Oakland Technical High School, known locally as Oakland Tech or simply "Tech", is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Oakland,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States, and is operated under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Unified School District. It is one of six comprehensive public high school campuses in Oakland. Oakland Tech's attendance jurisdiction includes several neighborhoods, including Oakland Chinatown, Rockridge, North Oakland, and Temescal. Tech received the maximum 6-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 2009.

History

Oakland Tech's main building was built in 1914 and resembles the main science building of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. During the 1970s, when many California schools were being demolished and rebuilt for earthquake safety, Tech's main building was determined to be too historic to tear down. Instead, it was gutted and rebuilt on the inside, while its historic exterior was preserved. The school was declared the 99th historic landmark by the city of Oakland on July 23, 1985. University High School (Oakland, CA)

While Tech was closed for earthquake retrofitting in the 1970s, the school was displaced to 5714 Martin Luther King Jr. Way (formerly Grove Street). This location is sometimes erroneously referred to "Old Tech" but was actually the campus of the now defunct University High School (1923-1948). That campus had then served as Merritt College from 1954 to 1970 and is considered the birthplace of the Black Panthers. In 1977 a group of students from a U.S. Government class at Tech launched a drive to create a California state holiday in honor of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

The idea was not new - about a dozen states already had such holidays, and it had been proposed unsuccessfully at the national level - but it was still controversial. The students formed themselves into a group called "The Apollos" and lobbied for the holiday for four years; it was finally passed by the legislature and signed by the governor in 1981. In 2008 two students at other Oakland high schools heard about the Apollos and made an award-winning short documentary film about their successful quest.

Academies

Students at Oakland Technical High School have the option of enrolling in one of the school's academies, which operate as small subsets of the school. Students take one class within their academies and spend the rest of the day in normal classes. Academies at Tech include Computer Academy, Health Academy, Engineering Academy, Race Policy and Law (RPL) Academy, and Fashion, Arts, and Design (FADA) Academy. The Engineering Academy focuses on mechanical engineering. Starting in 10th grade, the students in this academy study engineering, physics (focused on mechanics), drafting, architecture, etc. Paideia is an advanced History and English program founded by Mary Ann Wolfe, a political science and government teacher who worked at Oakland Tech for over thirty years. In the sophomore year, students have the option to take English 2 Paideia and World Cultures. In 11th grade, students have the option to enroll in AP or HP English and US History. In 12th grade, students who are recommended may take the advanced senior block, consisting of AP Government, AP Literature, and HP Comparative Government, in which they analyze works of art and compare them to the government. In senior year, students, according to grades, are also able to take AP Government and AP English 4. Students can be jointly enrolled in Paideia within select academies in 10th grade and any academy in 11th and 12th grades. In 2008, over half of the advanced senior block was accepted to the prestigious

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...

. Students regularly score 4s or 5s for AP classes taken in the Paideia program. The Race, Policy, and Law academy began in the 2017-18 academic year.

School profile

Oakland Technical High School is a Title I school and approximately 53% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced price lunches. The total school enrollment in 2016-17 was 2,037 students. Tech is a highly diverse school, with students comprising a range of racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. In 2016-17, the student body was 32% African American, 24% white, 22% Asian, 16% Latino/Hispanic, 2% Pacific Islander, and 4% other.

Test scores

After being sued for refusing to do so, the Oakland Unified School District mandates that every school publish a public record of their standing on a variety of standardized tests and other quantitative analyses.

Notable alumni

* Merrill Kenneth Albert, Class of 1941 - author and trial lawyer * Steven F. Arnold - filmmaker, photographer, painter, illustrator, set and costume designer, and assemblage artist * Pervis Atkins, Class of 1954 - NFL football player, actor *

Frank Shozo Baba Frank Shōzō Baba (フランク正三馬場, January 3, 1915 – January 16, 2008) was a Japanese American Nisei who made radio broadcasts during World War II in the United States and in post-war Japan. He spent twelve years in Japan from the a ...

, Class of 1933 - Japanese American Nisei who made radio broadcasts during World War II in U.S. and in post-war Japan * Stephen Bechtel, Class of 1918 - engineer, president, CEO of

Bechtel Corporation Bechtel Corporation () is an American engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company founded in San Francisco, California, and headquartered in Reston, Virginia. , the '' Engineering News-Record'' ranked Bechtel as ...

, 1933-1960 *

Bernice Bing Bernice Bing (10 April 1936 – 18 August 1998) was a Chinese American lesbian artist involved in the San Francisco Bay Area art scene in the 1960s. She was known for her interest in the Beats and Zen Buddhism, and for the "calligraphy-inspir ...

, Class of 1955 - artist, activist * Linc Blakely, Class of 1931 - Major League Baseball player, Cincinnati Reds * Esther Baum Born, Class of 1920 - architectural photographer, author *

Antonia Brico Antonia Louisa Brico (Rotterdam, June 26, 1902 – Denver, August 3, 1989) was a Dutch-born conductor and pianist. Early life and education Born Antonia Louisa Brico to a Dutch Catholic unmarried mother in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Brico w ...

