52 Ancestors: Voting - Gordon Levy, President

I'm not sure if my dad, Gordon Levy, didn't talk much about the past or I just didn't listen.  Actually, I think he DID talk about it but once he realized we weren't listening, he gave up.  But one thing I do remember him talking about was his service as Student Body President at Fresno High School in the fall of 1943.

Gordon Levy, c1943

Notice the Block "F" on his sweater signifying Fresno High School

Dad was involved in many, many things in school and throughout his life - he loved serving his classmates and his community.  But I don't think he was as proud of anything as he was of his service to Fresno High School as President of the Student Body.

I know that he was one of three nominees for the position.  What I don't know is how these individuals were 'selected' to run - was there some type of nominating process or, like it was when I was in school, did these individuals just decide they wanted to run and away they went?

Fresno Bee, 29 May, 1943, page 9

And not just because Dad told us he'd won and there was lots of evidence to that effect, The Fresno Bee actually reported this.  Those were sure different times!

Fresno Bee, 3 June, 1943, page 17

And the following year, The Owl (Fresno High's yearbook) confirmed that these individuals were, indeed, officers of the student body.

From The Owl:

Executive Committee Fall Semester

With a platform of better rallies and assemblies and more interest in student body government, President Gordon Levy began the semester by appointing a hard working executive committee, which gave the administration a flying start.

The committee made two wise choices when it appointed Peggy Kohlmann commissioner of social affairs and Roger Burton to the position of yell leader.  John Hammel, commissioner of finance, headed the Senate sponsored war bond campaign which succeeded in winning Treasury Department citations for the school and its senior and sophomore classes.

The hope for increased interest in student body activities was furthered with weekly ex-committee bulletins and the Beef Box which gave students an opportunity to express personal viewpoints.  The social program of noon dances was enlarged by two evening dances which proved extremely successful.

Two portions of the by-laws to the constitution were amended.  One provided for a life pass awarded to all athletes earning four major letters whereas the other authorized a student body Gold Block F award to one boy and one girl of each graduating class.

To better visualize membership in the student body, the committee voted to provide free student body membership cards which proved to be conducive to school spirit.  The committee also became permanently situated in room S-26 where all rally and executive meetings are now held.

At the opening of the semester, President Levy managed to come to terms with the Roosevelt High School student body, a fact which resulted in resumption of relations between the schools on November 11, probably the high spot of student cooperation.

Vice President Lowell Aiken and Rally Chairman Vergil Gerard instituted student talent assemblies and achieved the goal of one assembly per week.  George Holstein, dean of boys, helped to increase faculty co-operation as activities sponsor.

It was nice to read about the improved relations between Roosevelt High School and Fresno High School in the Fresno Bee.  From the account in the article, "the long rivalry of the schools came to an abrupt end last Fall when the two principals recommended to Wilson that competitive events cease because of cases of vandalism and 'near sabotage' involving students of both schools and resulting from 'heated spirit' generated by the 1941 and last Fall's football games."

Fresno Bee, 16 Sep 1943, page 18

Fresno Bee, 16 Sep 1943, page 18

Also in the 1944 edition of The Owl, this photo was included.

That's Dad in the middle of the front row holding.....holding.... WHAT?  He's holding this????

When we put together the memorial service after he died, I remember choosing some photos and other mementos to put on a table for attendees to view as they entered and exited the synagogue.  I don't remember many of the details but I do remember that this gavel was displayed - instinctively, we must have all known just how important it was to him.  Who knew?

52 Ancestors: Groups - Fresno Grammar School

Several years ago I ran across this photo.

It was an abnormal size and not in great condition so I put it aside for later.  I recognized the little guy second from left in the bottom row as my grandfather, Sigmund Levy, so I knew it had to be a group of school children.  And then, of course, later never arrived and there it sat.

Sig Levy

Recently I looked at it and thought again "hey, I wonder what the occasion was".  And as I went through more things, I realized I had this.

Sadly, I only have the clipping above and don't know which newspaper it was in.  But I DO know now that my picture is that of the 1902 Fresno Grammar School graduating class.  My guess is that Sig gave the newspaper a copy of the photo and they used it in their "Remember When" article.

I looked for a little for more information about Fresno Grammar School and found some interesting photos.

Study Hall at Fresno Grammar School, c. 1900

Fresno County Historical Society

I wonder if Sig is in there somewhere?

Fresno Grammar School, c. 1916

Calisphere.org

And look at this - a list of the 1902 Fresno Grammar School midyear graduates.

Fresno Bee, Fresno, California, 24 February 1952, page 32

Not a familiar name in the group except for one very important one.  

So I pulled out the The Owl, Commencement Number (Fresno High School yearbook) from June, 1906 to see how many of the students were still together.  Looks like quite a few - what a group!

Sadly, Sig isn't pictured since he graduated in February but I do have a photo of him from about that time - I wonder if either of the other two young men were listed above.

