James Logan (trustee)

James Logan (1864 - 1931) was an education official in Fremont, California. The James Logan High School built in Union City in 1959 is named after him.

Biographical Information

James Logan was born in Maghera, County Londonderry, Ireland in 1864. In 1885 he immigrated to the Alvarado area of Alameda County, California, where he farmed and owned orchard land. In 1893, he married neighbor Rebecca Jane Kerr, daughter of William Kerr and Jane Fyffe of Castlederg, County Tyrone, Ireland. They had 12 children - Andrew K. Logan (b. 1894), Annie Logan (b. 1895), John M. Logan (b.1897), Jennie Ross Logan (b. 1899), William Fyffe Logan (b. 1902), Matilda (Tilly) Gilmore (b. 1904), May Rebecca (b. 1906), Alma F. Logan (b. 1908), Clarabelle Logan (b. 1911), James Logan (b. 1913), Theodore Logan (b. 1914) and Ralph Gordon Logan (b. 1910). Three daughters became teachers. [California Census, Alameda County 1910, 1920] [Alameda County Historical Society records: and Washington Union High School, California Tombstone Project, http://www.rootsweb.com/~cemetery/californ.html]

Education Involvement

For many years James Logan served on the Board of Trustees for Washington Union High School, built in Fremont in 1921. He used his own farming equipment to condition the sports field at the new school. He was killed in an auto accident on the way to a high school football game in 1931. Logan's son Andrew was appointed school trustee in his father’s place [(Alameda County Historical Society records)] . Memorial Grove was placed on the new Washington High School campus on February 22, 1932 to commemorate the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth, and trees were planted in memory of Logan, former principal George Wright and former trustee John Whipple. The school newspaper, The Hatchet, reported in 1935 that "this spot is held sacred because of the loyalty and devotion of the men it honored." ["Peek into the Past". The Tri-City Voice. Fremont California. March 16, 2004.]

References