The 1940s - The War Years

 · On February 19, 1942, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 to prevent espionage on American shores.

· Military zones were created in California, Washington, and Oregon – states with a large population of Japanese Americans.

· In March of 1941, Luke Air Force Base was built and it became very significant in training and developing the flyers and aircraft used in WWII.

· The building of Luke Air Force Base and the bombing of Pearl Harbor created a change in the population of Peoria High School. Because there was a fear of something happening at Luke, all people of Japanese ancestry had to go to schools north of Grand Avenue. As a result, the population of PHS grew to over 30 Japanese Americans who could no longer go to Glendale High School, because it was south of Grand Avenue.

· In July of 1942 Executive Order 9066 began the relocation of Americans of Japanese ancestry to internment centers. There were two such centers in Arizona, both on Indian Reservations. One center was in Poston near Parker and the other was on the Gila River Reservation near Phoenix.

· One of the families that were moved to the Poston sight near Parker was the family of Ray Mitokawa. They lost their farm near Glendale and with only the belongings they could carry, they went off to the camp at Poston.

· After the war, Ray Mitokawa came back and graduated from Glendale High School. He went on and graduated from the ASU, and became a teacher at Peoria High School. At Peoria High School he was a teacher, administrator, and head football coach from 1954 – 1975.

· In December 1944, the Executive Order was suspended and everyone was released from the camps. In 1982, under President Carter, an apology and redress payments of $20,000 were given out to survivors by the U.S. government.

Draft and Deaths

· The draft and conscription act of 1940 had a huge effect on the community and the school. Parents who were in the military were called into active service. Also, as a result of the draft, teachers were forced to leave and go serve as were students who were drafted when they reached the age of 18. Some students chose to volunteer and leave school. 

· The 1945 yearbook had two pages dedicated to those students that had lost their lives in the war. These are the students that gave their lives for the cause of freedom: 

Chester Austerman

Alden Harris

Bill Ijams

Clyde McFredricks 

Carl Thruman

New Classes

Peoria High School created some classes that were innovative at the time and came as a response to the war. A radio class was introduced where students tore down and built their own radios. Remember, radios were one of the most important ways to get the news. Also, the school added an aeronautics class where kids learned the structures of planes, the dynamics of flying, and the maintaining of airplanes.