The High Schools

The High Schools. Historic Graffiti Cruise Route. Modesto was a one-high school town for 70 years. Modest high school opened in 1882 and was Modesto’s only high school until 1951. High school life in Modesto was very important. Many of the social activities were school related. The sporting events, the clubs, the fraternities, the sororities, the dances and the high school camaraderie were central to the American Graffiti age in Modesto., In the early days of the cruise, the big rivalry was between Turlock High School and Modesto High. These kids cruised in Downtown Modesto and made the trip up and down old Highway 99 that ran directly through both downtowns. The early rivalry games were Rugby, but this gave way to football over the years. The Turlock-Modesto football game was one of the biggest events every year and was played on Thanksgiving Weekend until 1957., Thomas Downey High opened in 1951 and a new rivalry began, one that would pit the two sides of town against each other, and would also define the turf of the Modesto Drive-ins; Burges more oriented to Modesto High and Al’s and Felix’s Drive-ins for the Downey High kids. One of the regular hangouts in the ‘50s was the Knights Round Table diner on Coffee Road, located directly across the street from the Downey High location. Milford “Ollie” Olsen was friends with the owner of the Round Table, Mamie Alberti, and it was through this friendship that, according to legend, Downey High became the Knights., Through the 1950s and 1960s, the Modesto/Downey rivalry was legendary and pranks were relentlessly pulled. The first Modesto / Downey High football game was played on October 29, 1954. Over the years, this became the biggest event in town, filing the MJC Stadium beyond capacity. If you were not at the stadium by 5pm, you could not get a spot., The Thomas Downey High Class of ’62 may be one of the most recognized in the world. The “Where were in in ’62?” describes the people, places and events captured by Downey High Class of ’62 graduate George Lucas. Friends and the cruisers of the day say that the film accurately portrayed the way life was in Modesto in 1962., Grace M. Davis High School opened in 1961 with the students attending at Downey for the first half of the year until the Davis campus opened. During the ‘60s and ‘70s, the Downey-Davis rivalry became the strongest. Fred C. Beyer High School opened in 1972 with the first 4-year class graduating in 1976., These four high schools supplied the students that were all a part of the golden age of cruising in Modesto. At this point, the cruise was completely located on McHenry Avenue, with the cruisers turning around at Five Points at the south and the big GEMCO parking lot at the corner of Sylvan and McHenry at the north end., Were you there? Tell us your story at: [email protected] , Sponsored by: Farmers Insurance Group , Researched by: Chris Murphy . www.ModestoCruiseRoute.com