November 2024 - Gratitude
The GHS Museum would not exist without the generosity of its alumni, retirees, and staff and their support of our efforts to preserve, display, and celebrate our amazing Foothiller history.
Campus Murals
We are excited to announce that we are in the process of funding and designing two campus murals, one to celebrate our three astronauts:
Bill Anders, Class of 1951, Apollo 8 Astronaut and photographer of the iconic 1968 photograph “Earthrise”
Ellen Ochoa, Class of 1975, Space Shuttle Astronaut and past Johnson Space Center Director
Rick Sturckow, Class of 1978, Space Shuttle Astronaut and Flight Commander
We are also designing a second mural to honor two women who volunteered during WWII to be Women Air Force Service Pilots, women who flew airplanes from the West Coast to the East Coast from 1942-1944 (WASPs).
Jean Landis, Class of 1936
and Frances Coughlin, Class of 1938
(To learn more about the achievements of these 5 amazing Foothillers, visit our website at foothillermuseum.com and browse our Hall of Honor inductees.)
In 2014, we first met Jean. Jean was a woman whose joy of life affected all who knew her; we recently told her family that we felt like we had known Jean all our lives. Along with Ken Wilson, Class of 1972, whose father grew up with Jean in East County in the 1920s and 1930s, we recently attended Jean’s memorial service on Mt. Soledad where she is commemorated with a plaque.
When Jean died at the age of 104, she left the GHS Museum a generous donation in her estate. We plan to use this donation to help fund the two murals; however, we welcome donations of any amount to supplement Jean’s donation and to honor our three astronauts and our two WASPs.
To donate online, please visit our website home page at foothillermuseum.com or mail a check payable to GHS Educational Foundation to Connie and Lynn Baer, 5990 Avenorra Dr., La Mesa, CA 91942.
Ways to Support the GHS Educational Foundation
The GHS Educational Foundation supports it students and staff throughout the year in ways large and small through teacher mini-grants, monthly Star Student luncheons and awards, student scholarships, and more.
The GHS Foundation welcomes donations of any amount to help it continue those efforts. You may make an online general donation on its website at foothillerfoundation.com.
Or visit the Foundation’s website at foothillerfoundation.com to place an order for a commemorative campus tile in one of three sizes. The names of the more than 450 current Foothiller Founders, Foothiller Friends, and 100th Anniversary tile donors are displayed as well as photos of the tile displays on campus.
Other Ways to Support Us
We welcome donations to fund our Museum and Foundation websites, which celebrate countless aspects of Foothiller life, past and present; donate online on our home page or mail a check as directed above.
Other ways to support the museum are to purchase our memorabilia. Visit our Store pages at foothillermuseum.com and select a piece of our history, including commemorative holiday ornaments, vocal and instrumental music CDs, and football and school life DVDs, one of our books or booklets, or even a magnet. All of your purchases enable us to continue our efforts.
More Memorabilia Donors
The GHS Museum continues to receive amazing donations of memorabilia, too many to name here.
Recently, we received priceless treasures from Pat McCain Howes, Class of 1952, including her husband Roger’s, Class of 1950, FFA (Future Farmers of America) memorabilia including his FFA card; 5 FFA label pins (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 blue/gold; 2 stall signs for his steer at the San Diego County Fair, a photograph of Roger with his steer, and Roger’s blue corduroy jacket with California FFA and Grossmont FFA emblems. These are now displayed inside the Agriculture showcase, capturing a time gone by.
Grossmont had an agriculture program from its beginnings in 1920 until after 1955 when the program moved to El Cajon Valley High School. However, even after its move to ECVHS, Foothillers took FFA classes as evident by Foothiller Yvonne Baer Vellone’s, Class of 1975, FFA memorabilia including her corduroy navy blue jacket with its FFA emblem on it, which stands in front of the Agriculture showcase. Currently, the GUHSD’s Agriculture program is at El Capitan.
As many students have told us recently, it’s not the trophies as much as the personal memorabilia donated by alumni and staff that bring the displays to life: while the details of Foothiller lives have changed over the decades, the student and staff experiences remain basically the same. A truth vividly brought to life in the GHS Museum.
To see the names of more of our amazing donors over the years, visit our website’s Donor pages or visit the museum and see our wonderful displays in person.
Visit the GHS Museum
10-1: Saturday, December 7th (date change)
OR
Fridays by prior appointment when school is open; email us or call to schedule an appointment
Visit our website at foothillermuseum.com to learn more about GHS, past and present. Contact us at