Calling All Fremont Elementary Alumni!

John C. Fremont Elementary School will be 100 years old next year and the parents at Fremont are planning a big celebration. If you, or a friend or relative, attended Fremont, the Centennial Committee hopes you’ll connect with them. I’ll give details at the end of this article.

Fremont Elementary was the direct result of the development of Sparr Heights, just below Montrose, beginning in 1923. The Sparr orchard, mainly made up of citrus, was a major feature of the valley since 1900. But with the housing boom of the 1920s, Mr. Sparr subdivided his orchards and houses began to be built among the lemon trees. Sparr Heights, as the development was named, was a big hit and by the mid-’20s it was obvious that an elementary school was needed for this growing community.

In late 1925, the Glendale School Board approved the funds – $42,000 for purchasing four acres on the south end of Sparr Heights and for building a new school. As it edged toward completion in the spring of 1926, the LA Times printed a glowing description of the school’s location: “The school building faces the Community Center Building and has an outlook over the beautiful grounds of the Oakmont Country Club, while a comprehensive view of the green Verdugo Hills, the San Gabriel Hills and the towering Sierra Madre Range is obtained from every window.”

The school opened in the fall of 1926, only the third elementary school in the Crescenta Valley. At that point there was nothing offered in the valley beyond the elementary school. (It wasn’t until 1933 that a junior high was built and 1960 for a high school.) We have very little information on the opening of Fremont but we have a lot on the various activities of the students and parents over the years. Here are a few of the more interesting ones.

• In 1933 the school put on a Halloween parade where the students in costumes paraded the streets of Sparr Heights, finishing the day with a motion picture and popcorn balls. 
• By 1935, paper drives began to be a regular fundraiser. 
• It was noted in 1937 that most of Fremont’s students were in either the Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts. 

Beginning in these years and going on for several decades were visits by Sparr Heights resident Clarence Nash. (Clarence Nash was the voice of Donald Duck in all the Disney cartoons.) He loved to entertain the kids at Fremont. 

• In 1938 the fathers of Fremont put on a comedy show where they dressed in drag and jokingly portrayed the ladies of the PTA. (On so many levels, I think that wouldn’t fly today.)
• The 1940s began with a turn to world events. 1940 featured a drive for clothing for British relief. With the beginning of WWII, plans were made for the care of children in the event of an air raid. Parent committees were formed to make sandbags, assemble medical supplies, donate blood, fingerprint all the students and propagate plants for camouflage purposes.
• In 1950, the school helped with the Two Strike Series, a series of celebrity baseball games to fund the creation of Two Strike Park. 
• Christmas presents were bought for kids in Juvenile Hall. 
• 1955 saw war awareness again. Clothing was assembled and donated to help civilians in Korea during the Korean Conflict. 
• And in 1969 the students put together care packages of candy and personal letters, meant to provide a morale boost to the American troops in Vietnam. 

Here’s a snippet of one of the letters, “creative spelling” preserved: “Dear Sir, How are things going over there in Viet Nom? Over here in the U.S. things are going just fine. Because the astronots set foot on the moon, on July 1969 A.D. witch you’v probaley heard about. But on fryday Nov forteenth they are going to send Opoll 12 to the moon!”

These are the kinds of memories the Fremont Elementary Centennial Committee is hoping to celebrate next year. They would love to have former students share memories and photos. Here’s their website: www.fremontcentennial.com.