The alumni file of Copa de Oro's is now complete, thanks to Bill Stocker, class of '44.  When the notice appeared in the November issue of Flashbacks that we were looking for that copy, Bill brought in one of the two 1944 annuals that he had, which was the only printed issue that we did not have in our file.  There is at least one copy of each Copa de Oro that was printed, except for the 1918 and 1919 annuals, which were not printed because of World War I.  The 1943 and 1944 annuals were limited editions, printed in the high school print shop, because of World War II.

     The 1943 annual consisted of 26 issues of the high school newspaper, "News Flashes", along with pictures of teachers, classes, sports and club activities.  The 1944 issue consisted of a special issue of "News Flashes", and contained pictures of the senior class, but this was one issue that was hard to locate.

     Harold Southwick, class of '45, also called and said he had a copy of the 1944 annual that we could have for our files, but since the alumni office now has the one copy from Bill Stocker, Harold was told to hold on to his copy, as they are very rare.

The alumni office appreciates Harold's offer of his copy of the 1944 annual.

     As of now, no written record of the history of the Fillmore High Alumni Association can be found in the alumni office.  We are hoping that someone has a copy of the history of the association that they will share with us, but at present, we are asking former officers and board members to rack their memories to see if we can't put together a history of how this organization began.

     We do know that the first graduating class was in 1911 with four graduates, and the first alumni meeting was held in 1914, with Albert Wicklund, class of 1911 as the first president.  Since then, annual meetings were held, except during the war years of 1917-1919 and 1942-1945, and there have been 75 different presidents, with several serving more than one term.

     Alumni members remember early alumni dinners being held on the old tennis courts, which were where the cafeteria is now located, with guests seated at table and benches made from orange picking boxes with 1" x 12"s for seats and tables.    After 1951, they were held in the area between the cafeteria and the new gym.  They were also held on the high school quad, then at the Memorial Building, and at present are being held at the city park.  The dinners were mainly pit barbecues that were put on by Albert Bartels and his crews, Ed Burson and his group, and by K. B. Rogers and Ron Godfrey with the help of Fillmore Club members. 

     The alumni association is interested in receiving any information that anyone has on the history of the alumni dinners, the alumni associaton and any activities in which the association has participated over these past 93 years.

     The quarterly meeting of the Fillmore High Alumni Board of Directors was held on Monday, November 19 at the home of Marla DeZavala with six of the nine board members present.

     The financial report was given by Marla, and it was decided to meet with the investment advisor for the alumni association to clarify some points of information regarding investments.  This meeting will take place after January 1.

     It was recommended that the board continue to work on revising the by-laws of the association to bring them in line with the manner in which the alumni is being operated.

     The alumni association has a tax exempt status, so any donations made to the alumni association are tax deductible.

     Everyone was reminded that the alumni website is up and operating and it is being kept up to date as new information comes into  the alumni office.  We are still trying to get new pictures on the website, so if anyone has any pictures they would like to see on the website, please send them or bring them in to the alumni office.

     As was reported on the website earlier, the alumni supplies are now being stored in a room at the high school, thanks to the efforts of Mark Ortega and Epi Torres.

     Under new business, Kathleen McCreary indicated that the Flashbacks will be sent out after Thanksgiving.  Kathleen was commended on the great job she has done in getting out her first issue of the newsletter and for having pictures in this issue as well as lots of news of alumni members.  Kathleen indicated that she is always looking for news and pictures to put in the next issue which will come out in February. 

     Numerous comments have come into the alumni office regarding the list of Life Members on the website, so it was voted that there be one list of Life Members, listed alphabetically.  If you have a need for a list of Life Members by year of graduation, please let the alumni office know.

     The meeting was adjourned and all members stayed and helped stamp all the envelopes that will be used to mail out the Flashbacks.

     The next board meeting will be held in February.    

Thanks to the inquiry by Mark Ortega, class of '79 and the assistance of Epi Torres, class of '69, who is an Assistant Principal at Fillmore High School, the alumni was able to move the supplies used for the dinner and other alumni activities, from the storage facility on A Street to a room at the high school.  This move was done with the aid of Bill Walden, class of '63, Matt Mozley, class of '70, Mark Maxwell, class of

'77 and Steve Hope, class of '83.  This move will save the Alumni Association $75 a month, which will assist in the running of the association and the scholarship foundation.  Thanks to everyone who was involved.

The next issue of The Flashbacks will be coming out some time in November, so if you have news to contribute, please send it to the alumni office at P. O. Box 385, Fillmore, CA  93016-0385 or e-mail it to: staff@FillmoreHighAlumni.com, and we will try to get it in. 

Especially those classes that have had reunions or are planning a reunion for 2008, please send in the information and we will put it in the Flashbacks as well as on the alumni website. 

In case some of you have been coming to the alumni office and have found no one there, that is because the office is not open all day.  The usual office hours are:

                 Monday, Wednesday and Friday---9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

                Sometimes the office is open on Saturdays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

           If you need to reach the alumni office, call 805-524-0416 or 805-558-7628,

           or e-mail at staff@FillmoreHighAlumni.com.