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Historic WWII Era High SchoolYearbookfrom the Worldwide Collectibles Specialists atSaturday\'sToys
Presenting an original issue of the 1949\"Surveyor\" Yearbook of George Washington High School in SanFrancisco, California.
Owner of this yearbook,AlbertLunardi wasenrolled at George Washington High School in San Francisco asthe nationemerged from WWII.
The school overlooked the famed Golden Gate Bridge and waslocated adjacent to The Presidio of San Francisco (now home to the Walt DisneyFamily Museum). In more recent years, George Washington High Schoolbecame a subject of controversy when the historic New Deal mural by VictorArnautoff, depicting the \"Life of George Washington\", wasslatedfor demolition by the local school board. Fortunately, more reasonedminds prevailed and these important works of art were preserved so as to allowfuture generations to study these depictions and inform their livesaccordingly.
The son of Italian immigrants Oreste and Maria Lunardi, Albert\'solder brother, Rico Lunardi (1924-1944), had joined the Army and servedwith the allied forces on D-Dayin the liberation of France. In thevaliant quest to save the free world, Rico died along with 6,000 Americanmenduring those battles at Normandy. In the same year in which thisyearbook was published, Albert\'s older brother, Ernest, also died during hisown term of military service. As the family\'s youngest son, upongraduation, Albert then took his place in the armed forces andservedhonorably. Albertreturned home from his term of servicetobecome a respected part of his California community in the decades to follow.
The yearbook notes that on October 21, 1948, the familiesof fifty-seven boyswho were lost during WWII, all graduates ofWashington, gathered to pay honor to their loved ones in dedicating a new\"Memorial Clock\" that was prominently displayed in the schoolhallway. The permanent service record of the men who were killed,including rank and place of service, was sealed within the clock.
Filled with period advertisements, photographs, andsignatures of fellow students, the 1949 \"Surveyor\" is a perfect timecapsule from a significant chapter in American history.
Binding is tight and the yearbook illustrates thetransitions underway in California and the United States as the nation\'s youngpeople prepared to begin a new decade: the 1950\'s.
