Hoover During the Thirties
1929 -1930
The year was 1929. On March 4, Herbert Hoover was sworn in as President of the United States. The first Academy Awards presentations were held the evening of May 16. In June, a system for transmitting television pictures in full color was demonstrated by Bell Laboratories. On October 29 the Stock Market crashed, setting off a chain of events that led to the Great Depression.
On September 4 ground-breaking ceremonies took place for Herbert Hoover Senior High School. Bonds were originally approved for the construction of the school on May 15, 1928. On October 26 1929 the cornerstone was laid and construction began. Construction on Hoover was completed on July 2, 1930; the school opened its doors to 960 students on September 2, 1930. An excerpt from the first issue of the Cardinal (then titled ???????) sets the scene: "The three story administration building in a buff colored stucco is solid and durable, yet it is built along peaceful lines. In many ways it resembles Spanish architecture. From the wide halls one enters well lighted classrooms. The large windows, extra high ceiling, and cool breeze make the rooms pleasant for study. The wood work, which is colored a soft green, is pleasing and restful to the eye. The new type of student desks, which are made of dark wood, are comfortable and practical. The library is the pride of the school. The light flickers through amber tinted windows into a picturesque room with a delightful balcony. The gymnasiums are so attractively arranged that they make exercise a joy. The new auditorium, though not completed, is sure to reveal beauty and comfort. The fact that the drinking fountains enable two students to drink at the same time is very agreeable to everyone."
The teaching staff ofHoover was made up primarily of teachers from Wilson Junior and Point Loma High School. The first principal was Floyd A. Johnson, who urged students to "let us dream for our school as we dream for ourselves." The first football practice drew 88 students, nearly 20% of the male population at Hoover. The Hoover President's first game was played against Grossmont High, with Hoover emerging victorious, 7-6.
In the outside world, the Depression deepened as President Hoover named a committee to help combat mounting unemployment figures. 1930 saw the publication ofWilliam Faulkner's As I Lay Dying as well as Detective Sam Spades debut in The Maltese Falcon. Popular tunes of the time included "Georgia on My Mind" and "I Got Rhythm." Grant Wood's painting "American Gothic" was unveiled to the American public as was the motion picture based on Remarque's "All's Quiet on the Western Front." Babe Ruth accepted a two-year contract with the New York Yankees, agreeing to a salary higher than that of President Hoover; when told he was making more than the President, Ruth quipped: "Well, I had a better year than he did." On September 14, German legislative elections showed that the Nazi party had risen to become the second biggest political party in Germany. All-time great golfer Bobby Jones announced his retirement from professional golf after taking the Grand Slam.
Hoover pioneered the commissioner plan of student government in its inaugural year, the first high school in San Diego to adopt this democratic form of governance. On October 6, 1930, the "Hoover Cardinal" was officially chosen as the name of the school paper in a student body vote. Cardinal and white were adopted as the school colors at the same time, after the colors ofStanford University, the alma mater ofHerbert Hoover. The nickname of the Cardinals seems to have evolved from the colors, as shortly after this vote the "Presidents" ceased to be known by that name.
As Hoover's first basketball team began league play, the Depression deepened, with over four million people unemployed by the end of the year. February saw the release ofCharley Chaplin's film "City Lights." As Valentine's Day approached, Hoover students purchased I pound of chocolate for their sweethearts at the Hoover Drug Store, located directly across the street from campus. On April 4 Herbert Hoover High School was formally dedicated before 1,500 attendees. President Hoover's message to the school was read; this letter and an autographed picture were presented for hanging in the library. To cap off the first year of athletics, the Hoover baseball 9 won the San Diego City Championship by defeating Point Loma High in a 10 inning game played before over 1800 fans.
The most popular ways of marking time during the Depression were reading newspapers, listening to the radio, and going to the movies, in that order. A fairly narrow assortment of other temptation beckoned, but they shared one characteristic: All of them were cheap. Thus, in the thirties, when the depression was worldwide, when revolutions were sweeping South America and Germans were voting for Hitler's fascism, Americans were playing miniature golf. This craze went nationwide in 1930, and by September, over thirty thousand courses had been installed. Miniature golf was cheap, novel and co-ed. The game of bridge also caught on at about the same time; in 193I Americans spent over $10 million on bridge lessons and about $100 million on all bridge products combined.
