William E Hoganson, choral director at Garden Grove High School for almost 25 years, recently passed away at the age of 97 at his home in Oceanside, California. A long-time resident of Garden Grove, Mr. Hoganson is survived by three sons John, Bill and Scott and daughter, Jan.

Born in Watertown, South Dakota in October of 1924, William E. Hoganson (Bill) was the grandson of Norwegian immigrants. His father John Hoganson, a lumberman, furniture builder and musician, was raised in Neillsville, Wisconsin and his mother Ella (Ohnstad) was born and raised on a farm in Florence, South Dakota – one of 13 siblings.

After a bout with scarlet fever, Bill’s parents were advised to move him to a warmer climate. Having had his mother’s sister (grandma of GGHS Alumni Eldon and Bill King) already living in Garden Grove, CA, the Hoganson family of four traveled to the sunny, warm skies of Orange County. Bill was age three when arriving in Garden Grove and spent the rest of his life in Southern California.

Attending Lincoln Elementary school in Garden Grove, Bill met his lifetime sweetheart in Sixth grade. He always said, “it was love at first sight” when Clay Kellogg brought his daughter Jeanne to class for the first time. Jeanne Avalon Kellogg was born in Santa Ana, a third generation Californian. Her family came from Scottish and French descendants, settling in Connecticut before the Revolutionary War.

Eventually Bill and Jeanne attended GGHS where they were “high school sweethearts” along with Bill’s sister Geraldine and Jeanne’s sister Marilyn. Bill lettered varsity football, ran track, starred in musical and theatre plays (along with Jeanne) before they graduated from Garden Grove’s first high school in June 1942. However, nine months later Uncle Sam had different plans.

The USA was at war in the Pacific. Within week of graduation, Bill’s father passed away. Then in March 1943, he was inducted into the U.S. Army at the Anaheim Draft Board (along with “200 other boys”). Bill would spend the next 33 months serving his country, ironically starting radio operator school in his birth state at Sioux Falls, SD.

After additional training in various locations around the United States, Bill found himself aboard the Britannic transatlantic ocean liner in December 1944 with thousands of soldiers amidst a naval convoy, Bill would say “as far as the eye could see” going to Liverpool, England. Over the next almost two years, Bill was a weather radio operator with the Army-Air Corp 40 th Mobile Communications Squadron, attached to a P-47 fighter-bomber group in the 9 th Air Force. He landed at Normandy about seven weeks after the initial D-Day invasion and provided weather information to tactical air support for General Patton’s 3 rd Army from France, Belgium (Battle of the Bulge) to Germany.

After the war, in December 1945, Bill returned home late in the evening via Long Beach trolley to Garden Grove and went to see his high school sweetheart. Three weeks later they were married. Another month later, Bill was enrolled at University of Southern California where he graduated after three years with a B.A. Degree in music. He was a lead vocalist at USC and had opportunities to go into “show biz” but put his now young family of four first and chose teaching.

After teaching in Pomona and Temple City (Junior High School), GGHS Principal Dr Leroy Doig called Bill to ask if he would consider coming to GGHS to teach music and enticed him with a new performing arts auditorium “we are building just for you,” said Dr. Doig. Bill accepted and over the next 25 years would direct a music program that would be renowned throughout the Southwest and produce many people who would spend a career in “show biz.” These include GGHS alumni Johnny Stewart, Mike Cody, Kathy Westmoreland, Melody Westmoreland, Bill Griffith, Jim Shirley, Monty Harrison, Don Potter and others.

GGHS became known for its outstanding Acapella and Concert Choirs, which would perform and win choral competition in California and Arizona. The Garden Grove community would also delight in coming to the GGHS auditorium for Christmas and Spring concerts and especially for musical show productions that rivaled the professionals in Hollywood. Bill produced and directed musicals such as Oklahoma, Camelot, Music Man, Man of La Mancha, Once Upon a Mattress, Oliver and many others. 

After 25 years teaching choral music (and English), Bill joined his bride as Shaklee Supervisors which Jeanne had started a couple years earlier. Their mission was to help people with their health so that they could live a productive life, while also sharing their faith in Jesus Christ with their customers. God blessed their business and their lives with many years. Jeanne lived to be in her 90 th year. Raising four kids, all of whom graduated from GGHS, their family expanded to 13 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren upon Bill’s passing. He will be interred at Mira Mar National Cemetery and a Memorial service will be held at the First Baptist Church Garden Grove on January 8, 2022 at 1PM. Any of his friends and students are welcome to attend.

!!IMPORTANT BREAKING NEWS REGARDING HOGANSON MEMORIAL!!!

“We just had a family conference call and decided to postpone our Dad's memorial service. This is due to the current covid surge in southern California.

The new date is TBD, but our hope is to reschedule for the Spring and when we believe there is much less covid risk to those attending.

Would you please communicate through the Alumni Association of this change? My brother John has put a lot of work into this event and planned many special things to honor Dad, but we did not want to scale down any of those plans due to health risks (i.e. a reception).

We apologize for this change and any inconvenience. When we meet, we want to make it a great time of fellowship and remembering Dad's legacy.

Thanks for all your help getting information out to GGHS alumni for us.

Sincerely, Scott & the Hoganson Family”