Thomas C. Cunningham, 1939
We regret to inform you that Mr. Thomas C. Cunningham passed away on February 4, 2008. He was 87.
Senior portrait of Thomas C. Cunningham, from the 1939 Hoofprint
A San Dieguito Union High School graduate and World War II veteran, Mr. Cunningham returned to the high school in 1952 to teach. For over 40 years he guided students in the art of husbandry before his retirement in 1994.
In his later years Mr. Cunningham made use of his white beard and jovial appearance to portray Santa Claus in the Encinitas Christmas parades.
Godspeed, Mr. Cunningham.
Mr. Cunningham’s teacher portrait from the 1952 Hoofprint“… A graduate of the high school in 1939, he returned from England after World War II ended and obtained a master’s degree in education from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Then he went back to his old high school in 1952 as an agriculture teacher and no-nonsense adviser to the Future Farmers of America club on campus.
Mr. Cunningham’s teacher portrait from the 1992 Hoofprint“…He served the district 43 years and five months. During the early decades, he was a stalwart of the agriculture program. Remember, in those early years, this was a small community. There were no houses around the high school like today. Many of his students went on to become horticulturists, veterinarians or teachers.”
From the February 16, 2008 obituary by J. Stryker Meyer of the North County Times/Californian. You can read this obituary in its entirety here.
More information on Mr. Cunningham may be found at the Cal Poly Alumni site. (Scroll down to find his obituary.)