1931-1932
As the 1931-32 academic year commenced, Hoover instituted the Hoover Community Center, located at the school, offering night classes; this tradition continues today with the High School Diploma Program. October 21 saw the first league pigskin victory of the year, a 50-0 romp over neighboring La Jolla High. Looking through advertisements in the Cardinal reveals a lot about the times: Hot Beef Sandwiches were 15 cents at Ye Qualitye Donut Shop across the street from school; Dress Pants went for $3.95 at Christensen's and haircuts were 25 cents at the Student's Barber. The Valentine's Day Dance was held on February 12. The music teacher, Mary Ellen Mertz, authored the school pep song and alma mater. Hoover's basketball team won its first City League Championship in February with a win over the Army and Navy Academy; they would go on to capture the Southern California title one month later.
In October 1931, racketeer AI Capone was sentenced to 11 years in prison for income tax evasion; Thomas Edison died on October 18. "Minnie the Moocher" by Cab Calloway rose to the top of the music charts. In September 305 banks closed; in October another 522 were shut down. Gold hoarding became commonplace as many feared the U.S. would go off the gold standard.
The tradition of signing the Tower Book was established in June, 1932, when the graduating class ascended the tower and inscribed their names on the parchment pages of a bound leather book. Hoover's first graduating class had their commencement exercises on Wednesday, June 15 in the Senior Patio. 165 seniors participated. The first Senior Ball was held at the San Diego Club on Friday, June 17. In 1932, the United States was host to its first Winter Olympic games as the Depression grew deeper and deeper; the number of unemployed reached 13,000,000. By 1933 some 2,000,000 teachers were unemployed; it was estimated that over 2 and a quarter million children were not attending school.
1933 -1934
When the 1933-34 school year started, Hitler was firmly in power in Germany and had withdrawn from the league of Nations. Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his first term as President on March 4, 1933. He told Americans that they had nothing to fear except fear itself. Confronted with the worst economic depression in the nation's history, Roosevelt launched the New Deal, an unprecedented program of direct federal relief and economic regulation that established the modern welfare state. "Golddiggers" of 1933 became perhaps the greatest musical of the thirties. On March 10, 1933, a devastating earthquake struck Long Beach California, killing 117 people. Popular fiction of the time included Nathaniel West's Miss Lonleyhearts and Hilton's Lost Horizon. Popular songs included "Stonny Weather," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" In the world of fashion Josephine Baker set the example with her glamorous style. Early in the thirties women wore the business look with ready-made tailored suits. Beach fashions became the rage. Prohibition was to end in December after a dry spell of 14 years.
By this time many Hoover traditions were well established. Football games were a community event; the end of the season match-up with San Diego High drew thousands. Due to the size of the San Diego area, football games away involved travel to Santa Ana, Santa Barbara and later even EI Centro and Yuma. In November Hoover's football team traveled to Los Angeles to beat Loyola for the Southern California championship. Clubs of all interest areas were well represented at Hoover: California Scholarship Federation, Debate Club, Hi-Y, Girl Reserves, Boy's and Girl's Glee Clubs, Orchestra, Drama Club, Quill and Scroll, Ballyhoo Club and others. With two graduations a year, the signing of the Tower Book became a semiannual practice. The 1933 baseball season saw the debut of Ted Williams as a high school player; he went on to become the greatest hitter ever in major league ball. Ditch Day was established for Seniors; the class of34 enjoyed a day at the La Jolla Beach and Yacht Club.
