I came across these photographs of a public hearing with parents, students, teachers and community leaders who were gathered to talk about the introduction of sex education at Van Nuys High School in the summer of 1959.
The photos were taken by a photographer for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and featured in stories about these meetings.
Men in suits, women in tailored skirts, dresses, and jackets, and young men and women smiling, conversing, socializing all under civilized and orderly processes.
Educators were trusted, parents were thought to know better than youngsters. All of this would be overturned in the coming decade.
This was the America we all knew back then, the America that showed the world what democratic debate and public behavior was all about. This was a gathering to talk, listen and expound upon the proper educational methods for the teaching of human reproduction.
Look at it, think of our current lunacy, and weep.
Title Teacher hearing on sex instruction at Van Nuys school, 1959
2 images. Teacher hearing on sex instruction at Van Nuys school, 28 July 1959. Charles H. Bobby; John Fox; Lowell McGinnis; Diane Asness — 16 years; Cecil M. Cook (teacher); Clair Eberhard; Bonnie Gottleib — 16 years.; Caption slip reads: “Photographer: Snow. Date: 1959-07-28. Reporter: Slates. ASsignment: Teacher hearing. 3-4: L/R Diane Asness, 16; Cecil M. Cook; Clair Eberhard; Bonnie Gottlieb, 16. 51-52: L/R Charles H. Bobby; John G. Fox; Lowell McGinnis”.
It was “230 square miles encircled by mountains and roofed by a blue sky.”
Its 800,000 residents were more populous than Boston or San Francisco and its land size equaled the city of Chicago.
It was famous for “its distinctive way of life” a “perpetual exhibit of Modern Suburbia at its brightest and biggest. Valley people live outdoors with patios, swimming pools and gardens all year through. They wear sports clothes and drive sports cars.”
Vigorous Valley Hub, Page 2
So exclaimed the Los Angeles Times on December 13, 1959 in breathless prose accompanied by an aerial illustration of the Valley Municipal Building surrounded by open parking lots and flat topped office buildings floating in a sea of spaciousness.
And Valley industries were tops, in the forefront of electronic, missile and space age developments. PhDs were hired by the thousands, and the Van Nuys Chamber of Commerce sponsored more than 239 courses for upgrading personnel including 60 UCLA classes taught right here in the San Fernando Valley.
The Air Force and the US Government loved the spaciousness of the valley and its highly educated workforce and spent over 1/3 of ballistic missile budget dollars here.
90% of all filmed television was produced at such studios as Warner Brothers, and Disney in Burbank; Universal in Universal City and Republic Studios in Studio City.
And to make sure the success, the glittering, shining, prosperous times continued, efficient government services were necessary.
In 1959, a $7 million dollar streamlining of the Valley Administrative Center in Van Nuys, described as “second only to the Civic Center in downtown Los Angeles” began a sweeping, and comprehensive remodeling of the area by bulldozing hundreds of old bungalows and opening up a vast pedestrian mall which would one day be a glorious assemblage of courthouses, government offices, a new library, a new police station, and parking for tens of thousands of cars.
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If the luminaries, the citizens, the people of Van Nuys in 1959, could have only looked 60 years into the future, they would have been stunned by the enormous progress our town has made, truly a model of technological, architectural, social, cultural, and aesthetic achievement.
Today, a walk down Van Nuys Boulevard between Oxnard and Vanowen is fun, safe, entertaining, clean, delightful, a veritable model of city planning with great restaurants, wonderfully restored old buildings, friendly shops, and spotless sidewalks.
Councilwoman Nury “No Human Trafficking” Martinez keeps everyone on their toes, and should the police even hear of one intoxicated person nearby, they are immediately apprehended and taken into custody.
Our schools are wonderful, ranked first in the world, with the highest paid teachers in North America, and schoolchildren getting healthy exercise walking and biking to nearby classrooms. All students in Van Nuys are required to live near school so roads are not jammed with parents driving students to other districts.
Recent statistics show that only 1% of all children are obese; and diabetes, obesity, mental illness, marijuana and drug addictions are almost unknown in this healthiest of districts.
