Flintridge Prep ... past to present

1922

Former U.S. Senator Frank P. Flint builds a coeducational school for nursery through sixth grade, called Flintridge Private School, on Oakwood in his Flintridge subdivision. Initially successful, the school is to become a casualty of the Great Depression.

1930

The abandoned property is acquired by Mrs. Gladys Rankin and her brother, Ronald Stiles. The building reopens as the Flintridge School for Girls.

1932

The four-acre property of Dr. Donald Skillen on Foothill Boulevard (formerly Michigan Avenue) is purchased with funds provided by Dr. Jay G. McMath, a retired chiropractor. One classroom building is erected. Mr. Leo Paul Kibby is hired as headmaster, and Ronald Stiles handles enrollment. Six teachers are employed.

Mr. Doane Lowery, former physical director of the Curtis School in Beverly Hills, becomes the first president of Flintridge School for Boys. (Mr. Lowery's portrait now hangs above the fireplace in Flintridge Prep’s administrative offices.) Funds are raised from Robert S. Breyer, an LA attorney, Senator Lawrence C. Phipps of Denver, and Mr. and Mrs. Lowery to open the new school. Part of the money goes toward an enclosed swimming pool with classrooms above.

1933

On August 18, 1933, Flintridge School becomes a proprietary stock company. However, the preferred stock is never sold, and the common stock never pays a dividend during the Depression years.

On September 18, 1933, with five students who followed Mr. Lowery from the Curtis School and seventeen recruited students, the Flintridge School for Boys opens.

All seven boys who remain at Flintridge through graduation are subsequently admitted to colleges.

The elementary and secondary school boys are taught by Malcolm Dickinson, chemistry; James Reilly, mathematics; Ronald Currie, English; Max Vaucher, languages; Gaylord Richmond, art; and Matt Grandon, physical education.

The four-acre campus, set among a grove of live oaks, includes a swimming pool, athletic field, and tennis courts. Nearby are facilities for riding, golf, and other outdoor activities. Classes are held in a wood-frame building. The old Skillen home provides offices, dining, and dorm facilities, and will do so for the next 42 years.

With enrollment lower than expected, financial help is needed. Mr. and Mrs. William Keck provide that help, donating $5,000. Mr. Keck's personal secretary assists in the school office.

1934–35

Enrollment doubles to more than 48 students. Malcolm Dickinson, the chemistry instructor, becomes headmaster, a position he will hold for the next 32 years. A member of the Board of Directors, he supervises the academic program as well as providing all college counseling.

Persistent financial problems prompt the leasing of the school to Ken M. Barager, who has run several professional schools.

1935–36

Flintridge is admitted into the California Scholastic Federation. Mr. Robert Jardine joins the faculty to teach mechanical drawing and wood shop. His students over the next 33 years hold him in high regard, including students in the 1940s who remember being assigned to construct an elevated, wooded basketball court.

In June 1936, Flintridge's first commencement is held on the front lawn at the corner of Crown Avenue and Michigan Avenue (now Foothill Boulevard). The school's first graduate is Peter Schenck. Students and faculty elect Peter Macgowan as the first recipient of the Sportsmanship Award.

1936–37

Flintridge's academic program is fully accredited by the University of California. The school also receives charter membership into the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the governing body for all athletic contests between high schools in California.

Student government is inaugurated, consisting of the
offices of Commissioner General, Commissioner of Academics, Commissioner of Finance, and Commissioner of Athletics. This form of student organization will operate basically unchanged for the next 40 years.

1937–38

This is a period of financial crisis. The
lease agreement reaches its end, and the property faces foreclosure. It is decided that a new legal entity is to be established, the Flintridge Preparatory School for Boys, a nonprofit organization that will take over the management of the school.
A gift of $7,500 from Fred S. Markham, a father of two Flintridge students, makes this step possible.

Harold McKee joins Flintridge that year to assume financial leadership. He obtains the cooperation of many creditors and heads off bankruptcy. McKee will remain at the ledgers for 28 years.

Flintridge Prep joins the Preparatory League of interscholastic sports. (It is the only school that has been a continual member since 1938.)

This is the inaugural year of the yearbook, called "Barlodi," incorporating letters from the names of the administrators, Barager, Lowery, and Dickinson. "The Oak Leaf," the official weekly newspaper, also makes its debut in 1937.

The first alumni banquet is held on December 21, 1937 at the Oakmont Country Club.

1938–39

Mr. Lowery refers to this year as the one in which the school "hit its stride." Total enrollment is 55, and the financial picture looks much better.

The Flintridge Prep Mothers Club is organized, with Mrs. William Kellogg as its first president.

Flintridge Prep wins the Prep League championships in swimming, tennis, and golf, the first hint that Prep is destined for a tradition of distinction in athletics.

1939–40

Flintridge Prep becomes a charter member of the California Association of Independent Secondary Schools (CAIS), an organization whose goal is to maintain high academic standards.

The yearbook is renamed "The Log," perhaps referring to the wooded character of the campus and the annual's function as a "log book." Ted Monroe is its editor.

1941–45

The school opens with an all-time high enrollment of 60 students; but staff, students, and schedules all are disrupted with the entry of the U.S. into World War II. Dr. Dickinson accepts a commission in the Air Force. Mr. Rose fills Dickinson’s position as headmaster until his return.

It becomes necessary to conduct full summer semesters in order to graduate the young men for the draft as quickly as possible. However, some students go off to war before finishing school; only seven graduate in the two 1943 terms. A total of 91 from a small alumni list serve in the armed forces, and five are killed in action.

With most staff members having to teach double duty, two new teachers are hired. Leroy Smith begins a 28-year stay, teaching English grammar and literature. Later, from 1967 to 1970, he will serve as headmaster.

The office of Commissioner of Publications is instituted, including editorship of both "The Log" and the monthly newspaper, "The Flintridge Journal."

Because gas rationing makes transportation difficult, sports competition has to be canceled. Books and paper are also in short supply. However, enrollment has risen to 114 by the war's end.

1945–52

By 1945, enrollment has increased to 129 students, and there are eleven teachers. Dr. Dickinson resumes his post as headmaster, and Coach Jim Wood joins the faculty. Over the next 33 years, Wood creates a modern and complete athletic department, achieving his greatest success with swimming and six-man football.

Over 25 seasons, “the father of six-man football in southern California” will lead his team to 15 championships. Over those decades, Flintridge will win 161 games and lose only 38.

In the post-war years, the school is finally able to purchase its land from the Skillen estate.

It also becomes the third school on the Pacific coast to be honored with membership in the Cum Laude Society, the national academic honors body.

Bea Campbell joins the staff in the elementary division in 1949, where she will remain for 30 years. Kind yet demanding, she becomes well-known for her police whistle.

1950 sees the organization of the Flintridge Alumni Association, with Dan Frost '40 serving as its first president.

The first organized Homecoming banquet is held. The monthly campus newspaper, “The Highlander," is initiated.

In 1951, 109 students are enrolled.

Philip Acosta begins teaching foreign language, coaching golf, and serving in various public relations capacities. He will coach golf for 33 years.

1953–54

A decade of growth begins, in both enrollment and facilities. A building drive of $370,000 is undertaken to finance a new classroom complex and a gymnasium. Ground is broken in April 1954 for eight classrooms and a fully equipped chemistry lab. What is now known as the 20's Building is finished in October.

The Flintridge Mothers Club is reorganized during this period, and the Fathers Club (Flintridge Associates) is created in 1954. Mr. Bruce Stone is its first president.

1957

After years of limited dorm residence, this is the last school year that students will board at Flintridge Prep. New dorm facilities would be required for continued boarding and classroom space is a higher priority. The decision is made to close the boarding program. 

The final four students to live at Prep are Dave Bogen '58, Jay Midgley '58, Bob Lamson '60, and Doug Bissell, '58, who remain on campus until commencement in June, 1958.

Groundbreaking for the gym is in April 1957. After battling a carpenters' strike, rain, and misunderstandings with the Flood Control District, the school completes the 7,000 square foot gym in September.

1958

Flintridge Prep's Silver Anniversary is celebrated in the new gym. The highlight of the evening is an appearance by Bob Warren of the television show "This Is Your Life." He presented the school's background using the show's format.