1935 -1936
In the fall of 1935 lights were installed on the football field as well as bleachers with a capacity of 5,000. The lights were financed in part by each faculty member loaning the ASB $10.00 from their first month's salary. By this time Hoover had become a definite force in San Diego Intersectional Athletics; the 1935 baseball and football teams each won all but three of their games while the basketball B team became champions ofSouthern California for the third time. Hoover in the thirties also had an orchestra, which performed both for the school and the community in a number of concerts. This year also marked the first time the senior class had gone to the mountains for Senior Ditch Day; the site was Pine Valley on May 15. The June class was 241 strong.
On the domestic front, Monopoly was introduced and by the spring was selling at the rate of20,000 sets per week. Gone with the Wind made its publishing debut in late 1936 and a year later was selling over 50,000 copies a day. "Pulps" also became popular at this time; each month as many as 20 million Americans lined up at the newsstands waiting for the Westerns and the steamy romances, for unforgettable tales of the supernatural and the action-packed adventures of hard- punching private eyes. There were over two hundred publications in all and they gave birth, in the early thirties, to the comic book. On the radio, this was the day of the comedian: Amos and Andy, Joe Penner, Jack Benny and Fred Allen entertained. Musically speaking, Rudy Vallee and Bing Crosby became stars, as well as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. Dance music for "Jitterbuggers" became the rage. This period of the Thirties also saw the rise of Shirley Temple, perhaps more famous in the thirties than any other person. She averaged 4 movies per year which gross over 5 million dollars annually and was credited with keeping Hollywood afloat. Many criminals became quite well-known during this time: amongst them were Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Bonnie and Clyde.
Meanwhile, events continued to march toward World War II. On March 7, 1936, German troops entered the Rhineland; by May Mussolini's conquest of Ethiopia was complete. The Spanish Civil War commenced in July. The Olympic Games in Germany were the site of Jesse Owen's refutation of Hitler's statement that "Negroes were an inferior race." As the year ended Germany, Italy and Japan formally formed the Axis, bringing reality to Hitler's dream of a world-wide anti-Communist bloc.The spring of 1936 marked the last appearance ofTed Williams in a Hoover High baseball uniform; the Cardinals took the Bay League championship with an undefeated season. Williams signed the following spring with the San Diego Padres and was shortly thereafter dealt to the Boston Red Sox. Other athletic standouts of the time included Roy Engle, Del Ballinger and Tommy Johnson. The 1936 Senior Class was the largest yet, with 141 girls and 150 boys graduating in June.
1937 -1938
January 20, 1937, marked the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt's second term; he stated: "I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished." In May came the spectacular crash of the Hindenburg in Lakehurst, New Jersey; on June 22 Joe Louis became the new heavyweight champion by battering James Braddock. On July 18, the search for missing flyer Amelia Earhart was called off. This year also saw the publication of Steinbeck's OfMice and Men; popular songs included "The Lady is a Tramp" and "Whistle While You Work." In the world of film, Disney released his first full-length motion picture, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and the Marx Brothers reached their peak popularity with "A Day at the Races." As 1938 opened over 8 million Americans were without jobs. In March Hitler marched on Austria; 6 months later British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was proclaiming that the Munich Agreement would bring "peace in our time." In October the New York Yankees became the first major league team to win three World Series in a row by sweeping the Cubs. Also in 1938, the xerographic copier was invented by Chester Carlson, an American technician.
1939 - 1940
The world of fashion found itself heavily influenced by the Jitterbuggers, the 30's bringing in an early form of unisex fashions: boys and girls both wore baggy sweaters and saddle shoes, and later, shirttails, jeans and bobby sox. College fads hit an all-time high in 1939 with the sudden outbreak of goldfish swallowing. Despite legal threats from animal preservationists, doctor's warnings of tapeworm infections, and the formation of student Societies for the Prevention Of Goldfish Eating, the exhibitionists swallowed away, the record of21 0 fish going to a Saint Mary's University sophomore. Roller skating became big, as did the films ofMae West, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow and Clark Gable. The publication of John Steinbeck's Grapes OfWrath came in 1939, as well as Hitler's Mein Kampf. As the decade drew to a close, Hitler conquered Poland, while we watched as Britain and France declared war on Germany. "Gone With The Wind" was released with great acclaim on December 15.