Act Global’s resident guitar enthusiast had the opportunity to visit Leo Fender’s high school alma mater while checking out two recently completed fields on site.
Photo by Sam Gangwer, Orange County Register/SCNG
This year we had the opportunity to work with our California partner KYA to renovate Fullerton Union High School’s football and multipurpose fields. The renovations were the first to the stadium since the 1970’s and concluded in September, just in time for football season. A few weeks ago Mark, our design specialist for the project, had the opportunity to travel to Fullerton to observe his conception in physical form. As an enthusiast guitar collector, Mark soon became aware that Fullerton Union, a school with 100+ year history, helped educate one of the biggest names in guitar history: Leo Fender.
Fender was an inventor who specialized in the design of electric guitars. Born and raised in the city of Fullerton, Fender attended Fullerton Union High School from 1924-1928. With a devout interest in electronics and a modest history in radio and guitar builds, Leo Fender crafted his first electric guitar prototype in 1949. He quickly diversified and expanded, engineering bass guitars, amplifiers, and electric guitars that solved several functional and stylistic problems he recognized within the industry. The products of Fender’s design are still widely used and sought after today. In 1992 Leo Fender was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, despite never having learned to play the instruments he built.
While Mark was touring Fullerton Union High School, he was blown away that a guitar legend that he has looked up to used the same sports facilities and walked the same hallways 90 years prior. The school is also within walking distance of Fender’s first factory and the Fullerton Museum.
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Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com