This is the first story of a series focused on Korey Santor’s mission of building a functional replica of the 1913 Ford Model T school bus. The Westside Connect will report on each phase of Santor’s project in the future.

Located near the borderline of Stanislaus County is a town named Newman. The town, founded in 1888, is often associated with an area local residents refer to as “the West Side”.

While a rural town can be overlooked, Newman is home to one of the industrial innovations of the 20th century with the 1913 Ford Model T school bus. The invention, created by Frank  Patchett, became the first motorized school bus in California in a time where the only transportation was by horse-drawn wagons.

The school bus was later used that same year by Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District for student transportation and known as the “First Student’s Number One Bus,” according to First Student Inc. Patchett’s creation set the foundation of student transportation.

Now more than 100 years later, Korey Santor, a history teacher at Yolo Middle School, is spearheading an initiative of building a functional replica of the vehicle. Santor’s message is simple: To ensure Newman’s history is not forgotten and the vehicle to become a museummobile for future generations.

“History is a passion for me, and so I try to bring that to the kids,” Santor said. “The reason why I got involved with the town is because of my passion [for] history. I wanted to bring that history to the kids.”

Santor’s upbringing and passion for history

While some people stay in the state or city that they grew up in to begin their career, Santor didn’t grow up in California, let alone didn’t rely on the same timezone.

While he was born in the state, his upbringing started in South Hero, Vt. The small town is not only associated for its proximity to the Lake Champlain Islands, but also for Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys. 

Having learned about the history of hometown, Santor grew an appreciation for the subject. In the early 1980s, he was in the Marine Corps and was deployed to Twentynine Palms, Calif. It was his first time as an adult in The Golden State.

His initial impressions of the city was a “huge shock” and felt he was “walking into Mars,” given its desert climate, Santor said.

With his love for history still with him, Santor took a teaching job at Orestimba High School in 2005. He only taught at the site for one year and moved back to Vermont because of a family matter.

While his stay in Newman was cut short, Santor grew fond of the town with it having a similar environment to South Hero. “I grew up with a lot of deep history and a small town,” he said. “One of the things I liked about being in Newman [is] because it’s also a small town.”

As he remained in Vermont for six more years, Santor told his wife that it was time for a fresh start and wanted to move back to Newman. “I told my wife, ‘We’re leaving Vermont, I can’t make a decent living here. I’m going back to Newman and I’m going to start teaching in Newman again,’” he said.

In May 2013, the family moved back to Newman and began a new chapter. Santor got back into teaching, this time as a history teacher at Yolo Middle. Now teaching for the second time, Santor wanted to educate his students about their hometown’s history.

He reached out to then-President of Newman Historical Society Barbara Powell about the history of town. When the two met, Powell gave Santor an overview of Newman’s history and Simon Newman’s, the town’s founder, contributions to the area.

Later on, Santor utilized his resources from the Newman City Museum to inform his students on National History Day. From bringing them to the museum to searching for artifacts, the students were taught something. One student, coincidentally, saw his great grandfather mentioned in a police arrest log, Santor said.

On that same day, Santor and his students learned about the 1913 Ford Model T school bus. Upon learning that it was built in Newman, it captivated the South Hero native’s attention.

“When we learned about the story of the school bus, I was like, ‘This is amazing. I mean, it’s a first of something,’” Santor said.

With interest in the vehicle, Santor attempted to find a replica model. However, it didn’t go as planned as his attempt was unsuccessful. With time and research invested into the idea, Santor decided to go a different direction: Build a functioning replica of the vehicle. 

As he learns about the various parts used to build the school bus, Santor has a folder that contains multiple pages with detail on the specific parts, including its functions.

“I want to make something that looks like that bus, but is going to be functional, where it would be a living museum,” he said.

How can people help out?

Santor is currently forming a committee with individuals who are interested in helping with the project.

People interested can apply to the following positions:

●     Technical Advisors

●     Project Coordinators

●     Treasurer

●     Secretary

●     Marketing & Public Relations

●     Grant Writers

●     Fundraising Stewards

Individuals interested or have any questions are recommended to contact ksantor@nclusd.k12.ca.us