Longtime architect Bob Machado is thankful for Manteca High.
It was there in Chuck DiSalvo’s architectural and drafting classes that he learned about the components and elements of a structure.
A 1957 graduate of MHS, Machado, in tribute to the school’s 100th anniversary, employed his skills to draw the original tower, taking a black and white photograph and adding color and other design features to capture that time.
He used his hobby – Machado thanked his wife for the purchase of CNC precision wood-making machine – to create and carve out the mascot Buffalo for the commemorative the school’s centennial anniversary.
Machado, who is the co-founder of Architechnica – established in Stockton in 1979 – donated both items to his alma mater on Thursday.
The recent Buffalo carving and the old campus drawing he developed in 1992 will be featured in the hallway of the MHS’ administrative wing.
According to Account Clerk Mary Jones, a timeline of the school’s development will be illustrated on that same way, from May 19, 1920 – that’s when the governing board paved the way for the high school, burrowing enough money to construct temporary buildings at the current site – to Jan. 27, 1923.
MHS was formally dedicated on that later date. By then, construction was completed on the original campus, consisting of an auditorium with the capacity to accommodate 550 people coupled with the gymnasium that sat at the top of a stage.
As for Machado, he’s still planning to put together other pieces to commemorate the school’s rich history.
Some of his earlier work around town is still around, including the Aldwina Drive house in which he designed while at MHS. Machado once lived there with his parents.
His architecture and environmental design company has done plenty throughout the state, from the school-bond modernization of Edison High to the conceptual drawing of the City of Ripon corporate yard.
Machado bypassed college to achieve his California State Architect License, crediting the mentorship of DiSalvo and other teachers at MHS.
