The Pillars of Peoria High School

· Melvin Huber began as an agriculture teacher at Peoria High School in 1950.

· In 1956 Mr. Huber became the principal of Peoria High School.

· When you went to Peoria High School during Mr. Huber’s tenure, you knew that there were going to be guidelines of good conduct and that they were going to be enforced. He was an ex-marine and discipline was important for him.

· There was a dress code for both girls and boys that were strict and when broken there were consequences.

· Kids didn’t question the rules because they knew that Mr. Huber would impartially enforce them and that he cared about each student.

· Peoria was a small school but with a great deal of tradition, and students looked forward to attending school each day because of the feeling tone and the staff.

· During Mr. Huber’s time, PHS cultivated its great traditions such as the School Carnival, Homecoming, Field Day, and Freshmen Initiation.

· Teachers weren’t paid a great deal of money and facilities at the time weren’t the greatest, yet he assembled a great staff.

· One of the things that made him a pillar of the community and school was the loyalty that the staff had for him. Teachers and staff like Ray Mitokawa, Naomi Williamson, Mary Howe, Phil Liggett, Bill Martin, Barry Arney, Bob Johnson, Bob White, Ray Kiel, Wilma McDonald, and others had other opportunities but remained at the school as a solid core. They loved their jobs and Mr. Huber responded with a great deal of loyalty and support for them.

· Melvin Huber provided a sense of stability to Peoria High School during the ‘50s and ’60s and led it to become a great school.

· Mr. Huber taught students to respect their elders and they learned to address their teachers and older people with Mr. and Mrs. Many who graduated from there still address their teachers with Mr. or Mrs. and not by their first names.

· He taught students to be good human beings. It didn’t matter to him whether they were rich or poor he treated everyone the same. He cared for and loved all students and tried to get the most out of their potential.

· During times of crisis, he solved problems. He dealt with the overcrowding during the Sun City problem of the 1960s.

· When there was no other solution he was instrumental in getting Sun City out of the Peoria School District so that the district could finally pass bond elections.

· In 1974 Melvin Huber was appointed as the superintendent of the Peoria Unified School District.

· In 1978 Mr. Huber became the principal at Cactus High School, citing that he felt that he was most effective when he was with kids. Mr. Huber knew his calling was with helping students and not dealing with politics.

· From Cactus High School Mr. Huber retired to his home in Cottonwood, where he passed away in 2018.

· President Franklin Roosevelt passed Executive Order 9066 in 1942. This policy isolated people of Japanese descent in relocation camps, whether they were Americans or not.

· Ray Mitokawa was a child of Japanese descent, but an American never the less. He was placed in a camp located in Parker, Arizona during WW II.

· You would think that this would make you a person full of resentment, but that was not Mr. Mitokawa. He was patriotic and loved his country despite what had occurred to him and his family.

· As a side note, Japanese students not sent to camps had to go to schools in designated areas. Those for example south of Grand Avenue had to go to schools north of Grand Avenue. This is why many Japanese students ended up at PHS during the 1940s.

· Ray Mitokawa came to Peoria High School in 1954 as a U.S. History teacher and football coach.

· Mr. Mitokawa never missed a day and was always there when a student or teacher needed assistance. It was common for Mr. Mitokawa to give students lunch money if they were in need. It was also common for him to help teachers.

· Mr. Mitokawa’s biggest influence on PHS was in the area of athletics. It wasn’t in the area of winning or losing, even though he was very successful as a head football coach.

· Ray Mitokawa was a role model for coaches at the school. He taught them to be professionals.

· In today's world coaching has become less than about the athlete and the game itself and more, about recruitment and, winning at all costs. Not in Ray Mitokawa’s world. Coaching was a profession to Ray. When you coached it was without animosity toward others. With Ray, you went out to eat with your opponents at the Wineburger or some other local restaurant after the games. You traded films with everyone and when you came to play and coach on Friday you dressed in a white shirt and tie. YOU were a professional.

· The other thing Ray taught coaches was to support other programs in the school. He went to plays, he went to basketball games, he sponsored clubs and he was always there to help.

· As an athletic director, Ray Mitokawa made everyone and every team better, that was Ray Mitokawa. When he came to PHS there were many new coaches every year, but he added stability that kept coaches at the school and athletics prospered.

· The worst thing he ever did was get out of coaching and become an administrator. He often said that himself. He was there for the kids and that was his calling.

· Ray Mitokawa is a member of the Arizona Coaches Association Hall of Fame. His final record was 134 – 63 – 10. 

· People who knew and coached with Ray Mitokawa were better people for having done so and PHS became a better place to be and coach with Ray Mitokawa.