I pointed out my high school as we were driving past the other day. I have to say that I sort of did a double-take. I had forgotten how magnificent the Fordson High building really is.
The school was completed in 1928 for a cool $2.2 million. Wikipedia (for what it's worth) said it was the first school building in the nation that cost more than $1 million.
According to the historical marker, the school was designed in the Neo-Tudor style and is is reminiscent of sixteenth century English universities and manor houses. The tower was inspired by the Yale University Memorial Quadrangle.
Our mascot? The tractors.
Yes, I said tractors. We were named such after the Fordson Tractor produced by Ford Motor Co. and said to be the first agricultural tractor that was mass-produced. I wondered why the school adopted the mascot, though, after I read on Wikipedia that:
Not only was the Fordson a challenge to start and operate, but it also quickly developed a bad reputation for its propensity to rear up on its hind wheels and tip over, which proved disastrous - and sometimes fatal - for its operator.
Ford Motor Company largely ignored the issue for a number of years as criticism mounted. One farm magazine recommended that Ford paint a message on each Fordson: "Prepare to Meet Thy God."
Oh my.
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