Also in this year, a new football field and baseball diamond are dedicated.

1960–61

Ground is broken in June 1960 for a complex of five classrooms, now known as the 30's Building, a modern physics lab, and a library. Dedication of the library is held in February 1961 in honor of Hector Geiger.

1962

Enrollment has risen to 253 students.

1965

A new building, now known as the 40's Building, is erected to house a shop and art room, classrooms, a study hall, and a complete biology laboratory. Thanks to a gift from Earle M. Jorgensen, a new pool is also completed. Dedicated to Mr. Lowery, the L-shaped pool had six racing lanes and a diving area.

Major Hilton Tichenor joins the staff. He will teach world and US history for more than ten years.

Mr. Lowery retires, and Harold "Mac" McKee is named president. The Board awards Mr. Lowery the title of President Emeritus, the school's first honorary title. Joe Rose accepts the position of headmaster.

1966

Mr. McKee retires; soon after this, Mr. Rose becomes president. Charles Moller ’50 subsequently assumes this position

Two assistant headmasters are appointed, Leroy Smith for the high school and Clay Noia for the lower school. Headmaster Dickinson retires.

Flintridge Prep makes the first property expansion since 1952, purchasing property to the north, now the site of the Jorgensen Center.

Spencer Murray graduates, becoming the school’s first second-generation alumnus.

1969

Enrollment reaches 313 students.

Two tennis courts are built on the lower field, in the area that three decades later would be occupied by the Randall Performing Arts Center.  The courts are dedicated to the late husband of Mrs. Lawrence Swift, grandmother of Edgar Sinnott '67.

1972

Colonel Spencer Edwards is selected as the school’s fifth headmaster.

1973

Six-man football comes to an end, to be replaced by eight-man football the following year. Soccer is introduced by John Plumb '64, who joined the staff in 1972 as history teacher and coach. Mr. Plumb is also instrumental in expanding the Lower School sports programs.

1974

The Class of '49 celebrates its 25th reunion at Annandale Country Club. These alumni present a check for $2,500 to Joe Fasken for the Fasken Scholarship Fund.

1975

Edor G. Anderson, Jr. comes to Flintridge from Alabama to become headmaster. His arrival coincides with the school's address being changed to 4543 Crown Avenue, as the original Skillen house is demolished.

The Northrop house, purchased in 1966, is remodeled into an administration center and dedicated as the Jorgensen Center.

1977

Water polo is added to the sports roster. This is to be the last year for the Father and Son Golf Tournament,
a tradition for the past 22 years.

Fran Estes becomes registrar, and George Kehm is appointed dean of students.

A dedication service is held for the memorial portrait of Doane Lowery, who died in 1972. The bell from the USS Drew is installed in the patio of the Jorgensen Center in memory of May Nash Arrington, mother of Chip Arrington '79. Ringing the bell becomes a tradition of victory for Flintridge athletic teams.

1979

After 41 years as the Flintridge Preparatory School for Boys, girls are admitted. Thirty-nine girls attend class on opening day in grades 9–12. To make room for expanded enrollment in the higher grades, it is decided to phase out the elementary division one year at a time, starting with the fourth grade.


The 40's Building is converted for use for ceramics, arts, and photography, and the visitors’ locker room in the gymnasium is remodeled for the girls' use.

1980

Plans are approved for a two-story addition to the gym, which is completed by the next year.

Kathy Bathke '80 graduates, becoming Prep's first alumna.

1981–82

Roger Wasby becomes dean of students.  

Senior Katy Potthast is selected Tournament of Roses Queen for the 1982 festivities. She makes over 85 appearances as Rose Queen that year.

Construction on campus continues, with the addition of a new kitchen and new offices.

1983

The school celebrates its 50th anniversary with a formal dinner party at Caltech's Athenaeum. A capital fund drive is announced on that occasion, with a goal of $2,000,000 for the construction of a science/cultural center.

Ground is broken for a science and cultural center.

In April 1983, a time capsule is buried near the flagpole, to be opened in the year 2033, during the school's 100th anniversary year.

