Monday, October 26, 2026

John Muir High School Marks 100 Years With Centennial Celebration Honoring Jackie Robinson, Octavia Butler and Other Alumni

Organizers are using the centennial, celebrated Sunday at Rufus Mead Auditorium, to raise a $100,000 Muir Centennial Legacy Fund

John Muir High School will mark its 100th anniversary Sunday with a Centennial Celebration at the Rufus Mead Auditorium on its campus, honoring distinguished alumni including Jackie Robinson, author Octavia Butler and several Olympic champions.

The school was founded in 1926 as John Muir Technical High School, and its campus at 1905 Lincoln Ave. was built that year. Today it is John Muir High School Early College Magnet, and its graduates are ‘Stangs.

Current Muir students will perform, and organizers are planning a Homecoming Alumni Picnic in the school’s “M” Quad. The event will also include tours of the renovated Alumni Museum.

Organizers from the John Muir High School Alumni Association are using the centennial to launch the Muir Centennial Legacy Fund, which has a goal of raising $100,000 for scholarships, emergency needs and long-term growth.

The Newman-Gray Scholarship, named for alumni principals Eddie Newman and Lawton Gray, will be awarded annually to a student who exemplifies the “Muir Spirit.”

Pasadena Federal Credit Union donated $10,000 as the event’s first presenting sponsor.

“This is a celebration of a proud legacy,” said James Chang, the credit union’s chief executive officer.

The centennial arrives as the Muir community recovers from the Eaton Fire. According to the alumni association, more than 200 current Muir students and staff members lost homes in the fire, and an estimated 1,000 alumni lost homes or were displaced.

The campus is also in line for Measure O facility improvements, including renovated restrooms, modernization of existing buildings, upgraded aquatics facilities and replacement of water and electrical utility infrastructure.

The celebration begins at 10 a.m. at the auditorium, 1905 Lincoln Ave. Contributions to the Legacy Fund can be made online through the fund’s Givebutter page.

The John Muir High School Centennial Celebration will run on Sunday, November 1 at 10 a.m. Rufus Mead Auditorium, John Muir High School, 1905 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena. For more information, visit www.givebutter.com/muir-centennial-fund.