Campbell, California Since 1999
Cover Story
(Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer) An abundance of class reunions keeps the Buccaneer spirit alive Alma Mater Faithful: Gathering in front of a redwood tree at the Campbell Community Center, formerly Campbell High School, are alumni (from left) Jean (Dinapoli) Enfantino, class of '46; Bernice (Bernardasci) Weber, class of '44; Rocci Enfantino, class of '46; and Marilyn Ott, class of '47. The school's tennis courts used to be behind the tree, where Jean now admits she used to hide from her gym teacher. Campbell High School's gone, but nostagia keeps alumni busy meeting Buccaneers Forever - Good old days are still alive (By Amy Jenkins) Typically high school reunions take place every five years, but graduates of Campbell High School prefer to get together much more frequently. And they don't always feel a need to return to Campbell for a reunion. They just gather together with alumni in whatever community they all find themselves and get nostalgic about the good old days. The reason for this alma mater passion is likely the fact that Campbell High School closed in 1980 because of declining enrollment. Although the building still stands, it's no longer a high school, leaving those who once walked its corridors with a special bond. What used to be Campbell High School at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Winchester Boulevard is now the Campbell Community Center. And while some Campbell High School graduates were sad the school closed, Campbell Mayor Jeanette Watson, an alumna herself, says the community center is "the best thing that happened to the city." The high school opened on Sept. 14, 1900, with an enrollment of 35 students. During the 80 years it was open, the enrollment grew, and many distinguished students and athletes passed through its doors, among them a future Nobel Prize winner, an Olympic gold medalist, doctors and professors. Community leaders, in response to public sentiment, fought to save the school, but the three trustees who voted to close it won. Watson had the superintendent over to her house for dinner and tried to convince him of the high school's importance but the district was already geared toward the school closing, Watson says. 
The Last Word: C-A-M-P-B-E-L-L. What's it spell? Or so said the 1980 Campbell High School letter girls. "We fought very hard to keep the high school," recalls Watson, a 1949 graduate. "We all knew that was going to happen but hoped we could change it. It was our school and considered the mother school in the district. But the district did what it had to do." Declining enrollment wasn't always a problem for the high school; in 1955, the district opened Camden High School because of overenrollment at CHS. That school also closed in 1980. Other high schools that opened due to population growth were Del Mar in 1959, Blackford in 1961, Leigh in 1962, Westmont in 1964, Branham in 1967 and Prospect in 1968. These schools stayed open while CHS was closed because it was in the heart of the city. "If schools on the perimeter of the city closed, people would go to Saratoga high schools," Watson says. The city council actually took over the facility when it closed, and some hoped it would reopen as a high school. But that wasn't to be. Although the city didn't have much money, and the building was nearly obsolete, the city was able to complete the purchase in 1985 for $9 million. Two years after the city purchased the building, the boiler went out, the roof of the auditorium collapsed and the whole school needed to be painted. 
(Photograph courtesy of the Campbell Historical Museum) Commencement: The class of 1958 gathered on a warm day for graduation ceremonies. Although there is no high school in the city of Campbell now, many consider Westmont High School the city's high school; its parade is held in the city and many students think the school is in Campbell. However, attempts by the city of Campbell to work with the city of San Jose to include the high school within Campbell's city limits have been unsuccessful, Watson says. Faraway meetings Bob Pentzer graduated from Campbell High School in 1953 and now lives in Chico. Three years ago, while trying to find an old basketball coach from high school, he ended up discovering that a teammate lived in the same city. He then put an ad in the local newspaper to announce a reunion. Placing the ad was not difficult for him to do because he is a retired public information officer from California State University, Chico, and UC-Davis. Pentzer and his former teammate, Ken Beth, class of 1954, organized a reunion in Chico after 108 people, many of whom live between Sacramento and the Oregon border, responded to the ad. "Ken and I originally expected to find no more than enough grads to fill a table for lunch," says Pentzer, who was the editor of the Echo, the old CHS school newspaper. "People came out of the woodwork." Chico is more than 200 miles away from Campbell, but the two cities have many similarities, Pentzer says. While Campbell has a population of 38,138 and Chico has a population of 64,581, a lot of people moved from the San Jose area to Chico because the valley was getting too big, he says. In 1955, many graduates moved to Chico from Campbell because "Chico now is like Campbell was then - it has a small, rural town feeling," Pentzer says. At the Chico reunion, which takes place every six months, those attending travel from as far away as San Jose, Yosemite, Nevada and Oregon. Only local residents attended the first couple of meetings but it then expanded to include more distant residents. The graduates range in age from the class of 1941 to the last graduating class, that of 1980. Pentzer speculates as to why strangers may enjoy themselves at these reunions: "Even though some don't know each other, there is a lot of spirit for Campbell High, and everyone is attached and has fond feelings for the high school and community." But the majority that meet are graduates from the 1950s. There were 50 people at the first meeting, many of whom traveled more than 200 miles. There is also a reunion once every two months in San Jose, but many people living close to Chico are "intimidated by traffic and won't go down to San Jose," Pentzer says. To entertain the guests, Pentzer compiles questions about the history of Campbell High School, including such trivia as who the great athletes were and which graduates made it to the Olympics. "There are some Campbell experts," he admits. At the fourth and most recent meeting, on April 20, was a speech by George Miskulin, a San Jose resident, teacher and coach in Campbell Union High School District for 32 years. This was the "biggest and best luncheon ever," with 62 in attendance, Pentzer says. Miskulin spoke about who he considers the best athletes and scholars from Campbell High School. While teaching, Miskulin was asked to write a booklet about the history of Campbell High School. In the process he discovered "an extraordinarily large number of superior graduates for one school," he says. Miskulin says he enjoyed seeing several of his ex-athletes and students at the meeting and is proud of all their accomplishments. 
