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 [also called the Jaysee Torch], Fullerton College’s newspaper, stretching all the way back to 1923–when the college shared grounds with Fullerton High School.…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. The following is an excerpt from an interview for the Fullerton Community History Project with former Fullerton resident Margaret O’Hanlon. The interview was conducted and recorded by Anne Riley in 1971. Margaret’s husband, Dan O’Hanlon,…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Ernest Gregory was born in 1881 in Chesterfield County, Virginia and raised on a  farm. At age 19 he moved to Fullerton, where he learned carpentry with contractor C.H. Smith. He also studied at Throop Polytechnic…

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, Fullerton College’s newspaper, stretching all the way back to 1923–when the college shared grounds with Fullerton High School. As part of my research…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. “If the details of the life of Tom Pappas, proprietor of the Chateau Thierry cafe and confectionery, at 116 N. Spadra Street [now Harbor Blvd.], Fullerton, were written, it would make as interesting reading as a tale…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. When I attended Fullerton Union High School, I remember hearing that former president Richard Nixon had attended my school. I never thought about it much since then, but as I’ve been researching the history of…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. The Local History Room of the Fullerton Public Library has microfilm from the Fullerton Tribune newspaper stretching back to 1893. I am in the process of reading over the microfilm, year by year, to get…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Attitudes toward war have changed over the years in Fullerton. During World War I and II, people organized parades honoring returning soldiers. However, during the Vietnam War, people voiced their dissent. Demonstrations at Cal State…

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon. Earl D. Gage was born in Nemaha County,  Kansas. As a young man he worked on his family’s corn farm. In 1890, he moved out west to the newly-established town of Fullerton, and worked in…

This Friday, February 3, I’ll be giving a free lecture on the topic of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, who lived in Fullerton and Santa Ana in the last years of his life. Some of his most acclaimed works–including A Scanner Darkly and VALIS–are set in Orange County. The lecture will take place at…