SMALL TREASURES OF A BURBANK SCHOOL GIRL

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY        2012

     Artifacts work like pieces of a complex jig saw puzzle. Little by little, the parts of a picture begin to emerge. What was important to a San Fernando Valley school girl in the 1950s? We're not surprised that Linda O'Connor saved her sports letters, but she protected her angora car dice as well. 

     In our San Fernando Valley "car culture" and without significant public transportation in the era, the automobile, even your mom's hand-me-down Chevy, meant freedom and independence to kids from Burbank to Canoga Park. A pair of angora dice hanging from a rear view mirror was a sure sign that being an adult woman was only a graduation diploma away. 

Angora Car Dice - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Linda O'Connor 2012. Click on the image to enlarge it.  These great, hank knitted dice came with an instruction brochure.

John Burroughs High School Sports Letter c. 1959 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Linda O'Connor 2012.

1958  John Burroughs High School - Chieftains sports badge.

THE GREAT RIVALRY BURBANK vrs BURROUGHS 1957

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY         2012

"Official Program"  Burroughs "Indians" vrs Burbank "Bulldogs"  1957 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Linda O'Connor  2012  (click on image to enlarge it.)

Burbank High School's cheer leaders 1957.

LYNN SHACKELFORD WAS A SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BASKETBALL STAR

DISCOVERING OUR VALLEY   2011

Lynn Shackelford

"Smoke Signal" John Burroughs High School, Burbank California- June 14, 1965 - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2011.  (click on image to enlarge)

Lynn Shackelford was the CIF Player of the Year in 1965. He went on to play for Coach John Wooden at UCLA and a career in sports broadcasting.

"Basket by Shackelford" were familiar words coming from the P.A> at basketball games. Shack connected over 1,200 points in his three years at Burroughs, and no doubt ranks in everyone's mind as the best athlete ever to his campus."