Back to School: Yearbooks

Polytechnic Journal, June 1935

It's that time again: school is appearing hazily on the late-summer horizon. In keeping with the season, the San Francisco History Center recently received a donation of Polytechnic High School yearbooks and ephemera from Martin H. Feibusch, a former student of the class of 1936. 

We acquire many, if not most, of our school yearbooks through similar donations from individuals. This means that copies are often personalized. Mr. Feibusch's copy of his 1935 yearbook is filled with autographs, drawings, and letters from classmates, commenting on the track team, Registry (if anyone knows what "Registry" is, please leave a comment), and geometry class. One can also get a sense of how people talked to each another then: "swell" was a complimentary adjective of choice that year.

Student Association ID, 1935

The Polytechnic ephemera includes a dance card, commencement tickets, student association I.D. cards, and event programs. Sports schedules and scores are on the back of the Student Association cards, so you can see that Poly beat Balboa 25-15 on Feb. 6, 1935.

The San Francisco History Center has yearbooks for over seventy San Francisco elementary, middle, and high schools and colleges. Come up to the 6th floor for a visit to look at more.

Student Association ID, reverse

 Commencement Exercises Program, 1937

All images courtesy of the San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.