Sig Levy (right) rockin' the swimsuit!

52 Ancestors: Popular - Fresno High School 1944

When thinking about this blog prompt, my thoughts immediately went to my dad, Gordon Levy.  I'd always known he was popular in high school (and beyond) so pulled out his year book from 1944, the year he graduated from Fresno High School, to see what I could find.  Since my mom graduated from Fresno High School in 1946, I'm a little surprised to only have one (where is hers?) because as you probably recall, MY FAMILY SAVED EVERYTHING!

The Owl, Fresno High School, 1944

Sure enough, there were dozens and dozens of well-wishes from his classmates.  Here's a sample.

Of course, I instantly looked for the message from his girlfriend, and my mother, Gerry Martin.  And here it is.

I'll leave it small in order to preserve some privacy

What's really interesting is that I knew my dad graduated on June 9, 1944, just three days after D-Day.

Commencement Exercises
Fresno High School, 1944

My dad was the Valedictorian of the class and gave a speech entitled "To Promote the General Welfare, to Secure the Blessings of Liberty".  I'm still on the lookout for a copy of the speech.

And here he is on the list of graduates from June.  His BFF from his early days and throughout his lifetime was Jimmy Bradshaw, who is also on the list.  I don't really recognize any of the other names.

The last page shows the January graduates, those who would graduate in July, and the Seal-Bearers, those who have on their diplomas the gold seal of California Scholarship Federation.  And there is dad and Jimmy Bradshaw again.  Proud daughter moment.

Puzzled that I don't see dad's cousin, Gilda Levy, on any of the lists since she was only 2 months younger than dad.  I know she was there in 1943 as she and my dad worked together on the Owl staff.  I don't see her photo in the class photos, either.

My dad was the Fall Semester President.

These are the notes below describing the Executive Committee, Fall Semester.

With a platform of better rallies and assemblies and more interest in student body government, President Gordon Levy began the semester by appointing a hard working executive committee, which gave the administration a flying start.

It goes on with more detail but I won't bore you with that.

There are several pages of collages and this photo caught my eye.  It is titled 6 boys and a girl so it doesn't really help me much but I'm wondering if the young man circled is my dad.  Maybe, maybe not.

This leads me back to D-Day, June 6, 1944.  It's really at the forefront of my mind because during this time of social distancing and staying home, we have been watching Band of Brothers and The Pacific.  They are produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks (get well soon, Tom) and are exceptional.  I am NOT someone who typically likes war movies/series but these are outstanding.  I'm sure you can find them elsewhere but we're watching them through Amazon Prime.

So my popular dad has led me to D-Day.  Who knew?

52 Ancestors: Sports

I grew up around sports, mostly as a spectator, but I did participate now and again.  It probably started with my dad who was quite the track star in high school.  I remember seeing the pictures of him, as well as the banners, on the wall in his room at his childhood home.  He talked a little about it but I never realized just how good he was.  My dad wasn’t just a star to me, but he was also a star of his high school!

In 1942, when Dad was a sophomore, he was on the Class “C” Track Team at Fresno High school.  That’s him, second from the left on the bottom row.  And there on the bottom right was his childhood (and lifelong) friend, Jimmy Bradshaw.

An interesting side note.  A year ahead of my dad was Jae O’Hanian, manager of the Varsity Track team.  See him there – top row, far left?  Does he look familiar?  He went on to be known Mike Connors, star of the TV show, Mannix.



In 1943, Dad must have been absent the day of photos but he still was a standout for the Class B team.



His senior year, 1943-1944, showed he was now the standout of the Varsity Team and affectionately known as Flash.  I am so glad that I have all of his yearbooks to study.





As all true Levys did, my dad was also a scrapbooker.  So besides his yearbooks, I also have his scrapbook where he kept all of the newspaper clippings about his track days.  That’s Dad on the right.



Dad was pretty fast for the day.  From what I’ve found, his best time in the 100 yard dash was 10.1 seconds (high school record was 9.9 seconds) and in the 220 yard dash was 22.3 seconds (high school record was 21.7 seconds).  Dad liked to remind people that he ran on a dirt track with sub-par shoes with less conditioning and no scientific diet.





In 1944, the Fresno High School Warriors tied with the Roosevelt High School Roughriders, the first time a tie had occurred in the 14 year history of the Fresno city high school track and field championship.  Dad ran his heart out that day.

L-R:  Gordon Levy, Leroy Eiffler, Jimmy Bradshaw, Ted Matthews

The big meet every spring was the West Coast Relays.  I can remember an annual pilgrimage to Fresno each year so Mom and Dad could go to the track meet while we stayed at home with Grandma.

On May 20, 1944, Dad was the leading scorer in the meet with 7 1/2 points.  He won both the 100 and 220 and was the anchor on the winning relay team.



Dad did run some track at Stanford but, of course, he was a smaller fish in a much larger ocean there.  He said the main reason he was able to participate on the track team was because of the lack of upper class men who were all off to war.

