The Original Trojans
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The Uni campus in summer 1970 looking south from University Park. The original Turtle Rock development is upper left; undeveloped U.C. Irvine property is upper right. University Drive runs across the bottom. Construction of the distinctive donut-shaped Office (100) building was not yet started.
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The Uni campus in summer 1970 looking southwest along Campus Drive from the future Turtle Rock development. U.C. Irvine campus is visible in the distance. The street running left-to-right is Culver Drive.
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The Uni campus in summer 1970 looking north along Culver Driver (at left) from the Turtle Rock development, visible at lower right. University Park is the major development in the upper center. The newly opened Interstate 405 Freeway is also visible. In the distance are the huge Navy blimp hangars of MCAS(H) Tustin, a Marine Corps helicopter base known locally as LTA (lighter-than-air) during the Vietnam War era.
Teri Wintercorn Sorey created this invaluable locator chart (see previous photo) of Irvine.
Campus Drive in 1970, looking west from Culver Drive toward U.C. Irvine. Like all streets in Irvine, Campus Drive started out as one lane in each direction, and was then widened as more neighborhoods were built.
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Campus construction, summer 1970, looking east from roughly the future entrance to the gymnasium. Saddleback is faintly visible at left. The 200 building is at right and the 400 (auto shop) building is at left. The 500 building is far left.
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Campus construction, summer 1970, looking southeast from roughly the future entrance to the gymnasium. The 200 building is in the middle. and the original Turtle Rock development is just visible at right.
Summer 1970: Construction workers at a restroom building.
Summer 1970: Looking from the patio of the 300 building toward the 200 building (visible in the background).
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Unidentified classroom building.
Classroom building, possibly the 500 building, looking toward its patio.
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Arriving for Day 1 on the Irvine campus, January 4, 1971.
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Day 1: No cafeteria facilities available, so freshman Stan Sircello (center) and other students gathered for lunch at a food truck near the 200 building in January 4, 1971. The signature donut-shaped 100 building, which included the offices and cafeteria, was the last major original structure completed.
The campus dedication ceremony is about the begin, January 4, 1971. Very little landscaping was ready. Vacant Irvine Co. land is across the street, and U.C. Irvine buildings can be seen in the distance to the right of the incomplete Physical Education building.
Campus dedication ceremony, January 4, 1971. The Tustin Union High School District board refused to attend, so the district was represented by the superintendant and some staff members. University High School was represented by Herm Schmidt, the interim principal.
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Campus dedication ceremony, January 4, 1971. A large wooden school seal is unveiled, hand-carved by Kathy Jackson’s father.
Campus dedication ceremony, January 4, 1971. Interim principal Herm Schmidt is speaking.
Campus dedication ceremony, January 4, 1971, looking northeast from roughly the rear of the Music building. University Park in the distance, and at left a car can be seen traveling on University Drive.
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Campus dedication ceremony on January 4, 1971. Visible at right are the partially completed 500 building, Saddleback, and Turtle Rock (the actual rock). At far left in the distance is the Village 3 development of University Park.
Campus dedication ceremony on January 4, 1971. The incomplete Physical Education building is in the background. The photographer at far left is freshman Reggie Thomson of the Univine student newspaper staff.
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Day 1: Students, possibly in the newly opened 200 building patio. January 4, 1971.
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Day 1: Students, possibly in the newly opened 500 building patio. January 4, 1971.
Day 1: Students lining up to get classroom assignments and new student ID cards. January 4, 1971.
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The end of Day 1 in the main parking lot, January 4, 1971. Tustin Union High School District bused Uni students from as far as Tustin Meadows, LTA and MCAS El Toro, the Marine Corps air base now known as the Great Park. Irvine Ranch students had meandering bus routes through orange groves and bean fields that lasted up to an hour. In the distance is Saddleback (Modjeska and Santiago Peaks), with touches of snow.
January 1971: Without a gymnasium for school assemblies, they were held outdoors — even on a blustery winter day. The venue was usually the concrete stairs leading to the back of the Physical Education building. This was the first assembly held by the student government. Faith Shultz is seated at left and Bob Davis is speaking.
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Assemblies were held al fresco until the gymnasium was completed in spring 1971. This was the audience for first assembly held by the student government, in January 1971, and the asphalt basketball courts were the grandstands.
University High School as completed, spring 1971. From left are the Music building, the 500 building and a small portion of the 200 building. The resemblance to Mission Viejo High School (built five years earlier) was not a coincidence: The sprawling Tustin Union High School District, knowing that it was about to be split into pieces by the voters, simply recycled its MVHS blueprints — minus some earthquake reinforcement and amenities.
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The new campus as completed, spring 1971.
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The 500 building on the new campus as completed, spring 1971.
1971: Don Castle Memorial Park, installed near the 200 building by the class of 1972. Decades later, the boulder and park were removed and the plaque placed into storage. Don Castle was Uni’s first principal; he died in late November 1970, six weeks before the campus opened. He was widely respected by both students and faculty, and more than 50 years later, alumni still talk about his enlightened administration and faculty recruiting.
This site maintained (but no longer updated) by Walter Baranger (’74)
Updated 27-Sep-2023