Mayor Airwick Garbageciti is adamant in keeping Van Nuys clean, lawfully prohibiting anyone from sleeping, camping, tenting, RVing on public property. Nobody disagrees because after all the public taxpayer pays for public property and expects it to be kept in tip-top condition.
Laws are faithfully obeyed, and drivers always obey speed limits, stop for red lights. And illegal dumping, a scourge of the third world, is never seen here.
A new law proposed by the City Council and supported by Mayor Garbageciti will require RHP (Registered Homeless Person) identity cards which will monitor people to make sure they report to 40 hour a week jobs cleaning parks and mowing lawns and working for $10 an hour to assist elderly residents who need house painting and yard maintenance.
We, in 2019, are rightly grateful for what our ancestors built here, and we vow to keep it as perfect as it is for many years to come.
“Screen star Nobu McCarthy, called the world’s most beautiful Japanese actress, will appear Saturday night at the Hold Motor Co. salesroom at 5230 VanNuysBlvd., VanNuys, at a gala festival honoring the Toyopet Crown Custom Sedan, compact luxury imported family automobile. Miss McCarthy has just finished making a film, ‘Five Gates to Hell,’ which will be released through 20th Century-Fox in September.”
When fighting smut, 58 years ago, it was required to first visit the hairdresser, put on a string of pearls, some earrings and dark lipstick, and select a nice dress with a flattering collar. Only then would your observational and judicial powers come alive to fight that moral blight which arrived in a plain brown envelope.
Source: Valley Times/ LAPL.
October 21, 1959 reads, “Officers of Sierra Cahuenga District Junior Clubwomen read reports by postal authorities on mail-order pornography problem in United States and pledge their organization to help fight ruthless racket. From left are Mmes. I. M. Kenoffel, district president; Edwin Flues, president of Van Nuys Alpha Juniors, and Paul H. Parker, district youth committee chairman.”
(Two of the women are incorrectly identified as “Edwin” and “Paul.)
“Photograph caption dated May 24, 1959 reads “Jack Shitlock, manager of Mr. L, VanNuys new women’s sportswear shop, welcomes Anne Cwerman as fashion coordinator. The shop, keyed for college and career women, is at 6505 VanNuys Blvd., VanNuys.”
There was a time in Los Angeles, many years ago, when young women had figures, and older men, with community support, hired them to present awards to “good driving” teenagers.
The Road-E-O Safe Driving Contest promoted safe rules of the road.
Strange to our modern eyes to see scantily dressed pretty girls handing out trophies for good driving.
Imagine, in 2016, the outcry if this type of event took place today.
“How come all the girls are white?”
“Are you trying to fat shame people who aren’t thin?”
“What about hot guys presenting hot awards?”
“Cars are evil. You shouldn’t be promoting driving. Biking and walking are better.”
“It’s creepy to see an old guy in a suit with a young girl. I read on Wikileaks that man cheated on his wife!”
But in 1959, when people still trusted government and business leaders, it was all for a good cause: to make the automobile indispensable to Los Angeles and to make sure the car was central to any and all activities of life, work and leisure.
Photograph caption dated May 27, 1959 reads, “Diane Olson, 16-year-old Junior Miss Sherman Oaks, presents Sherman Oaks Teenage “Road-E-O” winner’s trophy to Rick Mahn, VanNuys High School senior, while his sister Cynthia, 21 Miss Sherman Oaks, looks on. Mahn racked up the highest score ever recorded locally.”
Photograph caption dated May 28, 1959 reads, “Winners in Sunland-Tujunga Junior Chamber of Commerce Road-E-O safe driving contest proudly display trophies and certificates they won for their driving abilities. From left are Joseph McKeon, first; Doris Williams, second, and Melvin Kuznets, third.”
Photograph caption dated May 20, 1959 reads, “For Skill Driving – Del Moore, TV-Radio personality and Sherman Oaks resident, and Diane Olson, 16year-old Junior Miss Sherman Oaks, display trophy which will be presented to winner of Sherman Oaks Jaycee “Teenage Safe Driving Road-E-O” Saturday.”
Here in Van Nuys 
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