Here is an article from Roosevelt’s Teddy Times Newspaper about Dave Perea’s retirement this year. RHS Class of 1969.

47 years as an RHS P.E. Teacher who served as Basketball and Tennis Coach as well as Athletic Director.

FAREWELL TO MR. DAVID PEREA:

The End of an Athletic Era

By: Richard Morales and Ferny Navarro

“I bleed red and gold,” David Perea said. Many people know Mr. Perea as the PE teacher but he’s more than that. He’s been at Roosevelt for most of his life seven decades. He was a teacher, coach, and counselor.

He now serves as boys’s Tennis coach, athletic director, and department chair of P.E.

This will be unfortunately his last year because of retirement and possibly last tennis season, where he’s hoping for a CIF tennis ring.

As a student in the late 1960s, Perea experienced Roosevelt’s golden era of athletics.

“Basketball and football teams were competing in city championships yearly. My senior year, our basketball team was incredibly diverse Black, Samoan, Latino, and Asian players all united on the court, he recalled. “Boyle Heights itself is a melting pot of cultures.”

The coach often reflects on his time in Boyle Heights, sharing stories of the community’s history and its evolution over the years. Every memory he recounts and every effort he makes ties back to one thing giving back to Roosevelt.

Retirement won’t mean a complete goodbye, though. Perea plans to stay connected to Roosevelt by coaching boys’ tennis if allowed and continuing to support the school that’s been his home for so long.

“This school isn’t just a place-it’s a family. It’s where I found my footing as a young boy, where I built my career, and where I’ve had the privilege of shaping countless lives. I’ve watched this community grow, change, and persevere. Leaving doesn’t mean goodbye; Roosevelt will always be in my heart.” David Perea signing out.

Photos by Eddie RuvalcabaÂ