school year featured a four

5 The Booming ‘50s

By Olivia Kim

The Loma Linda Mirror Newspaper staff kicked off the 1950s with a huge campaign, as shown in the ‘50-’51 I9 issue on the front page. The entire school was split into two teams, the “Midgets” and the “Giants.” The high school student body was designated to each team depending on their height, with short boys and girls on the “Midgets” team and tall boys and girls on the “Giants” team. Each group competed against each other to see who could sell the most subscriptions of the Mirror in one month, with the goal being to sell 1,000 subscriptions total.

Later in the decade, in the ‘56-’57 I9 issue on page 6, the senior class of 1957 wrote their last will and testament in the Mirror before they graduated and went off to walk down their own paths. Seniors addressed the junior class giving last testaments before they became the next senior class. Then the senior class’ will for the underclassmen at Loma Linda Academy was listed. The wills ranged from a senior bequeathing their front row chapel seat to their younger sister, to a senior passing down their ability to always get caught chewing gum in class to an underclassman. It was a humorous and memorable way for the seniors to show off their quirks and things by which they will be remembered.

As the ‘50s came to a close, the Mirror published their ‘59-‘60 I4 issue with a thoughtful article on page 2. Elder Paul Eldridge, a speaker of the Japanese Voice of Prophecy, came to Loma Linda Academy with an important message for the high schoolers. He pointed out that Americans often have narrowed attitudes concerning foreigners, and that it is important for them to learn how to educate themselves on foreign traditions and respect their culture.

Photo: The LLA senior class of ‘57 arranged by the ‘56-’57 Mirror staff.

6 The 1960s By Natalia Rojas

The sixties is a time of social upheaval including Civil Rights protests, the Vietnam war, and the first man on the moon. Although many of our Mirror issues are lost from this decade, the few that we have display the interesting moments of the sixties at LLA and throughout the world.

For only one dollar a year, you could subscribe to the Mirror and get it delivered to your house. One dollar sounds like a good deal now, but inflation has made the

dollar worth far less than before. To fund this program, the Mirror had advertisements throughout the pages. The advertisements ranged anywhere from local barbershops to vegetarian meat.

Back then, there were some compelling segments such as: “Can You Imagine…” (‘59-’60 I5), “Robert’s Recollections on His Noon Meal” (‘59-’60 I4), “Ask Peaches” (‘66-’67 I2), and “Says the Editor” (‘60-’61 I2). At the time, the newspaper was shared with the junior

and elementary school. The Mirror was LLA’s history book for many years.

When the class of 1962 graduated, they left their “wills” in the newspaper for remembrance (‘61-’62 I8). They even had a senior ditch day (‘61- ’62 I8). Also identified in the Mirror was a streak of teenagers who drew caricatures resembling Fidel Castro on the LLA Library’s magazines. It was truly a different time.

In 1961, students raised money by selling light bulbs to get lockers for the shower rooms (‘61-’62 I2). The boys received their locker room in April of 1962 (‘61-’62 I7). The ASB (now SA) purchased a polaroid camera (‘62-’63 I4) The name change from ASB to SA occurred sometime in the early sixties as well. They also got a darkroom, which was a big deal at the time when film photography was proliferating ‘65-’66 I8). In 1966, LLA began their 50th year (‘66-’67 I1).

The sixties was an interesting decade full of rich history here at LLA.