1984

The last commencement held in the gymnasium is in June 1984. Prep's largest graduating class to date—74 seniors—receives diplomas.

The Flintridge Prep Golf Tournament brings alumni, parents, faculty and members of the golf team together for a day of camaraderie and friendly competition. The event, sponsored by the Alumni Association, seeks to revive as an alumni, campus, and co-ed event, a Prep tradition - the Father & Son Golf Tournament which was held annually for 22 years until 1977.

Elizabeth “Buffy” Manning ’85 is elected Flintridge Prep's first female Commissioner General. She will preside over Prep's Student Senate during her senior academic year - 1984-1985.

1985

Construction of the Norris Center is completed. The science and cultural complex, which includes four science laboratories and a computer laboratory with 25 IBM PCs and one IBM AT, also features a 385-seat auditorium.

The first show to be produced in the new performance space, Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians, is mounted in May 1985; English teacher Peter Bachmann directs.

1986

Dr. Arthur Mack joins Prep’s faculty to teach Latin, continuing John Neupauer’s tradition of impassioned Latin instruction to a new generation of Prep students.  He also spearheads a tradition of student-organized community service as a number of service clubs are established on campus over the next few years.

1987

Girls athletics continues to grow.  The girls track & field team captures the Prep League title.

Flintridge’s seminar course in Great Books, begun at Prep in 1980 by teachers John Hamilton and Linda Lohn, and modeled after the program at the University of Chicago, is taken over by Peter Bachmann, a course that he continues to teach today.

1988

The Senior Horizons program is initiated providing seniors insight and education about the challenges of college, along with academic and career guidance.  Alumni, parents and community members come to Prep to share their experiences and knowledge.

1989

English teacher and Dean of Students, Peter Bachmann, is appointed Assistant Headmaster.

Student community service continues to expand as Flintridge Prep’s Key Club is founded with support from the local Kiwanis Club. Prep students organize support for the Special Olympics, a Thanksgiving food drive, Big Brothers & Sisters of America, and host a blood drive.

Prep’s athletic teams complete a banner year.  Girls basketball captures the Prep League title with a perfect 13-0 league record. The boys basketball team, after a 2-8 start, finish as CIF-SS 1A runners-up and advance to the state tournament reaching the semi-finals.  The following fall, the Rebel football team captures the CIF 8-Man championship defeating Pasadena Poly 60-35 in the title game played at Prep's campus.

1990

The addition of a new wing to the Jorgensen Building is completed providing needed office and work space for faculty and administrators.

Prep hosts it first Grandparents Day inviting guests to visit campus, attend classes, and lunch with their grandchildren. The program becomes an annual event for Flintridge Prep families.

John Plumb ’64 retires after more than a 30-year association with Flintridge Prep. Called the “social conscience” of his senior class in the yearbook and “Mr. Flintridge” by headmaster Edor Anderson, John served Prep as a teacher, coach, athletic director, alumni director, and lastly as director of development.

John is honored by the Flintridge Prep Alumni Association with a farewell dinner at the La Canada Country Club with over 250 guests in attendance.

1991

English and history teacher, Dean of Students, and Assistant Headmaster, Peter Bachmann becomes Flintridge Prep’s eighth headmaster.

1995

The Jorgensen Library is remodeled, with enhanced technological capabilities and increased book space.

1996

Emmy Award winning producer, screenwriter, novelist, and Prep alumnus, Stephen J. Cannell ’60, visits the campus to discuss his literary work and the craft of writing screenplays and novels.

After winning back-to-back Prep League titles in 1994 and 1995 under head coach Glen Beattie and reaching the CIF championship game in 1995, varsity football moves successfully from
8-man to 11-man football for the 1996 season.

In their inaugural 11-man season, the Rebels finish 6-5 qualifying for the playoffs for the 8th straight year. Prep’s defense is ranked number one statistically in the area by the L.A. Daily News.

Athletic Director Alex Rivera announces that 18 of Prep’s varsity sports teams qualified for CIF “All-Academic” recognition as determined by cumulative team grade point averages (“G.P.A.”).  No school in the state has a higher number of qualifying teams.

