100 YEARS

Huntington Beach High has lined up a full slate of activities to celebrate its centennial Friday and Saturday.Yvonne McClenny has already picked out her outfit for Friday’s big homecoming game at Huntington Beach High School.

The semiformal little black pantsuit number, complete with sequins, will give McClenny, a Huntington Beach resident, a certain sparkle that night.

Although it won’t be the first homecoming game for the McClenny, 71, she’s as excited as ever to be experiencing the thrill and drama surrounding Friday’s game.

The years haven’t taken away the luster of a similar magical night she experienced 55 years ago.

“I can remember that night very well,” McClenny said of Huntington Beach’s 1950 homecoming game.

McClenny, then Yvonne Moats, class of 1951, was a princess in the 1950 homecoming court.

“It was such a fun night, and I’m quite honored to be a part of the big homecoming game again,” she said.

Before and after Friday’s football game between Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley at Sheue Field, the Oilers, in a year in which the school is celebrating its centennial, are holding a massive homecoming celebration.

The festivities begin Friday with a noon assembly and culminate at Saturday’s homecoming dance.

“Our motto during the centennial is, ‘100-year tradition of excellence,’” said Greg Crook, vice principal of activities at the school. “Everyone at this school has embraced it. This is a tradition-laden school, and you’ll see some of that tradition on display Friday.”

At noon Friday, an all-sports assembly will take place for students on campus. At 5 p.m., the first centennial tile will be installed on the Wall of Commemoration, located just outside the school’s auditorium.

It will be placed by English teacher Larry Milne, who won the tile in a raffle on the first day of the 2005-06 school year, Crook said.

Pregame festivities begin at 6:15 at the football stadium. The Oiler band and cheerleaders, as well as a float for each class, will circle the track.

At halftime, 10 former homecoming court members, dating back to McClenny in 1950, will be driven around the track in vintage Model Ts provided by Jim Davis of the school’s cheer booster club.

In addition to McClenny, former court members scheduled to take part in Friday’s homecoming game are Darla Austin Funk (1955), Linda Hileman Berry (1959), Hollie Day Sutherland (1960), Janice Ledford Conley (1961), Suzanne Pearsall (1962), Julie Lunt Therrien (1964), Luana Bruce (1966) and Cheryl Bruce Henderson (1968).

They will be followed around the track by members of the 2005 court, who will travel in Mercedes convertibles.

Lauren Braun, the school’s reigning homecoming queen, will be helicoptered into the stadium at midfield. Following the landing, fireworks will be set off from a nearby baseball field.

Then it will be time for the crowning of the 2005 homecoming queen. Following her crowning, the new queen will be lifted out of the stadium by helicopter, and then more fireworks will be set off.

Following the game, the Jamie Knight Band will perform, free of charge, at the school’s amphitheater.

Crook said that each decade will have a designated spot in the amphitheater where classmates can gather and mingle.

Saturday’s homecoming dance, called “Rockin’ Through the Decades,” will begin at 8 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Westin.

Oilers of all ages are expected to be in attendance at the game, which figures to draw a standing-room-only crowd.

McClenny, a mother of two and grandmother of three, said that her husband, Norman, class of 1952, also will attend Friday’s game. So will her brother, Ken Moats, and her nephew, Dan.

Ken Moats was head football coach of the Oilers from 1961 to 1971, and his 1966 squad, which went 9-2, won a league championship.

Dan Moats played for his father in the early 1970s.

Friday’s homecoming scene might seem surreal to McClenny, who recalls a much quieter night 55 years ago.

“It wasn’t quite as big as what I’m told is going to happen Friday, that’s for sure,” she said. “When I was on the court, the Korean War had just started, and some of the young men had been sent off. It was a much different time.”

McClenny said that all members of the 1950 court wore a skirt and coat during the halftime ceremony, and that Sally Gaffney, who died shortly after graduation, was crowned homecoming queen by Vincent Ross, a captain on the football team.

McClenny, who said that the class of 1951 has a reunion every year and that she lunches monthly with 12 girlfriends from her class, is active in the school’s alumni association.

One former homecoming queen returning Friday is Janice Conley, who was Janice Ledford in the class of 1961.

Conley, who was crowned in 1960, is driving in Friday from her home just outside of Phoenix.

“I’m tickled to death to be coming back,” said Conley, who is married, the mother of two and grandmother of one.

Conley said she’s been out of Huntington Beach for nearly 40 years.

“The night is going to bring back a lot of memories,” Conley said. “I remember my name being called out as the new queen. I was totally surprised. In fact, I thought they had called the wrong name. It’s just one of the many great memories I have from my high school days. Those were good times and some of my fondest memories.”

QUESTION

What are your favorite memories of Huntington Beach High School? Call our Reader’s Hotline at (714) 966-4691 or send e-mail to hbindependent @latimes.com. Please spell your name and include your hometown and phone number for verification purposes.MARK DUSTIN / INDEPENDENT20051027iozh9hknCOURTENAY NEARBURG / INDEPENDENT(LA)Gary Crook, Huntington Beach High School’s activities director, leads the Surf City Singers during a rehearsal for the “Centennial Celebration” homecoming performance. The Color Guard, below left, will lead the marching band onto the field before the football game against Fountain Valley. Below right, Gabriel Ornelas and Parisa Mahdad rehearse a dance routine for the celebration. 20051027iozha5knCOURTENAY NEARBURG / INDEPENDENT(LA)20051027ioxyh9knMARK DUSTIN / INDEPENDENT