‘Graduated at last’ - Pintos became the mascot basketball team at Old Aurora School in California in 1925

The mascot for the ball teams of the California R-1 School District became the “Pintos” in 1925. The 1926-1927 boys’ basketball team, pictured, were the first to wear the Pintos name on their jerseys. Front row, from left: Savanne Roth, Paul Zey, August Kiso, Hobart Sullen. Back row, from left: Norman Viveon, Adam Zey, Mitchell Tising and Coach R.R. Conrad. Conrad, a veteran of World War I, was also the school’s vocational agriculture teacher and the individual who first suggested the name Pintos for their mascot. Courtesy of Beverly Tising Meyer

Mascots represent a point of pride and school spirit for many educational institutions. For the California R-1 School District in Moniteau County, their mascot, the Pinto horse, can be traced back to a basketball team from the years prior to the Great Depression in addition to a school building and alumni association.

“Public school in California was conducted at two different locations in 1869,” wrote Dr. Larry Fletcher in his book “Moniteau County Schools History: 1810-1984. “One school operated in the east half of the brick schoolhouse (later named Humboldt School) with one teacher in charge while two teachers held public classes at the Old Baptist Church for six-month terms.”

In 1872, the “Old Aurora School” was constructed as a replacement for the Humboldt School. During the years that followed, the Humboldt School was used by African American students in the period prior to desegregation of the school districts that began in the mid-1950s.

It is believed that Aurora School received its name from Captain Charles M. Gordon, a Union veteran of the Civil War who worked as an attorney in California and served as the local school commissioner. Following discussion with the board of education regarding a name for the school, he suggested “Aurora,” because he believed it represented “The Dawn of Education.”

The Aurora Alumni Association, founded in 1990 by graduates of Aurora School, preserved a chronological history of the school district throughout the years. In their souvenir booklet from the 100th annual meeting of the alumni group in 1990, several articles highlight the continued growth of the district.

“1914: Three story high school building was built south of Aurora School building, with the gym, office and 11 classrooms,” the souvenir booklet noted. 

The Aurora School continued to serve the students living in the California area for the next few years. Then, in 1925, there began talk of choosing a mascot to represent the school’s spirit and pride.  R.R. Conrad, a vocational agriculture teacher at California High School, witnessed many occasions when it was discussed what the school’s mascot should be. After listening to various ideas that included a number of different animals, it was Conrad who received credit for naming the mascot.

“The California High School athletes were given the name ‘Pintos’ Tuesday,” explained the California Democrat on November 12, 1925. “Coach Carl H. Kuhn about two weeks ago asked the public to name his team and many good suggestions were made.” The article continued, “Those selecting the name were impressed with the one suggested by R.R. Conrad and this one was chosen. Hereafter the team will bear the name Pintos.”
         
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War I, R.R. Conrad joined the faculty of California High School in 1921, where he remained for the next 14 years. He resigned his position as an educator in 1935 to accept an appointment with the Soil Conservation Service during the height of the Great Depression.

Regardless of his departure to pursue other professional endeavors, he had left an enduring mark on the Pintos.
         
The California High School basketball team played their first game as Pintos on November 13, 1925 in a game against the Versailles team. But it was not until more than a year later that their uniforms reflected their new identity.
         
“There was a yearbook published (in 1927) named the ‘OWL,’ and in the book is an article about the basketball team,” noted the 1990 souvenir booklet from the Aurora Alumni Association. “Dr. L.L. Latham bought the team new uniforms, and in the picture of the team the word ‘Pintos’ is printed across the front of the jerseys.”
         
Mitchell Tising graduated from Aurora High School in 1927 and a member of the original basketball team to first wear the Pintos jerseys. In the years prior to his passing, he recalled that the girls’ teams were named the “Pinettes,” but this name was later dropped when sports for girls were disbanded. However, girls’ sports were later reorganized and continue to use the Pintos name.
         
The coloring of the early Pintos mascot has also changed over the years, with the earlies iterations featuring a black horse with white spots. This color scheme has since been updated to align more with school colors and the pinto is often pictured as being white with blue spots. 
 
The Old Aurora School burned on January 25, 1929, only a few years after the Pintos received their memorable name. The Humboldt School was closed in later years while new buildings were erected to house the necessary space for the California School District. In recent years, the high school has been moved to a campus on the western end of California.

The Old Aurora School has been gone for decades but the Aurora Alumni Association continues to share the district’s rich history. The Pintos name, now a century old, serves as a reminder of the Old Aurora School and the enduring pride of the students and graduates of California High School.

In a poem written shortly after the Old Aurora School burned in January 1929, alumni Eva M. Cavers, class of 1896, shared her affections for the educational institution, a portion of which is printed below:

“The school where we formed many strong lasting friendships,
Some ripened in romance when school days were past,
When having completed the full course of study,
We passed through her doors, graduated at last.
But now she is gone, we no longer behold her,
A cloud of dark smoke like a great velvet pall,
Is draped o’er the walls which stand blackened and crumbling,
And soon in embers will totter and fall…”
 
Jeremy P. Ämick is the author of the historical compilation “Beyond the Moreau.” 

Pintos pride remains alive and well at California High School, as demonstrated by this large painting in the hallway of the school. Courtesy of Jeremy P. Ämick