me Henry - Georgia Gibbs
- Average Prices
- House $22,000.00
- Car $1,950.00
- Milk $.92
- Gas $.23
- Bread $.18
- Postage Stamp $0.03
- Avg Income $4,137.00
- Academy Award Winners
- Best Picture: Marty Directed By Delbert Mann
- Best Actor: Ernest Borgnine - Marty
- Best Actress: Anna Magnani - The Rose Tattoo
- Sports Headlines
- Detroit maintains the Stanley Cup after defeating Montreal
- Wilt Chamberlain, all 7'2" of him, to attend University of Kansas
- Rams defeat Browns 38-14 for football title
- Dodger Roy Campanella named National League MVP
- Other Links of Interest
- Anniversary History of Gardena High
(The 1955 El Arador is heralded as "OUR GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY". GARDENA JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL) "We dedicate our annual to the alumni of Gardena High School and in this dedication pay tribute to our soldier dead. To the alumni, from the first graduate in 1906 to the last graduate in the spring of 1955, we offer this fiftieth anniversary edition as a small measure of our appreciation for your contribution in bringing praise to our school. In the dedication to our soldier dead, we honor the memory of the men and women of Gardena High School, who in the wars paid the supreme sacrifice for the cause of freedom. We are proud of you, our alumni." (From the El Arador dedication).
"Here at Gardena High School, we enjoy a rich and varied life. As students we learn, we serve, we play. We learn to be good citizens by preparing for advanced schooling or for a profession; we serve by cooperation with school laws; we play by taking part in sports and school activities. Through it all we know that we are having one of the best times of our life. Recorded in this, our Golden Anniversary Book, are the important events of the past fifty years.
WE HONOR...Mr. Mark R. Jacobs, First principal of GHS 1904-1910.."Little did I surmise in 1905 that I would be writing to GHS fifty years later. My very best wishes to the school, its faculty and students for the next fifty years." Mr. John A. Bryson, First graduate of GHS Class of 1906.
Among the teachers in 1955 were; Mr. Everett Eaton a 1930's graduate of GHS; Mrs. Lawrence an art teacher in the 1930's
In 1904, the first high school classses in Gardena Valley were conducted in the Shellenberger building and later at the grammer school, with Mr. Mark R. Jacobs as the first principal. The following year, 1905, Jewel Union High School was established. At that time there were three teachers on the faculty, Mr. Jacobs, Miss Johnston and Miss Feilchenbeld. A fourth teacher Mr. Curtis, joined the faculty in 1907. The new eight room high school building was built on the land purchased from the Rancho San Pedro.
When Los Angeles annexed the shoe-stringstrip, Gardena High School became part of the Los Angeles School District. This made GS the third in the city system. Los Angeles and Polytechnic High Schools preceded her.
When Los Angeles Board of Education decided to convert Jewel Union High School into Gardena Agricultural High School, Mr. J.B.Lillard was selected as principal. The school became famous. Students came from Europe, South America, Mexico and several states in our country. Intensive experiments were conducted under Mr.Lillard's direction, but a survey in 1917 proved the project too great in expenditure for the number of boys enrolled. Mr. Lillard was then appointed State Supervisor of Agricultural Education.
Mr. John H. Whitely became principal of GHS in the fall of 1917. The school was now a regular high school. During his twenty years as principal, several buildings were erected aand many improvements made. His art program brought fame to the school and community. A part of the farm section was set aside as the athletic field, which was later named in honor of Mr. Whitley.
From 1922 to 1934 an intensive building program was carried on at Gardena. An administration building, a home economic building, the auto and wood shops, the first unit of the gymnasium and the library, designed especially for the art collection, were all completed.
When Mr. Whitely retired, Dr. Raymond Pollick was appointed principal of GHS. His special contribution was that of a functional program of education for the school. After two years at Gardena, Dr. Pollick was assigned to the principalship of Venice High School.
The Board of Education then made Mr. Frank X. Goulet, Gardena's principal. He stressed the academic program and was respoonsible for additional courses in the vocational field. His great interest in art added significantly to that program..Both faculty and students were saddened by Mr. Goulet's death in 1953, the year he had planned to retire.