The grandchildren of Brea educator William E. Fanning knew him as a compassionate man who never missed an opportunity to nurture young minds. Among other lessons, the amateur apiarist would invite neighborhood kids to observe – from the safety of his screened porch – a demonstration in beekeeping.
But almost four decades after his death, Fanning would become associated with the antithesis of the kind of person his family remembers. In 2017, the alternative newspaper OC Weekly reported that Fanning appears on a 1920s list of Ku Klux Klan members.
Although murky, the allegation sparked petitions to rename William E. Fanning Elementary School. That outcry erupted anew with the recent Black Lives Matter protests and expedited removal of Confederate statues and flags across the country.
Now Fanning’s descendants are putting an end to the controversy – freeing school district officials from the burden of making the call.
In a letter to Brea Olinda Unified dated July 2, grandson William L. Fanning wrote that the district should move on to issues bigger “than a name on a school” – from the coronavirus pandemic to age-old bigotry.
“Our family absolutely stands with those who demand long-overdue improvements to social justice, racial equality and an end to institutional racism,” Fanning said, further noting that “the deadly COVID-19 virus has added new complexities to the educational process.”
With that, Fanning asked the district to remove his grandfather’s name from the school by July 31. “My brothers and sister, along with our children and their families, join me in the hope that people once divided in disagreement will soon feel divided no more.”
Already, the elementary school underwent a name change in early 2019 when the board designated it Fanning Academy of Science and Technology – dropping the word “William” but deciding to keep the Fanning name.
Brea Olinda Unified Superintendent Brad Mason said in a statement Monday, July 6, the district “respectfully honors and accepts the wishes of the Fanning family.” The district will hold a special board meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, to discuss new names, Mason said.
Fanning served the district from 1914 to 1942 as a teacher, principal and superintendent. He helped establish two schools back when Brea was farmland and dirt roads.
Family members alive today say they never heard that Fanning was involved in any kind of racist activities. Rather, his grandson said in an interview, Fanning bucked the notion that white children and children of color should be taught in separate schools – advocating for all Brea students to attend the same schools.
In the 1950s, Fanning organized an exchange one Sunday of congregants between his church and an African American church in Los Angeles.
“I stood beside my grandfather at our church welcoming the pastor and our visitors,” the younger Fanning recalled. “It was a wonderful experience. He and my parents set examples like that throughout our lives.”
When accusations surfaced that Fanning had associated with the Ku Klux Klan, William L. Fanning said: “We listened and asked questions and did research.”
The list of names appeared in a file labeled “KKK” at the Anaheim Public Library, Fanning said. However, neither the family nor the school district could verify the origin of the list, which did not itself reference the Ku Klux Klan. “No title, no date – it could have been for anything,” he said.
Still, the ugly implications cast a long shadow. At the school board meeting on June 25, more than 50 public speakers demanded the school be renamed.
“We did not want to re-litigate the issue,” said Fanning, 73, a retired hotel developer. “There are more important things happening in the world.”
His family decided to give the district a deadline rather than let the painful debate fester.
“Now is not the time to hesitate or be cautious,” Fanning said. “Conflict resolution works better the faster you move ahead. An awakening is happening in our country. Let the healing begin.”