(born Wilhelmina Wolthius), Class of 1919 - classical pianist, first woman conductor of the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

John Brodie John Riley Brodie (born August 14, 1935) is a former American football player, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. He had a second career as a Senior PGA Tour professional golfer, and ...

, Class of 1953 - NFL player, quarterback of

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

; professional golfer, Senior PGA Tour * Gabriel Carroll, Class of 2001 - award-winning mathematician, Stanford economics professor *

Howard Christie Howard Christie (September 16, 1912 – March 25, 1992) was an American producer of films and television. Early life and education Christie was born in Orinda, California and graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1929. He attended UC B ...

, Class of 1929 - film and television producer, All-American football player at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

* Bruce Cunningham, Class of 1923 - Major League Baseball player, Boston Braves * Jack Delinger, Class of 1946 - professional bodybuilder, 1949 AAU Mr. America and 1956 Mr. Universe * Ron Dellums, Class of 1953 - former U.S. Congressman, former mayor of Oakland * Alfred Delucchi, Class of 1949 - Superior Court Judge * Bernie DeViveiros, Class of 1920 - Major League Baseball player,

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, Detroit Tigers * Taylor Douthit, Class of 1919 - Major League Baseball player,

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds *

Sue Draheim Sue Draheim ( ; August 17, 1949 – April 11, 2013) was an American fiddler, boasting a more than forty year musical career in the US and the UK. Growing up in North Oakland, Draheim began her first private violin lessons at age eleven, having ...

, Class of 1967 - internationally recognized fiddler * Rockmond Dunbar, Class of 1991 - film and television actor, '' Sons of Anarchy'', ''

The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show f ...

'', ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'' * Clint Eastwood, Class of 1949 - film actor, producer, Academy Award-winning director, former mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California * Lloyd Noel Ferguson, Class of 1934 - chemist, university professor, first African-American to earn Ph.D. in Chemistry from

Curt Flood Curtis Charles Flood (January 18, 1938 – January 20, 1997) was an American professional baseball player and activist. He was a center fielder who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Redlegs, St. Louis Cardinals, ...

, Class of 1956 - Major League Baseball player, Cincinnati Reds,

, Washington Senators known for challenging

Reserve clause The reserve clause, in North American professional sports, was part of a player contract which stated that the rights to players were retained by the team upon the contract's expiration. Players under these contracts were not free to enter into an ...

* Len Gabrielson, Class of 1933 - Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies * Len Gabrielson, Class of 1957 - Major League Baseball player, Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs,

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

, California Angels,

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

* Joe Gaines, Class of 1955 - Major League Baseball player, Cincinnati Reds,

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, Houston Astros * John Gillespie, Class of 1920 - Major League Baseball player, Cincinnati Reds *

Evelyn Nakano Glenn Evelyn Seiko Nakano Glenn is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to her teaching and research responsibilities, she served as founding director of the university'Center for Race and Gender(CRG), a leading U.S. acade ...

, Class of 1958 - Professor and director of

Center for Race and Gender. * Alexis Gray-Lawson, Class of 2005 - professional basketball player, Phoenix Mercury * Bob Greenwood, Class of 1946 - Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies * Randall B. Griepp, Class of 1958, cardiovascular surgeon * Bud Hafey, Class of 1929 - Major League Baseball player,

, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies *

Tom Hafey Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, Class of 1931 - Major League Baseball player, New York Giants,

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

* Bernie Hamilton, Class of 1946 - actor, '' Starsky and Hutch'' * Jack Hayford, Class of 1952 - minister, chancellor, songwriter *

Rickey Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American retired professional baseball left fielder who played his 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with hi ...

, Class of 1976 - Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player (inducted 2009), member of eight teams * Proverb Jacobs, Class of 1954 - NFL football player,

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, New York Giants * Josh Johnson, Class of 2004 - NFL

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

2008-2021 * Rodney Joseph Johnson, Class of 1984 - Houston police officer * Louise Jorgensen, Class of 1916 - ballerina and choreographer; director/producer of Oakland Christmas Pageant (1919-1987) * Thomas Kraabel, Class of 1952 - Biblical archaeologist *

Ted Lange Theodore William Lange III (; born January 5, 1948) is an American actor, director and screenwriter best known for his roles as bartender Isaac Washington in the TV series '' The Love Boat'' (1977-1986), and Junior in '' That's My Mama'' (1974- ...

, Class of 1966 - director, screenwriter, actor in ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'', '' That's My Mama'' * Cookie Lavagetto, Class of 1931 - Major League Baseball player, Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, manager of Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins *

Don Lofgran Donald James Lofgran (November 18, 1928 – June 17, 1976) was an American basketball player who was a consensus All-American in 1950 while at the University of San Francisco. He also played professionally in the National Basketball Associati ...

, Class of 1946 - professional basketball player * Terrell Lowery, Class of 1988 - college basketball player, Major League Baseball player *

Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Lync ...

, Class of 2004 - NFL All-Pro

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

for Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, co-founder and owner of the

Oakland Panthers The Bay Area Panthers are a professional indoor football team based in San Jose, California. They are a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and were to begin play in 2020 at Oakland Arena as the Oakland Panthers. Due the onset of the COV ...

