By Allen Bacon, BOSCO Fullerton
Photo: The center court from the first Fullerton High School Gym on Pomona Street remains on Display in the lobby of the recently built Gym on Lemon Street. Photo by Allen Bacon
Over the summer, the Fullerton High School campus, was quietly transformed from being "The Home of the Indians" to the "Home of the Red Hawks".
After a long debate, which dated back to the late 1960's, whether a Native American Indian Chief should be an appropriate mascot for a school, a California state bill initiated by Governor Gavin Newsome, tipped the decision to the Non-Indian camp.
After over one hundred years of being known as the Indians, Fullerton High School is now known as the Red Hawks.
In a poll conducted by BOSCO Fullerton , close to 98% of the Fullerton High School alumni surveyed say they will never adopt the new mascot name.
Over the summer, most of the murals and signage depicting Indian Chiefs, some of which were class gifts painted by former students, were covered up by large format display signage. These new signs feature either the "F" Logo or the new Red Hawk Logo. The old murals were not painted over....they were covered up.
The administration learned their lesson from a previous summer a few decades back when the paint crew painted over an iconic mural on the outside of Plummer Auditorium. The mural was eventually meticulously restored to the original state.
The murals can be brought back later for special historical events or in the event there is a change of heart on the mascot. There is a provision of the State bill that says if a school gets approval from a local Indian Tribe they could re-adopt the Indian name. The FUHS Class of 1976 is asking if they can uncover their class gift, a mural depicting an Indian Chief, painted by a student, which has been on the English building for 50 years.
There was one exception on the removal or hiding of the Indian imagery.
It was the original center court Indian Chief Logo that was in the old gymnasium on Pomona Street since the 1940's. The center court has been in prominent display in the new gymnasium lobby which is a museum of Fullerton High School Sports History.
There was discussion over the Summer that the center court would be part of a permanent installation in the Fullerton High School Library highlighting the history of the school.
The decision was made for the center court to stay exactly where it has been for the past 75 years. In the FUHS Gymnasium.
