THE EDITOR'S MESSAGE
This year's theme is "A View From The Top" — Speaking as a senior,
it's been a long up-hill climb. Some of us straggled behind, but two
out of
three somehow made it to the top. Balboa itself has climbed the hill
for
the last 50 years, and may Balboa go on climbing higher hills and
not
sliding downhill!
Looking back and down, we did not have many super-stars, but we
have also had very few hard losers. The people here at Balboa are
filled
with spirit, and a good example of this spirit was Larry Mizera
(Midget),
who died on Feb. 7, 1978. I will always remember him as the little
man
filled with orange and blue from head to toe. Balboa has carried on
its
tradition and spirit for these 50 years, so let's hope it can carry
on for the
next 50 years.
This book will probably be a shock to most of you, but we the staff
thought it would be nice to have half of the book dedicated to the
50th
anniversary of Balboa. We all hope you will like the book.
Mr. Larsen is a special person. Without him there would be no year-
book like this. and I would not have been Editor. I thank him for
letting me
be Editor of this book, and I hope I have been the Editor he
expected me
to be.
We have had a small staff to do this yearbook, and because of this
the
deadlines were a little hard to meet, but with a lot of effort, the
staff has
done it. I thank the staff very much for their hard work and putting
up
with me, especially Mr. Larsen, Steve, and Elaine (from the Alumni
part of
the book). I thank all the people who have lent or gave us pictures.
I
THANK YOU ALL!=====================================
ADVICE FOR OUR SECOND HALF- CENTURY
The pathway to success is to scale our expectations not by what we
are
given to start with but rather by what we shall have when we are
done.
Every new school, like every entering student, is a fresh
opportunity to
improve the human condition. When Balboa commenced its voyage
toward the future, everyone here was fresh off some other "boat",
but
little time was lost in assimilating those pioneer students into a
highly
spirited crew of Buccaneers whose course was charted by an inspired
administration and faculty.
It should be a source of deep pride to all who have ever been a part
of
Balboa High School that by far the vast majority of her extensive
family
remain loyal to this school and the spirit and traditions which
distinguish
us from the run-of-the-mill sort of high school. What we teach here
above
all is self-respect, pride in personal achievement, and a healthy
aware-
ness of individual differences. Those who stay with us soon learn
means
of coping with real life in all of its bewildering and manifold
aspects. To
be sure, we reflect the world around us, but by some special magic,
we
help one another to grow less selfish and a little more humane. The
next
five decades will evolve as we continue to offer the best of the
past to the
best hope for the future, more good and loyal Balboa Buccaneers!
============================
When Balboa High School opened on August 20, 1928 with 24
teachers and 600 stu-
dents, the people of the neighborhood were expecting the school to
become a strong influ-
ence for good in the southern section of San Francisco. At that time
Balboa was an inter-
esting potentiality.
By its fiftieth anniversary Balboa High School has demonstrated its
academic strength,
its athletic prowess, and its ability to inspire loyalty, pride and
humanity in its graduates.
Tens of thousands of people in all parts of the world claim Balboa
as their high school alma
mater. The same Balboa hymn and fight song that we sing today are
cherished in their
memories.
Balboa's first fifty years have produced a strong basis for the
heritage of good citizen-
ship and service to mankind which we hope will be the product of
this school in its next
fifty years.
May Balboa High School in the year 2028 still be first on the
Pacific!
FLORENCE RAWSON COHEN
Principal
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