* Tony Martin, Class of 1930 - actor, singer, entertainer * Bill McKalip, Class of 1926 - college All-American football player, NFL player,

Portsmouth Spartans The professional American football team now known as the Detroit Lions previously played in Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Portsmouth Spartans, from its founding in 1928 to its relocation to Detroit in 1934. Originally drawing players from defunct indepe ...

, Detroit Lions * Rod McKuen, Class of 1951 - poet, musician, songwriter * Joe Mellana, Class of 1922 - Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Athletics * Abbas Milani, Class of 1965 - historian, author, director of Iranian studies at Stanford University * Mistah F.A.B. Class of 2000 - rapper * Huey P. Newton, Class of 1959 - co-founder of Black Panther Party * Ray Norton, Class of 1956 - Olympic sprinter (Rome, 1960), NFL football player,

Frank Oz Frank Oz (born Frank Richard Oznowicz; May 25, 1944) is an American actor, puppeteer, and filmmaker. He began his career as a puppeteer, performing the Muppet characters of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle in ''The Muppet Show ...

, Class of 1962 - actor, film director, puppeteer for

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

Nell Irvin Painter Nell Irvin Painter (born Nell Elizabeth Irvin; August 2, 1942) is an American historian notable for her works on United States Southern history of the nineteenth century. She is retired from Princeton University as the Edwards Professor of Ameri ...

, Class of 1959 - historian, author, professor at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

Milman Parry Milman Parry (June 23, 1902 – December 3, 1935) was an American Classicist whose theories on the origin of Homer's works have revolutionized Homeric studies to such a fundamental degree that he has been described as the " Darwin of Homeric ...

, Class of 1919 - scholar of epic poetry, Homeric studies, professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

* Wolfe Perry, Class of 1974 - actor, college basketball player at Stanford University *

The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, bl ...

(

Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...

Class of 1963, Anita Class of 1965, Pat Class of 1968) - Grammy Award-winning R&B singing group *

Patricia Polacco Patricia Barber Polacco (born July 11, 1944) is an American author and illustrator. Throughout her school years, Polacco struggled with reading but found relief by expressing herself through art. Polacco endured teasing and hid her disability un ...

, Class of 1962 - children's author * Jim Pollard, Class of 1940 - NBA player and coach,

Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, th ...

, 5-time NBA champion, member of Basketball Hall of Fame * Jay Porter, Class of 1950 - Major League Baseball player, St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, St. Louis Cardinals *

Leon Powe Leon Powe Jr. (; born January 22, 1984) is an American former professional basketball power forward. Drafted in 2006 by the Denver Nuggets, Powe grew up in Oakland, California, and played college basketball at the University of California, Berkel ...

, Class of 2003 - NBA basketball player, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers,

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

* Les Powers, Class of 1927 - Major League Baseball player, New York Giants, Philadelphia Phillies * Roy Shivers, Class of 1959 - NFL player,

, first African-American general manager of professional football franchise,

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in ...

* Rick Shubb, Class of 1962 - musician, graphic artist, inventor of

Shubb Shubb is a company that specialises in producing capos for all kinds of stringed instruments. The company was formed in 1974 by banjoists Rick Shubb and Dave Coontz. Shubb capos remain a top-selling capo forty years after their invention. Shubb ...

Capo, popular guitar and banjo accessory * Ted R. Smith, Class of 1925 - aircraft designer *

Jack Soo Jack Soo (born Goro Suzuki, October 28, 1917 – January 11, 1979) was an American singer and actor. He was best known for his role as Detective Nick Yemana on the television sitcom ''Barney Miller''. Early life Soo was born Goro Suzuki on a s ...

(Goro Suzuki), Class of 1934 - comedian, actor, ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was created ...

'' * Peter Stackpole, Class of 1931 - photographer * Rehema Stephens, Class of 1987 - basketball player,

Sacramento Monarchs The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Arena. The Mona ...

Robert Webber Robert Laman Webber (October 14, 1924 – May 19, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in dozens of films and television series, roles that included Juror No. 12 in the 1957 film ''12 Angry Men''. Early life Webber was born in Santa Ana, ...

, Class of 1941 - film and TV actor, '' 12 Angry Men'', '' Private Benjamin'', '' 10'', ''

The Dirty Dozen ''The Dirty Dozen'' is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy ...

'' * George Wells, Class of 1965 - professional wrestler, Canadian Football League player * Arleigh Williams, Class of 1930 - college football, baseball player,

administrator *

Yukmouth Jerold Dwight Ellis III (born October 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Yukmouth, is an American rapper from East Oakland, Oakland, California. He is the founder of The Regime, Smoke-A-Lot Records and Godzilla Entertainment. He is a ...

, Class of 1993 - rapper

References

External links

School website''The Tech Scribe''
- school newspaper
''The Apollos''
- short film about the Oakland Technical High School class that helped get the MLK Day bill passed in California {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1914 High schools in Oakland, California Public high schools in California 1914 establishments in California Oakland Unified School District School buildings completed in 1914