IMAGES FROM RESEDA HIGH SCHOOL IN THE 1960s

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY           2013

Although high school kids in the early 1960s were exactly as neat and presentable as in these front photographs from Reseda High School's Talisman yearbooks, these images still give a picture of what would been considered ideal in the era.

Reseda High School "Talisman" yearbook 1962 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Wayne Quigley 2013 - in memory of Sandy Sivaco Quigley. (click on image to enlarge it.) 

By donating Sandy's Reseda High School yearbooks to The Museum's archives, her husband Wayne added small but important parts of San Fernando Valley history and enabled The Museum Community to remember Sandy's role in our lives.

 Reseda High School "Talisman" yearbook 1963 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Wayne Quigley 2013 - in memory of Sandy Sivaco Quigley.

Reseda High School "Talisman" yearbook 1964 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Wayne Quigley 2013 - in memory of Sandy Sivaco Quigley.

BING CROSBY ICE CREAM WAS A VALLEY HIT IN 1953

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY        2012 

Fifty nine years ago Bing Crosby Ice Cream was all the rage in the San Fernando Valley. No - Bing didn't have a dairy hidden away at his Toluca Lake estate, instead Valley Farms simply bought a license to use the crooner's name and image on their products.
Licensing is one of the many businesses in our Valley dependent upon the Entertainment Industry. 

Bing Crosby Ice Cream 1953 - Unused container - a gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2012.  (click on the image to enlarge it.)

RESEDA AT 100 - CANTARA STREET SCHOOL

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY                 2012

Here are a few class photographs from Cantara Street School in Reseda. They are a gift from Gary Fredburg to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley to honor the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Reseda Community. 

Mrs. Brody's First Grade Class - Cantara Street School  May 1963

(click on image to enlarge it)

Mrs. Eloe - grade 3 - 1964 - 1965

Mrs Dangel  Grade 4 1965 - 1966

Miss Wheaton  Grade 2 - 1963 - 1964

 

Miss Mizutani - Kindergarten - May 1962

Willard Simms is the Chairman of The Museum's Education Committee.

MUSIC PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART OF SAN FERNANDO VALLEY HISTORY

1963 recording of the San Fernando Valley Male Chorus - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2012. (click on image to enlarge.) From classical composers like Erik Korngold and Elmer Berstein, to popular musicians such as the Jackson family or the Jonas Brothers, the San Fernando Valley has been the home of some of America's most important professional and amateur musicians. The Museum of the San Fernando Valley actively collects and safeguards music and music artifacts related to Valley life and culture.

AFTERNOON IN GRIFFITH PARK 1963

DISCOVERING OUR VALLEY   2011

The Museum is working on a "Transportation" overview in the San Fernando Valley. This snapshot of two Pierce College students is among the images in the project.  It was taken on a Tri Chi Fraternity picnic in Griffith Park in 1963.

 

Chi Chi Chi Fraternity picnic - Griffith Park - photo number 3717 

Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley

JACK CARSON WAS A MUCH LOVED AMERICAN ACTOR

DISCOVERING OUR VALLEY

Canadian born, John "Jack" Carson was a highly popular main/character actor during the "golden age" of motion pictures in the 1940s and '50s. He lived in the San Fernando Valley and died in Encino in 1963.

Jack Carson - actor - vintage postcard - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary

Fredburg 2011  (click on image to enlarge)

1963 RESEDA HIGH CHEER LEADERS

DISCOVERING OUR VALLEY   2011

News clipping from Los Angeles Times - January 17, 1963  -  courtesy of Paul Estavillo 2011 (click on image to enlarge)

Reseda High cheerleaders, from left: Barbara Churchill, Vicky Baker, Melanie Martin, Karen Converse, Cheryl Townsend, Nancy Varnum and Joy Gilbertson.

CHI CHI CHI FRATERNITY AT PIERCE COLLEGE 1962 - 1963

2010  THE YEAR OF VALLEY ADVENTURES 
 
     The photo scrapbooks of Chi Chi Chi fraternity at LA Pierce College gives us a great opportunity to peek into San Fernando Valley student life at the onset of the 1960s. Many of the young men and women seen in these pictures were soon to leave carefree lives for war in Southeast Asia.

 A Chi Chi Chi (XXX) fraternity exchange with the Kappa Sorority in 1963 - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley. Refer to Photo 1904 - click to enlarge

 An "exchange" was a party between two organizations. They were an important way of meeting new friends and sometimes future husbands and wives. Refer to Photo 1904 - click to enlarge

Pledges (uninitiated members) were expected to put on elaborate parties as part of their admission to the fraternity as full members. The photo above was a pledge party of the XXX Fraternity in the Spring of 1963. Refer to photo 1906  - click on image to enlarge.

During their time as pledges, unity was stressed in many ways. One important event was called "Turn-About Day/Night" in which future members got to the run the fraternity for the day. Here Tri Chi pledges "kick back" while active members did house chores.
Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley - refer to photo 1903 (click to enlarge)

THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY ARCHIVES FRATERNITY AND SORORITY RECORDS

Phi Delta Psi Membership Card - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley - Gift of Vic Salerno (click on image to enlarge)

Fraternities and sororities were a very serious matter on college campuses in the 1950s and 60s. The Psi Delta Psi Fraternity had chapters at LA Valley and Pierce Colleges, San Fernando Valley State College (CSUN) and LA City College. Later on, the organization had chapters at Moorpark College and Virginia Institute of Technology.
The Museum of the San Fernando Valley archives the history and memorabilia of these organizations.