"Look at the size of those footprints!"

Above, Armand (far right) takes part in the Frank del Olmo Elementary School's
ribbon-cutting ceremony.  Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The preparations for next year's Adventures of Superman plaque got me to thinking about another plaque from a few years ago.

Back in October 2006, a new elementary school was dedicated.  It was originally named Belmont Elementary School and a plaque was dedicated several months before by Godzilla fans and the Platrix Chapter of E Clampus Vitus ("a historical drinking society or a drinking historical society"). The plaque reflects the original name of the school.

Prior to the time of the school's dedication, the name was underwent a change.  Here's what the Los Angeles Times said about it at the time:

The new campus on the edge of Koreatown occupies the site where the first American version of "Godzilla" was filmed. So one early suggestion for a name was Godzilla Elementary, which would go with the motto: A monster of a school. 

But Principal Eugene Hernandez and the naming committee inclined another way. And on Wednesday morning, an array of dignitaries, including some "Godzilla" fans, dedicated Frank del Olmo Elementary School in honor of the Los Angeles Times associate editor and columnist who died in 2004 at 55.

Even though Godzilla lost out in the naming of the school, it was still an honor to be invited by the Los Angeles Unified School District to speak at the dedication ceremony on the history of the site where the school now stands.

Above, LAUSD's Yonah Hong and Armand with the "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!"
plaque at the school's entrance.  Photo courtesy of Richard Pusateri.

The Los Angeles Times ended their article appropriately:

Even Armand M. Vaquer, the representative of the Godzilla Society of North America, had to agree that the new campus' name was fitting -- while also noting the school's site as the very place where actor Raymond Burr uttered the immortal phrase: "Look at the size of those footprints." 

On Wednesday, those words applied metaphorically to Del Olmo, who would have appreciated the public officials who spoke in Spanish and English, as well as the child mariachis and the school chorus, which sang a Swahili unity ditty and a new school song whose lyrics include the line: "We are Frank del Olmo. We love to show our pride."

To read the full article, go here.