Finding aid Ventura High School collection, 1934-1978 MVC059
Finding aid prepared by Krystell Jimenez, 2020.
This finding aid was made possible in part through funding from the County of Ventura and the Heritage Fund at the Ventura
County Community Foundation.
Museum of Ventura County
November 2020
100 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001
library@venturamuseum.org
Contributing Institution:
Museum of Ventura County
Title: Ventura High School collection
Creator:
Ventura High School
Identifier/Call Number: MVC059
Physical Description:
3.84 Cubic Feet
(1 half-size box, 2 cartons, and 2 flat boxes, 1 ledger)
Date (inclusive): 1890-1978
Abstract: Ventura High School is a public secondary school that was established in 1889. It is the oldest high school in Ventura. The
school was originally established as a grammar school for Grades 1-8 and was located across from Park Plaza on the same site
as the Post Office. The school was moved to Ann Street in 1897, Thompson Boulevard in 1911, and finally Catalina and Main
Streets in 1930. The school adopted the Cougar mascot in the 1960s and the black and orange school colors, representing the
two major industries in the area, petroleum and citrus farming. The school operated a senior high school for several years
before splitting off from Ventura College and becoming a high school serving Grades 9-12 in 1982. The collection includes
a variety of materials related to student life and extracurricular activities between the 1930s and the late 1970s, including
the school's football team, the Girls' League, and the Interact Club. Materials include correspondence, awards, scrapbooks,
yearbooks, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Physical Location: Stored off-site and advance notice required for timely retrieval. Please contact the Research Library reference desk prior
to your visit.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Open for research. Collection is minimally processed and may contain restricted materials. All
requests to access materials must be made in advance by contacting the Research Library staff via email: library@venturamuseum.org
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, have
not been determined. Contact the Research Library for further information: library@venturamuseum.org
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Ventura High School collection, (MVC059), Museum of Ventura County, Research Library, Ventura, California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Jodi and Rod Dunn; gift; 2013.
Processing Information
Processed by Krystell Jimenez, 2020.
Biographical / Historical
Ventura High School is a public secondary school that was established in 1889. It is the oldest high school in Ventura. Eugene
Preston Foster served as the first school board president. The school was originally established as a grammar school for Grades
1-8 and was located across from Park Plaza on the same site as the Post Office. The school was moved to Ann Street in 1897,
Thompson Boulevard in 1911, and finally Catalina and Main Streets in 1930. The original building was red brick and was rebuilt
in 1958 in order to ensure it could withstand earthquakes. The school adopted the Cougar mascot in the 1960s and the color
black and orange, representing the two major industries in the area, petroleum and citrus farming. The school operated a senior
high school for many years before becoming a high school serving Grades 9-12 in 1982.
Scope and Contents
The collection includes a variety of materials related to student life and extracurricular activities between 1945 and 1978,
including the school's football team, the Girls' League, and the Interact Club. Materials include correspondence, awards,
scrapbooks, yearbooks, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Organization and Arrangement
The collection is organized at the collection level with box-level description.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
High school student activities
Students -- Social life and customs
Ventura High School -- Archives
Box 1
Papers, photographs, and awards
1955-1978
Scope and Contents
This box contains: materials related to the football programs such as newspaper clippings, a plastic vest and photographs;
a bumper sticker; Richard Core's student materials; photographs from a 1955-56 contest sponsored by Eastman Kodak, including
the winning photographs and photographs of the winners; and photographs, correspondence, and meeting minutes for the Interact
Club. Contains restricted student records.
Box 2
Girl's League, scrapbooks, yearbooks, and mug books
1945-1978
Scope and Contents
This box contains: Girls' League scrapbooks for the years 1956-57 and 1963-64; a guestbook for 1956-59; La Revista yearbooks
for 1945-48; general scrapbooks for 1968-69; and scrapbooks containing photographs of male students for the years 1960-61,
1961-62, and 1963-64. Oversize materials related to the Interact Club have been moved to this box, but were originally with
the Interact Club materials in Box 1.
Box 3
Girl's League and scrapbooks
1966-1974
Scope and Contents
This box contains Girls' League scrapbook for 1966-70 and high school scrapbooks for the years 1973-74, the second semester
of 1965-66, 1970-71, and 1972-73.
Ledger 1
Ledger: Roster for Alpha Society
1890 February 19 - 1932 June 17
Box 4
Sports scrapbooks
1966-1968
Scope and Contents
This box contains two scrapbooks with clippings related to Ventura High School's sports teams, 1967-1968.
Box 5
Scrapbooks and photographs
1934-1968
Scope and Contents
This box contains scrapbooks with clippings related to the high school sports teams, 1967-1968; a Girls' League scrapbook,
1953-1954; a press award for the school newspapers, May 1934; and photographs taken by students for a contest, 1953-1954.
