Post #222213 by bungy on Tue, Mar 21, 2006 1:35 PM

I was thinking about my high school! I went to San Pedro Hi, and Richard Henry Dana Jr, High, in San Pedro, Ca. The Jr. Hi was named that for the author of "Two Years Before the Mast" He had been shanghied and sailed before the mast for 2 years before he could escape. At that time mariners had no rights, and he pointed out the horrible conditions they sailed under. From this book, the mariners began unions, etc, and today it is a very respected carreer. Each year, the school ran the old Charles Laughton film for us , so that we would realize the marine history of our town.
San Pedro was built on this. Many dads were fishermen, or long shoresmen, or crews on a frieghters, or , for me the highest, a tug boat captain! Sitting right on the huge Los Angeles Harbor, evrything about San Pedro revolved around the ocean.
San Pedro Hi was on the side of a hill overlooking the whole harbor, and by the time I got to High school all I wanted to do was sail the South Seas, so when they gave us those long lists of classes with what credits we needed, I took an extra ammount of time figuring out what classes I could take to receive those credits... that sat on the second floor in front, with a view of the whole harbor with all the ships coming and going. And.. I took International morse code, instead of typing, so I could cut my braids and run away to sea and be a radioman on a freighter! There were no women allowed at that time.
Both schools were WPA projects,and I took a tour not too long ago, and they are just as beautiful as they always were. The Jr. Hi has a compass rose in tile on the entry floor!

Each week, I waited for that last bell to ring, and I could escape to a 32' Block Islander owned by Dwight Long, my sailing mentor, and we'd sail to Catalina or the Channel Islands! In other words, I escaped to my real world! Auntie Bungy