Yolo
County
Biographies
RAYMOND H. BUTZBACH
Raymond
H. Butzbach, a well known educator now serving as principal of the Woodland
high school, was born in Millville, Shasta County, California, December 4,
1888, and is indebted to the public school system of the state for the
educational opportunities which he enjoyed.
After attending the public schools he entered the Chico Normal School,
from which he was graduated in 1908, and in 1912 he won the Bachelor of Arts
degree from the University of California.
The following year his alma mater conferred upon him the Master of
Science degree and in 1913 he came to Woodland, where he obtained a position as
teacher in the high school. In 1922 he
was made vice principal, thus serving until 1927, when he was advanced to the
position of principal. When he took
charge the school had one hundred and fifty pupils. A steady increase in attendance because of
sustained interest in the work has brought the enrollment up to five
hundred. The original school building,
which was erected in 1895, was destroyed by fire but was rebuilt in 1923. Three units have since been added, the boy’s
gymnasium, the girl’s gymnasium and the manual training building. This school has always been known as the
“Football School,” owing to the success of its team in that game, having won
the state championship in 1908. A good
team has always been maintained and in 1929 Woodland carried off the northern
California high school championship.
Moreover, this was one of the first schools in the state to organize a
boys’ band on a large scale. Under the
guidance of Professor Butzbach a most progressive spirit has been maintained
and Woodland has every reason to be proud of her school. He has always kept in close touch with the
most advanced educational methods and is a member of the California Teachers
Association and the Honorary Society in Chemistry, a national
organization. He is likewise a member of
the Yolo County Board of Education and he utilizes every opportunity to promote
his ability in the educational field and render his services of vital worth to
the community.
Mr.
Butzbach was married in 1916 to Miss Ethel M. Johnston, a native of Woodland,
and they have three children, Margaret Louise, Barbara Rae and Raymond William. Fraternally Mr. Butzbach is a Mason with
membership in Woodland Lodge, No. 156, F. & A. M., and in the Eastern Star,
of which he is a past worthy patron. He
also belongs to the Elks lodge and to the Lions Club. He possesses an excellent baritone voice and
has been a member of the choir of the Christian Church for seventeen
years. He has taken part in many local
concerts, his musical talent being an attractive feature in many of the social
gatherings of the community. He is doing
much to stimulate an interest in music through the organization of the boys’
band of the high school, and is bringing into the lives of the youth of the
community an added and helpful interest.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J. W. Major, History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 2 Pages 287-288. Pioneer Historical Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010 Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Yolo County
Biographies