Changing Times with Televisions in Residence Halls

When CSDR first opened in February 1953, there was only one Rubidoux dorm open for both Lower School boys and girls aged 5 to 8. The girls slept in the front part of the dorm while the boys stayed in the back. There was no TV set in the living room.

There was not enough money for everything at the brand-new school, so the administration team focused on essential bedroom and living room furniture for basic home life needs.

As the years progressed, the school managed to buy black and white TV sets with state funds. The school also accepted TV donations from local charities. The school had 15 dorms with one TV set for each.

In the early years, TVs offered only a few channels, unlike today, which has hundreds of channels. TV programs ran only from 6:00 a.m. to midnight. Nothing was available to watch in the wee hours. By contrast, you can now watch TV with different program choices 24/7.

To get a good picture on the TV screen, we needed an antenna on the set and another antenna on the dorm roof to capture electromagnetic waves over a distance. The antenna was also fondly known as rabbit ears. Old-timers remember that they had to adjust the rabbit ears on their TV sets to get a clear signal and a static-free image on the screen.

The remote became a standard device for convenience in the 1980s. It offers both blessings and disadvantages. We can change channels without getting up from the couch, a time-saver and convenient feature. On the negative side, we could stay for hours on the sofa, contributing to our laziness.

In the 1980s, cable television and satellite broadcasting allowed people to access specialized channels for sports, classic movies, religion and documentaries.  In the 2000s, most television sets were digital on flat TV screens as seen above—no more bulky TV sets.

As seen in the picture, boys surrounded the TV watching the World Series game in Palomar I for senior boys.  Circa 1961. Bill Ramborger, ‘62, added that Warren Fauth asked Dr Brill for permission to excuse senior boys and girls from school to watch World Series game on TV. Dr Brill granted the request. At far right on the bottom is Toivo Lindholm, the printing teacher. Lindholm worked closely with CSDR Founder Perry Seely in the 1940s.

Mary Ann Rose Sultan, ‘68, shared the above picture for this column. The picture was taken in Shasta I, the dorm for senior girls. At left is Mary Ann. The other is Judy Goldsberry, ‘68. The TV set was small and black-and-white. Adjacent to the set was a fireplace.

As explained earlier in the article, CSDR welcomed donations of TV decoders for closed captioning. In the early 1980s, Sears won the exclusive right to sell decoders for $250 nationwide. Yes, Deaf people, including myself, had to buy their own decoders to enjoy subtitled script lines. California soon enacted a law requiring all TV sets sold in the state to be equipped with a built-in decoder to lower costs for captioning. Currently, all 50 states have such enforcement.

CSDR officials posed with company representatives and donated caption decoders for the picture in the dorm. From left to right: unidentified, Betty Witczak, unidentified, unidentified, Dr Larry Newman, Tim Jaech, Dr Bob Lennan and Harold Kund. Circa 1986

Ruben Macias, ‘62, moved to California with his family from Mexico. He soon enrolled at CSDR, where he began his elementary education at age 8. His vocational training in electricity gave him the background for his success in the TV repair business from the 1970s to the 1990s. He made house calls throughout the Los Angeles area.  Before his death in 2023, he donated his TV repair kit to the school museum.   In addition, Ruben was the first foreign-born CSDR alumnus to earn a master’s degree from CSU Northridge.

Kevin Struxness, ‘76, MA

Editor, CSDR Old Times

24 October 2024