1997

The 40's Building undergoes a complete renovation, which includes an expansion of the school’s visual arts facilities and the addition of a foreign language suite and a computer lab.

Flintridge’s successful sports tradition continues as all five Fall teams qualifying for the CIF playoffs, one of only 3 high schools in Southern California to claim such an achievement. Girls tennis qualifies for playoffs for the first time in school history.

1998 - 1999

PrepTalk’s Spring 1998 edition honors Flintridge’s “master teachers” - Joseph Fasken (1942-1968), John Neupauer (1956-1982), Leroy D. Smith (1943-1971), Joseph Rose (1936-1970), and James M. Wood (1945-1978) with testimonials by alumni.

The mayor of La Canada Flintridge proclaims December 4, 1998 as “Flintridge Prep Boys’ Cross Country Day” after the team, coached by history teacher Ingrid Herskind, wins the 1998 CIF Division V State Championship. The team wins back-to-back state titles by claiming the Division V championship a second time in 1999.

2000

Faculty, administration, parents, and students complete a year-long study of Flintridge Prep as a community united by shared values. In the spring, faculty and students adopt an Honor Code outlining the common values governing all members of Prep’s community.

Twenty-one years after first accepting girls, Flintridge Preparatory School reaches full co-educational enrollment as the student body is 50% boys and 50% girls.

On October 28, 2000, the Randall Performing Arts Center is dedicated. The complex, located to the northeast of the athletic field and west of the Jorgenson Building on land which previously held tennis courts, includes rehearsal space for dance and music, as well as an 80-seat black-box theater.

The Performing Arts Center invigorates Flintridge Prep's musical, dance, and theater arts programs.
Patrick Miller ’00 is Flintridge’s first student to earn four years of credit in orchestral music and receives a music scholarship to the University of Redlands.

2001

The Class of 2001 pioneers Flintridge’s new Independent Study program which allows seniors to explore passionate intellectual and educational interests in their second semester.

A highlight of the program’s success is the project by Antonio Harrison ’01 who writes, directs, and performs all roles in an autobiographical one-man play in the Miller Theater. The program also reveals the diverse interests and talent of Prep’s students. Harrison ‘01, for example, is also awarded Prep’s Male Athlete-of-the-Year for his skill and leadership in football, basketball and track.

2002 - 2004

Mike Detoy '04 graduates, becoming Flintridge Prep’s first third-generation alumnus. Prep also graduates its first class with more girls than boys.

During these years, there is extraordinary success by Prep’s athletic teams. Prep captures 13 team league titles. In 2002, boys cross country wins their third state championship in 5 years and makes it 4 titles in 7 years with another in 2004.

The girls cross country, coached by Michael Roffina and Cari Barraclough, also advances to the state meet. Boys water polo reaches the semi-finals of the CIF playoffs—the program’s farthest in school history. 

Girls volleyball wins its 4th league title in 5 years. 

In the fall of 2003, Rebel football, under coach Marty Konrad, completes a 12-1 season to capture the CIF Division XIII championship. The boys basketball team, led by coach Garrett Ohara ’83, advances to the semi-finals in 2003 and reaches the final championship game of the CIF-SS Division IV-AA in 2004 finishing as runners-up.

2005

Golfer Brett Kanda ’05, one of the top junior golfers in Southern California, wins the CIF/SCGA championship adding his name to a trophy whose past winners include Tiger Woods and Phil Michelson.

2006

Once classes end in the Spring, Jorgensen Library is bulldozed in preparation for construction of a new two-story library and learning center. Due to the construction, the Senior Patio is temporarily relocated to the Jorgensen Patio adjacent to the administration building.

2007

Prep’s campus is transformed as the new Chandramohan Library is completed in September for the start of classes. The Ahmanson Plaza, surrounded by majestic arches, leads to the two-story library and food services facility. On the second floor, the library connects with Norris Auditorium and the Braun Science Center, and includes a new computer classroom and suite of college counseling offices.

2008

Flintridge Prep celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding with a number of events throughout the year, capped with a Gala Celebration on campus. Alumni, past and present families, faculty, students and friends enjoy a weekend celebrating and remembering Flintridge Prep's 75-year history.