The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon.
The Fullerton College web site contains digital archives of the Weekly Torch (now called The Hornet), Fullerton College’s newspaper, stretching all the way back to 1923. As part of my research into local history, I’ve begun going through these archives, year-by-year, because newspapers are information-rich sources of local history. Below are some articles and ads from the years 1926-1928, with a bit context…
Betty Miller is Tunnel Heroine
This story tells of a group of students who got stuck in the tunnels under Fullerton High School/Fullerton College, and were ultimately rescued. Fullerton Observer columnist Emerson Little did a great story on the tunnels last year.
Here is the full text of the article:
To the bravery, persistence, and lung power of Miss Betty Miller, active member of the J. C. student body is attributed the rescue of twelve students of this college from a horrible death in the subterranean passage beneath the campus last Monday evening. The other members of the party were Anita Stone, Anne Allen, Lillian Hezmalhalch, Betty Berkey, Robert Rundstrum, Clifford Taber, Afton Reinert, and Lee O’Kelly.
At 7:22 Monday evening, Mr. Neal Harlow, returning on an errand to the engine room, was startled to hear blood-curdling screams issuing from the direction of the underground tunnel that leads from the engine room and circles for two miles in the earth beneath the J C.campus. Supposing from the nature of the screams that some animal had lost itself in the passage, he quickly opened the door and whistled.
The screams continued, and after listening for a few seconds, Mr. Harlow was horrified to distinguish something that sounded like “’help.” Realizing that humans were trapped within the tunnel, he hastily formed a searching party, and a thrilling man hunt was launched. The increasing volume of the scream assured the party that it was on the right track as it pressed further into the narrow, dark subterranean hallway.
After fifteen and two-thirds minutes the searchers came upon the unfortunate students huddled, exhausted on the floor of the tunnel, their clothing torn, faces scratched, and hair disheveled, a a result of their long struggle to escape. The valiant Betty Miller was the only one whose lungs were still active.
She leaned against the wall, her hand clutching her side in her now famous manner, screaming persistently.
As the rescuers appeared, she gave one last scream, and fell at their feet in hysterics. The other members were so over-come that they were unable to give coherent accounts of the near-tragedy.
“Without Betty, we should have been lost,” exclaimed Lee O’Kelly, hysterically drying his eyes. “This is the last clean handkerchief I have with me”, he exclaimed tearfully.
At that moment Robert Rundstrum revived from a faint to beg for a comb, explaining mournfully that he had used his in a vain attempt to dig an opening in the top of the tunnel. “And now it’s all filled with dirt,” he added. Mr. Rundstrom this proved himself the hero of the day.
An application is being made for a Carnegie medal to be presented to Miss Miller.
Programs and Films at the Mission Court [later called Fox] Theater
Chapman’s Alician Court Theater was built in 1925 by C. Stanley Chapman, son of Fullerton’s first mayor Charles C. Chapman, and it went through many name changes over the years, including the Mission Court Theater, before it became the Fox Theater, which is currently being restored by the Fox Theater Foundation. This new Hollywood style movie palace was a popular spot for college kids, and so the theater advertised in the local college newspaper. This is a cool window into when theaters like this included both motion pictures and live vaudeville shows.
Ten years since World War I
The Scorcher
The Torch put out an annual satirical issue called The Scorcher or The Weekly Scorch.
Fullerton J.C. Has Beautiful Library
$200,000 Vote Cast for H.S. Auditorium
Funding was secured for the building of the High School Auditorium, which in the 1960s was called Plummer Auditorium. In 2020, the “Plummer” name was removed due to Louis Plummer’s alleged association with the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, when there was a large and active local KKK.
It wasn’t until 1935 that Fullerton College began to get its own campus. Prior to this, it shared a campus with Fullerton Union High School.
Fifty-Five in Graduating Class
The graduating class of Fullerton Junior College in 1927 was 55 students.
Americanization Department in Novel Program
In the 1920s and early 30s, there was an “Americanization” program, which involved sending local teachers into the segregated Mexican work camps around town.
Fun local advertisements…
The Chapman-Wicket Co. was a department store on the ground floor of the Chapman Building, which was co-owned by Charles C. Chapman.
The Sanitary Laundry was located where the Magoski Arts Colony used to be located on Santa Fe.
Dan O’Hanlon was a local businessman who had a cross burned on his front lawn by the Ku Klux Klan because he spoke out during a 1924 Klan rally at Amerige Park.
Fullerton History 
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