In 1951 the students referred to their alma mater as:
“the school that couldn’t stay still.”
Oakland Tribune 1951
In the first 36 years, the school changed location five times and gone by eight different names.
A Bit of History
In January 1915, McClymonds High School started in a small building formerly occupied by Oakland Technical High School at 12th and Market with sixty students. Originally called the Vocational High School and was the first public school in California to offer vocational training.
J.W. McClymonds directly inspired the organization of the school, superintendent of the Oakland Schools between 1889-1913 (Oakland Tribune Mar 09, 1924), and the name was changed to McClymonds Vocational School.
In 1924 the school was moved to a new building at 26th and Myrtle, and its name was changed to J.W. McClymonds High School.
It became just plain McClymonds High in 1927. The building was condemned in 1933, and classes were moved to Durant School.
In 1936 McClymonds High School and Lowell Junior High School were merged to form a new high school on Lowell Site at 14th and Myrtle Streets. McClymonds High thereby became a four-year high school.
In 1938 the name changed from J.W. McClymonds to Lowell-McClymonds, then in July of the year to McClymonds-Lowell High School.
Finally, in September 1938, they moved back to the old site at 26th and Myrtle Streets after the buildings were reconstructed at the cost of $330,000. The alumni won out, and once again it was McClymonds High School as it is today.
Dedication
The new high school occupying the entire block at 26th and Myrtle Streets, erected at the cost of $660,000 was dedicated in March of 1924.
The school was named in honor of J.W McClymonds, who had died two years earlier. The ceremony was held on Mar 09, 1924.
McClymonds High School was completed in 1924 as a part of the school building program of 1919. The new building contained 35 classrooms, 11 shops, administrative offices, storerooms, science, millinery, and art rooms and an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1000. There were shops for forge work, auto repair, machine work, pattern making, woodworking, electrical engineering, and printing. The machinery in the shops costs several thousands of dollars.
Oakland History Room
Millinery Courses
The milliner’s art “so dear to the hearts of the fair sex” was introduced as a course for girls in schools of Oakland. Mcclymonds had a shop with machinery for fabricating and molding the millinery.
“The girls are virtually flocking to the new course, which teaches the latest in chic, feminine headgear.”
Oakland Tribune
Out With The Old
New School
In 1954 a new three-story reinforced concrete structure was dedicated.
The structure designed for 1200 students and contains 42 classrooms, an auditorium, cafeteria, and library. Corlett and Anderson of Oakland were the architects.
The auditorium is in the two-story south wing and classes in the three-story building.
A class of 75 students was the first to graduate from the new McClymonds High in 1954.
New Gym
In 1953 the old gym was condemned as an earthquake hazard and wasn’t replaced until 1957.
The new gym was the first Oakland school building to be built with tilt-up wall construction in which concrete wall sections are poured flat on the ground then raised into place.
Folding bleachers will seat 875 spectators. A folding partition will divide the main gymnasium into boys and girls for physical education classes.
The building also included an exercise room, shower and locker rooms, first-aid rooms, instructor’s office, and storage areas. Ira Beals designed it at the cost of $427,000.
McClymonds Field Dedicated – 1960
The new $625,095 track and field facilities was touted as one of the finest in the East Bay when the it was dedication ceremony was held.
The new tennis courts adjacent to the gym were dedicated to the memory of Earl M. Swisher, a former teacher, and tennis coach.
In 1964 three McCLymonds High School seniors drowned in the icy waters of Strawberry Lake in Tuolumne County.
The victims were:
- Gloria Curry – Age 17
- Carolyn Simril – Age 17
- Melvin Lee Moore – Age 16
The trip was for the about 150 students called “honor citizens” because of outstanding community and school service.
Most of the students were on the ski slopes, and sled runs at Dodge Ridge. Between 15 and 20 of them were on the frozen lake when the ice gave away.
The students said there were no signs on the lake warning of thin or rotten ice.
A heroic rescue by three boys and two men saved the lives of at least ten students when the ice broke about 150 yards from the shore.
Carolyn Simril died while trying to pull somebody out and fell in herself.
A large crowd waited in front of Mcclymonds High for the three buses to return. They knew that three students had drowned, but they didn’t know who they were.
More Info:
- 3 Oakland Students Die In Icy Lake – Oakland Tribune Feb 09, 1964
- Tragedy on Ice – SF Examiner Feb 09, 1964
- One Ice In Sierra – SF Examiner Feb 09, 1964
- Death for 3 in Icy Lake – Oakland Tribune Feb 09, 1964
- Ice Deaths Blamed on Inexperience – Oakland Tribune Feb 10, 1964
- Pastor Comforts Parents – Oakland Tribune Feb 10. 1964
- No Blame Fixed in Tragedy – Oakland Tribune Feb 12, 1964
circa 1964
Gift of the artist in honor of Therese Thau Heyman
2003.139.35
McClymonds Today
McClymonds High School is a highly valued icon of the West Oakland community as it is the only full-sized OUSD High School in the region. It is located near the intersection of Market Street & San Pablo Avenue in the Clawson neighborhood, which contains a mix of residential and commercial development with a handful of industrial yards
The school is located at 2607 Myrtle Street Oakland, CA 94607
More Info:
- McClymonds High – OUSD
- McClymonds High School – Wikipedia
- Students to Use Portables – Oakland Tribune Nov 25, 1923
- McClymonds High Dedicated – Oakland Tribune Mar 06, 1924
- Native Sons Dedicate McClymonds High – Oakland Tribune Mar 10, 1924
- Millinery Course – Oakland Tribune Sep 20, 1928
- New Gym – Oakland Tribune Dec 23, 1928
- Merging of 2 High Schools –Oakland Tribune Feb 20, 1936
- Bids for New School – Oakland Tribune May 31, 1951
- McClymonds Job to Start- Oakland Tribune Jul 18, 1951
- McClymonds Looks Forward To New School – Oakland Tribune May 31, 1953
- New Gym – Oakland Tribune Aug 22, 1957
- Mack Faces Alumni Five in New Gym – Oakland Tribune Mar 20, 1958
- McClymonds Field To Be Dedicated – Oakland Tribune Mar 27, 1960
- Elwood ‘Doc” Hess – Oakland Tribune Oct 18, 1963
