A few years ago I was interviewed by the Daily News about the early days of Rio Hondo. (I think the story was titled, "Old farts remember Rio Hondo's founding" or something like that) In the article, I referred to Judge Merton Wray as one of the critical players in establishing the college. His daughter, who lives in Kansas or some other midwestern state, heard about the article and sent me the following email:
How very nice of you Andy Howard.
In fact, my Dad was called a comsymp, a pinko and more in letters to the editor of the Whittier News. I remember a schoolmate in 7th grade telling me, "So your Dad's the communist who wants the junior college." For several years during the struggle to pass the bond, Dad came home late at night from every school board meeting, exhausted in every way. Neighbors we knew for decades opposed Rio Hondo. He lost clients in his law practice. Some people thought he was a traitor to Whittier College. The belief in opposition to Rio was that public education only applied to K-12 and that anything further should be paid for out of pocket.
Dad's strong belief in education stemmed from the nine months he spent as a prisoner of the Germans in WWII. He thought education was the road to world peace.
This is the story of how Rio Hondo came to be. Once the bonds passed, these rancors receded, part of the wonderful healing heritage of America. Old wounds do not fester; they heal. Yet, this is the story. I was there.
Nancy Wray Atkins, MLIS
What an amazing story! Thanks for posting it, Andy. Even though I've been at Rio Hondo for over twenty years now, I wasn't aware of this part of its history. In fact, I'll be reminded of it now every time I see the name on our theater.
ReplyDeleteThe perseverance it took for Judge Wray to get that initial bond passed is nothing less than courageous. And your perseverance in getting our Measure "A" Bond passed in 2004 has resulted in a beautiful campus that makes us all proud.
I'm glad no one called you a pinko, but you had an uphill battle nonetheless. You kept going strong, even after the measure failed the first time, when others would have passed along the baton. It's in your character. You possess that trait Winston Churchill referred to when he said "Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm." Thank you for your vision.
Sheila Lynch