The five people who served on the first board of trustees for the Yosemite Union High School District speak today of the honor it was and they speak of the quality of their peers on that board. They also recall hours and hours of hard work and the dedication that was required to help establish a new school district.

     The board was initially appointed by Madera County Superintendent of Schools Norman Gould in October of 1973 and then ran for election in June of 1974. The original five were elected and, through a drawing of lots among themselves, decided who would serve two years and who would serve four years so the terms would be staggered.

     The original board included Harry Baker, Jr. from Oakhurst; Russel Clutter, Bass Lake; Regina Harlow (now Regina Harlow Taber), Raymond; Fritz Konklin, Coarsegold and Herman Neufeld, Ahwahnee.

     Baker was elected president of the board and was quoted in the Sierra Star at that time as saying "Election as president by the other board members is the nicest compliment and honor ever paid to me."

     The board started with nothing: "We had no place to meet, no paper and no pencils," Mr. Baker said. Mr. Konklin also recalled that they had nothing, he said the district had to borrow money from the county office of education even to buy postage stamps.

     Board members were selected for the expertise they could bring to the new district. Mr. Neufeld said he was selected because of his experience with construction as a member of the Madera County Board of Supervisors and Mr. Konklin said it was his experience on an elementary school board and his knowledge of state government that made him valuable to the district.

     Mr. Clutter said he was in the building trade and that was valuable knowledge since the board would be responsible for building the new facility. Ms. Harlow Taber had also been on an elementary school board and Mr. Baker had served on the Sierra High School Board, as well as being in the forefront of the effort to establish the new district.

     The board members speak of the pride they felt, and still feel, in what they accomplished. "It was one of the proudest accomplishments of my life; I felt like I was giving something back," commented Ms. Harlow Taber recently. She said she has "a wondrous pride that I was part of starting it."

     She recalls she was so proud of the effort that when she and her husband received money as a wedding gift, she commissioned an artist to do a painting of the campus. Mr. Neufeld said he had "a lot of pride in helping start the school. I was so glad to see it become a reality and make our community complete."

          Mr. Clutter called the experience "quite an honor, very interesting and challenging."

     The board members continue to have a great deal of respect for each other and for the work that they all put into the new district. Mr. Konklin said it was "one of the finest boards that could be put together" and Ms. Harlow Taber said it was a very compatible board. Mr. Clutter said the board "was good to work with." Mr. Neufeld described it as "a good board, an exceptional board, very dedicated."

     That original board had to deal with many things: Bonds, buildings, architects, bond salesmen, banks, staff selection, educational philosophy and selecting the administrators.

     Ms. Harlow Taber said selecting the superintendent was one of the most difficult things the board did. She said they had agreed that it would have to be a unanimous decision and after they decided to hire Kenneth Savage "we all stood behind the decision 100 percent." Mr. Konklin says the district was very fortunate to have had Mr. Savage in those early years because he was so knowledgeable about construction and he was at the campus all the time. He also has a lot of praise for Mr. Gould, who, he says, helped the new district in every way he could.

     Mr. Konklin also recalls the fine staff that was put together for the new district. He said all of the staff members were devoted to the task and they were "the cream of the crop."

     The new board faced many challenges other than beginning a new district. There was community criticism because of the innovative style of architecture and the educational philosophy when the school started. Mr. Konklin said one of the biggest shocks for the community was having all of the high school students in town during the day. That had never been the case before, since the students had gone to Sierra High prior to the new campus being built. Despite the hard work, the difficult times and the stress involved with their job, the members of that original board are unanimous in their feeling that the high school was worth it all. Ms. Harlow Taber sums it up this way: "It was a long struggle and it was wonderful to see it completed."

     Many people involved in the formation of the new district speak with gratitude for the assistance they received from Madera County Superintendent of Schools Norman Gould. He recently recalled those days and the work that went into the formation of that new district.

     Mr. Gould said he worked hard to help people understand the need to form a new district and then he helped in every way he could. "It wasn't easy," he said.

     He said he is pleased with what Yosemite High has become. "I'm proud to see Yosemite High turn into what it's turned into," he noted. Thinking about the successful effort, Mr. Gould said these things never work unless local people want it. "Therein lies the success," he said. Mr. Gould was county superintendent of schools for 24 years from 1962 to 1986.