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Information Needed From ACS Students

Any Saigon Kids who attended ACS during late 1964 to its closing in February 1965 we need to pick your brain for information – LOL 🙂

In 1964 construction was started on the final building which was added to the ACS compound. It was completed in late January 1965 about 2 weeks before the closing of the school in early February 1965. It is believed to have contained a Gym and Cafeteria. The building was never used by students because of the school closing right after it was completed and ready for usage.

The questions are:

1. Where was the building located on the school grounds?

2. Did it in fact contain the Gym and Cafeteria?

3. Do you have or know where pictures of the school showing this building can be obtained?

4. Do you have or know of reference sources which document this building addition to the school?

Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.

As always, you are welcome to leave you comments below.

Bob

4 comments to Information Needed From ACS Students

  • Jim Cooper

    This building indeed was completed and was situated across from the admin building, in the field to the right as you faced the front of the school (would that have been to the north?) and pretty close to the street. In January the elementary classes were taken over to the building for orientation, and we were told that we would begin having gym classes for the first time at ACS sometime thereafter…but of course the evacuation got in the way of all that. I don’t recall if there was a cafeteria in the building. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures or documentation, but will do some web research for same.

    • Admin

      Jim – Thank you! This is what I was trying to figure out. In the 1964 Gecko Yearbook there is a 2 page picture of the school. In the picture there is a construction site in the field to the right of the Admin Building. Based on your information, it appears this would have been the new Gym/Cafeteria building under construction at the time the picture was taken. Later photos of 3rd Field Hospital show the completed building. But, I wasn’t sure (until now) if that was a building added after the conversion to 3rd Field or was the last building added to the school. News reports during the closing of the school say the building was a Gym and Cafeteria. A few photos, comments, and articles about 3rd Field also reference a building that was previously the ACS Gym building. Now we know where the ACS Gym was – LOL 🙂

      Boy Oh Boy, the school sure did grow fast after I departed in early 1961.

      Bruce, Alice, myself and other contributors have almost finished piecing together the ‘growth’ and expansion of the school. We’ll add it to the Wikipedia article once we’ve documented it.

      Thank you for your input and contributions, Jim. Much appreciated! 🙂

      Bob

  • Bruce Berger

    The construction site in the ’64 Gecko is the Gym/Cafeteria building. In the ’65 Gecko(which wasn’t distributed until late ’67 at the earliest, there is also a picture, showing the building was nearly completed at the time the picture was taken. I believe that at the time of the evacuation, we were within days of moving in to the new building. The ’65 Gecko doesn’t have any additional information regarding the building, although it does have a copy of an article about the dedication of the hospital on May 12th. That article mentions the gym.

    • Admin

      Bruce – Thank you! According to Newspaper reports of the school closing the building was completed about 2 weeks before the evacuation began, which would time frame it’s completion around the middle to 3rd week of January. Would it be possible for you to send me a copy of the picture from the 1965 Gecko showing the building nearly completed; and, a copy of the article about the hospital dedication?

      Thank you for your input and contribution. Much appreciated! 🙂

      Bob

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