The ‘Atomic Loop’ kept Sequoia High School teens in shape

The course was the work of Frank Griffin, who became a Sequoia teacher in 1921, a year after the state imposed mandatory physical education requirements. The course resembled a military training challenge, like something out of the commandos. It was no mere coincidence that it looked military. Griffin made 67 visits to armed forces training camps during World War II and came away disappointed in the physical condition of many recruits. His thoughts are noted in a 1942 state publication dealing with the war effort in secondary schools.

“A national diet of hamburger and ‘coke’ has produced a reasonably well-filled, but not well fed, youth with the resultant lack of stamina,” Griffin warned. He said tests at Army camps showed even athletes were “weak in the arms and shoulders.”

One newspaper reported that during the war Griffin received nearly 300 letters from former Sequoia students who thanked him for getting them in good shape, which gave them a jump on other recruits. Some Griffin students fought in the Korean War. Gene Firpo, who served in Vietnam, said his Army basic training was “a piece of cake” compared to what he went through at the Sequoia course, which was torn down in 1960 to make way for a gym.

The physical ed program drew praise from Al Cerruti, class of 1953, who said students were tested once or twice a year on “a whole list of physical things, like push-ups, sit-ups, swimming and shuttle run.” He added that “people came from all over the country to watch our program.”

Griffin was named to the school Hall of Fame with a citation that said he started a PE program “that brought national acclaim to Sequoia over many decades and spawned hundreds of disciples in secondary schools throughout the U.S.”

What about the girls’ program? The girls had to go to PE classes taught by a “Miss Olds,” described by one students as “very tough.” The female students played tennis, softball, volleyball, basketball and field hockey. All students, boys and girls, had to know how to swim.

Griffin Field in Redwood City is named for the acclaimed teacher who was PE director at the high school from 1922 to 1960 when he retired and died shortly after. Surprisingly, he was a high school dropout. He left Sequoia before graduation because of a dispute with an English teacher. An old newspaper article said he was kicked out after telling a teacher to “go to an area of higher temperature.” Griffin went on to Stanford where he maintained a B average. The newspaper story said he was hired by the same principal who had suspended him. He received his Sequoia diploma after he joined the staff at the high school.

Little is known about Griffin’s personal life. Apparently a bachelor, Griffin traveled a great deal and frequently wrote newspaper columns about his journeys. Among other places, he visited China, Egypt, the Arctic Circle and the equator — proudly wearing his block “S” school sweater.

Griffin was also famous for his sayings, including this one: “Three things a boy must learn: swimming, to save a life; boxing, to defend himself; and typing.”

The Rear View Mirror by history columnist Jim Clifford appears in the Daily Journal every other Monday. Objects in The Mirror are closer than they appear.