Trustees Unveil Honor Roll for School Names

Orange County pioneer Juan Pablo Grijalva and the well-known Segerstrom family will have new elementary schools named after them, while a new high school will bear the name of former postmaster Hector Godinez.

Santa Ana Unified school board members also gave Santa Ana High’s auditorium the name of former Righteous Brother Bill Medley, and Walnut Street, which runs in front of the auditorium, will be renamed after the 1960s rock ‘n’ roll group the Chantays. Medley and Chantays band members attended Santa Ana schools.

The names were selected Tuesday night, ending a three-month study that tapped area residents for suggestions. Nearly 100 people offered theirs. Some residents sent in petitions, others wrote letters or called the district. Board members also agreed to name future schools after longtime Santa Ana school leaders Edith Gilbert and Early Engman. Gilbert and Engman were beloved figures in the district and won many nominations from the public.

The board also agreed to work with local fire, police and Orange County sheriff’s authorities to come up with a name for a school that memorializes public safety personnel who have fallen in the line of duty.

Officials wanted the new schools’ names to have meaning to the community--and most of the suggestions the district received did.

Gilbert, a Fremont Elementary School principal during the 1920s, was known for her kindness and generosity to students and families in need.

Engman, who died in 1993, was a longtime and beloved teacher, coach and administrator.

Board members have said they were impressed with the time and thought residents put into their suggestions and were pleased with the process.