In 1992, some members of the class of ‘56 met at the Nut Tree Restaurant in Vacaville, to discuss forming an Alumni group.
In June of 1993 the first informal meeting was held at the home of Jan Taylor. In attendance, were Jan Taylor, Donna Davis, John "Jack" Adams, Vi Lederer, Miss Frances King, Jerry Ponciano and George Otterson. During that summer and fall these folks were very busy obtaining class lists from 1921 to 1993. They got together at Miss King's house to make up trail-mix, package and sell it to shoppers in front of local businesses. They sold hot-dogs at local high school games. This was their means of raising funds.
They sent out letters for alumni and associate memberships, held meetings every month and selected officers and a logo.
On October 14, 1993, this group had gathered 32 Willows Alumni to speak to students on career day. October 15th was tail-gate party and Homecoming football game, the 16th was Monte Carlo Night, a fund-raising event.
December 1, 1993, is the date of the first recorded W.A.A. minutes at a board meeting. The W.A.A. Constitution and By-Laws were drawn up, non-profit status was achieved, a P.O. Box and bank account acquired.
Using the funds raised, we first began to help reconstruct the WHS music program with our first instrument purchase, a chorale keyboard.
Since its inception, W.A.A. has done numerous and varied things to assist Willows schools. Some of those activities are as follows: purchased instruments for the band, provided annual funds for instrument repair, donated funding for band uniforms, risers for the chorus, chairs for band members, and trophy cases for the gym to display sports trophies.
W.A.A. sponsor two yearly scholarships:
The Jerry
Vader-Ponciano
Scholarship
A $1,000.00 per recipient
scholarship designed to assist WHS band, choir or drama
students continue their education.
The Frances King
Scholarship
A $2,000.00 total award
scholarship designed to assist two students who have
completed their teaching credential studies at the
University of California Chico and are completing their
student teaching year.
In an effort to assist our current teachers in the Willows
Unified School District, each year we ask the teachers for
their "wish list" of class items needed to assist their
students. We grant an amount reflecting membership funding
available. One year we bought cameras for each school to
record their special events. In other years we’ve been able
to help supply classrooms with accelerated reading
materials.
The WAA sponsored a reunion of all alumni from the year of
1920 through the 1930s. Later, they assisted the decade
alumnus of the 1940s. Last year they helped with the years
of 1950 thru 1959.