(Photograph courtesy of the Campbell Historical Museum) Last Hurrah: During its final year as a high school - 1980 - the cheerful group above served as the school's varsity cheerleaders. "My students at Campbell High School had a unique high school experience that their children probably didn't have," says Miskulin who retired in 1986. "Drugs were nonexistent; students liked each other; parents thought the faculty did a great job; and even though the faculty's salary was at the bottom of the district, they enjoyed the school, had good administrative support and a strong tie to the community." Louella Kennedy lives 30 miles from Chico in Glenn and has attended all four luncheons. At each one she has seen classmates from 1951 and says, "The get-togethers are fantastic. They are a really nice time for visiting." Closer to Campbell Last October, Mark King, class of 1970, put together the first annual Campbell Grad Picnic in Sacramento. In October 2000, he found friends from his old high school on the Classmates.com website and discovered some lived in the town next to his. In January 2001, he wanted to find out how many graduates from CHS lived in the Sacramento area and posted a message on the classmates message board that he was planning what he thought would be a small picnic. "Not only did the grads in this area like the picnic but grads from all over liked it and wanted to come," King says. "Well, there was no way that I was going to say no. Not only did I email people as I got their addresses but whenever I got phone numbers, I called." Although they planned on 200 people attending the picnic, closer to 100 grads and family members came. At this event, graduates from 1936 to 1980 attended. People came from Campbell, San Jose, Nevada and Southern California. One woman came from Canada. "I'm not sure that the closing of the school had anything to do with their coming as much as it was them liking the idea of an all-class get together in something as low-keyed as a picnic," King says. "It's a very relaxing way to meet old friends and make a lot of new friends." Because of the picnic's success, King has planned a pizza night for the first Saturday of every other month. He expects mostly Sacramento locals to attend. The idea came from the San Jose luncheon that Chuck Nelson, class of 1955, started on the first Friday of each even-numbered month. The last San Jose luncheon was on April 5, at the Italian American Heritage Foundation in San Jose. Mayor Jeanette Watson spoke about the the renovation project that is turning the old CHS auditorium into the Heritage Theatre. "The auditorium had damages from earthquake problems, and the plans are to raise $8 million to make it a state-of-the-art theater," Nelson says. From varied classes At the pizza night in Sacramento on April 6, 23 people came, including 13 graduates and spouses and children. Three were from the class of 1936, one from 1950, four from 1952, two from 1955, one from 1967, one from 1970 and one from 1976. King asked how people felt about their high school closing. "Most felt saddened by the closing of Campbell High and it was almost as if part of their past had been erased," King says. "Although the pizza night was a small group, it was very nice, and I anticipate that over time it will grow." The second annual Campbell High Picnic will be Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. until sunset at the same locale as last year - Rusch Park, 7801 Auburn Blvd., Citrus Heights, Calif. Nelson insists that there is great food at the San Jose luncheons. He mails each of the 1,200 people on his mailing list a postcard every year, reminding them about the luncheon reunion dates. Although the majority who attend are living in the Bay Area, some travel from as far away as the East Coast. "I get to see people there, even people who graduated before and after me," Nelson says. At the luncheon, Nelson is the master of ceremonies. Everyone introduces themselves and says which graduating class they were in. While there is sometimes entertainment, other times there is just food and socializing from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Some people stay longer to "chew the fat," Nelson says. Awards are also given to those who volunteer to organize the event, like Jean and Rocci Enfantino, who have lived in Campbell their entire lives and are on the luncheon committee. Rocci retired from the restaurant business and now buys the groceries and cooks the meals for the luncheons. "Everyone contributes their part and it goes really well," says Jean, 74, who graduated in 1946. "It's great for people to get together. You lose contact with people after you graduate and everyone starts getting married and having kids." As a child Jean lived on Winchester Road and had not seen her neighbor until a recent luncheon. Her neighbor graduated from CHS in 1927, and she says she was excited to see him again. Some graduates are leaving a permanent mark in the old school's auditorium by buying a seat in the new Heritage Theatre. A balcony seat costs $1,500, and downstairs seats range in price from $3,000 to $10,000. While the high school was open, the auditorium was used for a variety of school gatherings and drama groups. The new performing arts theater will host school plays and professional acts. "So far the class of 1949 has bought 12 seats," says Shirley Nelson, class of 1949, who is selling the seats and spoke at the April 5 San Jose luncheon. "Some are buying them in memory of a parent who graduated from the school. Even though we probably won't sit in our seat, it's nice to know the seat is there. For more information about the Sacramento picnic and pizza night, call 916-791-7030 or visit www.chs70.bappy.com. For more information about the Chico luncheon, call 530-893-0507. For more information about the San Jose luncheon, call 408-246-1928. |
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