Crane School Blog: Focus on Learning

Featuring articles written by Crane Staffulty

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The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread
Debbie Williams

On July 7, 1928, American inventor and engineer Otto Rohwedder debuted the bread slicer, which became a key indicator to future mechanization that would impact American’s daily lives. This is just one of the fun facts that I have unearthed while researching 1928—the year Crane was founded—in preparation for Crane’s 90th anniversary celebration on May 3 & 4.

On July 7, 1928, American inventor and engineer Otto Rohwedder debuted the bread slicer, which became a key indicator to future mechanization that would impact American’s daily lives. This is just one of the fun facts that I have unearthed while researching 1928—the year Crane was founded—in preparation for Crane’s 90th anniversary celebration on May 3 & 4. 
 
Ninety years is quite an achievement and can be measured in many different ways.
 
In national and global terms: 
  • Crane has existed through 16 different presidents.
  • Crane has survived a world war, the stock market crash of 1929, and a few recessions.
  • Crane has endured floods and many local fires — in 1969, the flow of the creeks on campus was coined the Mississippi; in 1995, it looked as if Crane was sitting on a lake; and, this past winter, the debris flows following the Thomas Fire.
  • There are the all-time “game changers” of the last 9 decades — the inventions that have impacted both the way we live and think of school life: televisions, vacuum cleaners, microwaves, computers, Post-It notes, digital cameras, the Internet, 3D printers, the aforementioned bread slicer … 
 
In Crane terms:
  • The campus has enlarged in size from 4 to 11 acres.
  • Staffulty has grown from 5 to 61.
  • The number of school buildings has increased from 9 to 25.
  • The number of students has increased from 31 to 254.
 
For Santa Barbara, 1928 was a booming year, which is evidenced by other local businesses celebrating their 90th anniversaries — Four Seasons Biltmore, Montecito Inn, and Joe’s Café, to name a few. In addition, 1928 was the year when Mickey Mouse was introduced in Disney’s first animated film, Steamboat Willie, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first Yo-Yo manufacturing company opened in Santa Barbara, and Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic.
 
All in all, 1928 was a very good year and Crane shared this good fortune. I’d say that Crane has become one of the “greatest things since sliced bread” for all of us to experience today.
 
Debbie Williams
Director of Development

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