Angels In The House
Denver’s Oldest High School Turning 150; Plans Underway For A Sesquicentennial Party For The Ages
By Cara DeGette
GPHN Editor
In 1875, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, prohibiting racial discrimination in public accommodations. President Ulysses S. Grant authorized a new 20-cent piece (an experiment that lasted only three years). That year witnessed the first Kentucky Derby. Over in Silver City, New Mexico, Billy the Kid escaped from a jail by climbing out of a chimney and became a fugitive from justice.
Also that year, the oldest high school in Denver — East High — was born.
Fifty years later, in 1925, the Jazz Age was in full swing, and Mount Rushmore was on its way to becoming a U.S. memorial. The Scopes “Monkey Trial” over the teaching of evolution in public schools gripped the country. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was published that year, and so was Adolf Hitler’s manifesto Main Kampf. Over in San Luis Obispo, Calif., the world’s first motel — the Milestone Mo-Tel — opened.
In Denver that year, East High School celebrated turning 50 years old by moving from its downtown home into a newly-built school next to City Park. The new grand building was designed by East alumnus and architect George H. Williamson, in the Jacobean style. Its 162-foot clock tower was inspired by Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The cost of construction was $1.47 million.
The 2025 dedication of the “New East” was a grand affair, with speeches from the Head Boy and the Head Girl, the principal, superintendent of schools, the school board president and many others. A violin solo was performed, and the entire school sang America The Beautiful.
In the dedication program, Dorus R. Hatch, who later became principal at East, included an ode to the new building and its inhabitants, including this excerpt:
“What is it that is now so nobly housed? A spiritual edifice, a house not made with hands, a structure of ideas and ideals, ideals of conduct, of scholarship, of beauty, of culture, of sacrifice, of service; an institution whose office it is to beat back the blight of ignorance and push far the frontiers of knowledge. Truly, East is on high ground.”
Mid-September kickoff
A century later, the students, faculty, administrators and alumni of East High are planning a year’s worth of celebrations to mark the school’s sesquicentennial — 150 years of educating generations of students. These include legions of kids who grew up in Park Hill, many of whom remain.
The festivities kick off in mid-September, with a 150th Anniversary Week of activities planned, including Homecoming on Sept. 19.
Matt Fulford, who teaches social studies at East and is the co-chair of the 150th organizing committee, said the event is being designed to mirror the original program from the 1925 dedication of the building, including the choir singing America The Beautiful and My Country ’Tis Of Thee.
An East Film Festival, with movies featuring East High alumni who later became stars, is planned for Sept. 27 at the Sie Film Center on Colfax Avenue across the street from the school. Actress Pam Grier, a 1968 graduate, will be there, as well as family members of the famous silent film star Harold Lloyd, who attended East around 1909-1910. Relatives of Hattie McDaniel, the first African American actress to win an Oscar, who graduated in 1913, are also expected.
The organizing committee is working hard to convince the actor Don Cheadle — a 1982 graduate — to join the party.
“We really want him to come,” Fulford said. “So we’ll see.”
A living museum
In its 150 years, East has graduated not only a healthy share of movie stars, but also others who have gone on to achieve fame and fortune in the arts, in athletics, politics, the military, sciences and academia. (See sidebar below for a partial list of famous alumni.)
Fulford said other possible events include a concert featuring famous alumni musicians and a speakers’ series of alumni authors. “Many of those will be added throughout the year,” he said.
Current students, Fulford said, have also been working on related projects to make the school a sort of living museum, incorporating historical photos and other ephemera. The plan is to build a 16-foot by 4-foot collage of old images that will be on display in the school’s foyer.
Of course, no celebration of a 100-year old building and 150 years worth of learning would be complete without a time capsule.
When “New East” was built 100 years ago, a time capsule was installed behind the cornerstone of the building. Retrieving it sounds a little tricky. As Fulford put it, “We’re not going to blast a hole through the building, but we will have to knock through a wall to access [the time capsule] without doing any damage.”
No one knows what’s in the time capsule, but whatever is there, hopefully after 100 years it’s in pretty good shape, he said.
The plan is to open it, inspect it, and then add some new stuff, circa 2025. That might include a cell phone, a new yearbook and photos that reflect high school in the 21st century. The time capsule will then be returned to its resting spot, for future generations to discover.
Note: The East High School 150th anniversary organizing committee wants you! The committee is trying to reach as many alumni as possible to get the word out about the sesquicentennial and is also in the process of collecting personal memories about the school. Connect and sign up for updates at tinyurl.com/EHS150.
A Few Famous East Angels*
• Songstress Judy Collins
• Jazz great Bill Frisell
• Earth, Wind & Fire’s Carl Caldwell, Philip Bailey and Larry Dunn
• “Father of Nano-electronics” Physicist Robert T. Bate
• Beat Generation icon Neal Cassady
• First Lady Mamie Eisenhower
• Astronaut Jack Swigert
• Broadway star Antoinette Perry (for whom the Tony Awards are named)
• Miss America Marilyn Van Derbur
• Actors Ward Bond, Don Cheadle, Pam Grier, Harold Lloyd, Hattie McDaniel, T.J. Miller, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
* A partial list of notorious East alumi. Check back in the months ahead for additional coverage of East at 150.