Dad loved to tell the story of running both the 100 and 220 sprints against USC’s Mel Patton in the LA Coliseum.  This was about the time that Mel broke the record in both events and was known by some as “the fastest man in the world”.  Dad was always quick to tell people that on the day of their races, the world’s greatest sprinter vomited before both the 100 and 220 in fear of him and then Mel proceeded to beat him by 10 yards in the short race and a bigger gap in the 220.  When Dad told his roommate how badly he was beaten, his friend summed it up by saying “At that moment, you were the second fastest sprinter in the world”.

Something my dad always hung on to as he always liked to see the glass half full.

Scrapbook #3 – Fifty Years Ago (plus one more)

The next ‘clippings’ in the scrapbook tell us about life in Fresno in the very early 1900’s.  My grandfather, Sig Levy, was a young lad at that time but 50 years later, he found a way to get himself mentioned in the newspaper.  And as he loved to do, he saved all of these clippings and put them in a scrapbook (thanks, Sig).



Thankfully Sig pointed out where he was mentioned in the Fresno Bee – I might have missed it otherwise.  So there he is in high school and it seems he’d already perfected the art of getting involved.  None of the other names look familiar to me although I’m not sure any of his school mates’ names would be.

Speaking of school, look at this article that mentions the mid year graduates of Fresno Grammar School.  I don’t know the grade levels of this school and I couldn’t find anything to tell me the date – he graduated from high school in 1906 so would that have been when he graduated from 8th grade?  So 1902?



I was able to locate a photo of the grammar school from about 1916.  As my dad was so fond of saying, now I can visualize Sig walking through the front doors.

While I know now that Sig was an avid tennis player, it’s fun to see mention of it again in the newspaper.  Sorry to read that the home team lost, though.



An interesting story at the end about the death of two horses at the “death gap” crossing.

I realize I’ve shared this photo before but I’ll use any excuse to share it again.  How ‘bout them shoes?



And then I remembered that I have Sig’s tennis racquets hanging on my wall!  I remember back in the early 80’s after Loraine died and we were cleaning out her house.  I asked my dad if I could have the tennis racquets and he looked at me strangely and said “um, sure”.  I’m certain that he, along with my siblings, thought I’d lost a brain cell or two and honestly, there were times I might have agreed with them.  But now after hanging on our wall for nearly 35 years, I’ve grown quite attached to them.  I wonder if one of these is the one Sig is holding in the photo?



And more news about tennis.



The other stories are sure interesting – arrested for allowing freight cars to block the street for more than five minutes?

And then a random article from 1937.  I know that the Sig Levy family went on a road trip in 1940 – I wrote about the scrapbook someone kept of the trip HERE.  But now I learn they went on a month long tour of the East!



I don’t remember my dad talking about this trip but I guess since he was just 10 years old, he might not have had many memories of it.  I can’t imagine being gone for a month!

Scrapbook #3 – Sig Levy

Time to move on to Scrapbook #3, the next of Sig’s scrapbooks.  I love that he scrapbooked so diligently, especially when he added interesting photos and newspaper articles.  So he started this scrapbook here.



No question who the scrapbook belongs to and in his own handwriting, he confirmed his date of birth.  I really like this photo of him.

A few other photos on the first page – a couple of which are ones I’ve seen before.  No telling if he added these to the scrapbook because they were his favorite photos or maybe he just had extras.





This might not have been one of Sig’s favorite photos but it sure is one of mine.  He looks cool as a cucumber as he walks down the street.



And then came the newspaper articles.  Interesting to see that the population of Tokyo wasn’t all that much different than it is today.  But North Korea, a country top of mind right now, has gone from a population of 10,089,000 at the end of 1960 to 25.37 million in 2016.



Boy have things changed at Coca Cola!  Revenue in 1961 was $500 million compared to $9.702 billion in 2017.



I don’t know much about the Sciots organization and nothing about D.A. Deeter, but it was interesting enough in 1961 for Sig to add it to his scrapbook.  Although I will admit that Sig found pretty much everything interesting enough to add to his scrapbook.  Maybe one of Mr. Deeter’s descendants will find my blog.



And, of course, no scrapbook would be complete without some articles about Sig.  I love hearing about his 50th high school reunion – I probably shouldn’t admit that mine is just five short years away.



There were only 16 people attending?  Although that’s a pretty good turnout for a class with only 31 of 46 graduates still living.  I don’t recognize any of the names mentioned.



And look – an article with a photo!



REALTORS HONORED.  C.S. (Doc) Colhouse, past president of the Fresno Realty Board, gives certificates designating these real estate men as honorary presidents.  Left to right, O.S. Fassett, who joined the board in 1922, George Peterson, 1920, and Sigmund Levy, 1912.

No, Sig is not sitting down nor are the others standing on steps. 

And once again he is the proud dad of Robert Levy, my dad’s only sibling.



Come back next time for more from Scrapbook #3.