It's not always easy to make history come alive. But Clairemont High School teacher Jim Fletcher has managed to do it.
What began decades ago as a personal hobby has grown into one of the largest collections of presidential memorabilia anywhere in the United States, featuring unique artifacts from all 46 U.S. presidents. And for Clairemont students and staff, it’s right on campus.
No other school in the country has a larger assortment. In fact, it’s the biggest collection of its kind anywhere west of the Mississippi. Most of the items are from presidential campaigns, but some come straight from the administrations.
Fletchers first item was a Richard Nixon campaign button given to him in San Diego. From there, collecting presidential memorabilia became his mission, one which continued into his professional life when he began teaching history at Clairemont. As his collection continued to grow, his students had a suggestion: start a museum. As a group, that’s exactly what they did.
Today, the museum boasts more than 40,000 pieces of memorabilia, roughly two-thirds of which belongs to the Clairemont High School Foundation. The rest is Fletcher’s, who says he’s happy to keep it displayed at the school permanently. To learn more, watch the video: