As one of the few teachers at Oak Park High School with a doctorate degree, Dr. Victor Anderson impresses students through his extensive knowledge of history and law. Even though he lectures about the past, Anderson is definitely OPHS’s modern historical hero, admired by students and faculty alike.
From the start, Anderson was immersed in divergent environments, laying the groundwork for his rich experiences and colorful stories.
“I had an interesting childhood,” Anderson said. “My dad and mom divorced when I was young. So I would come up to the Thousand Oaks and Malibu area to see my father, who had a Rolls-Royce, a Bentley, Ferraris, tennis courts and a pool—that kind of life. My day-to-day existence was with my step dad and my mom, who had horses, chickens, cows, pigs and goats.”
Anderson further developed his love for adventure through cherished memories with his grandparents. Together they engaged in hiking with their dogs, off-roading in their Jeep and exploring the Sierra Nevadas.
“I got my love of wilderness, wildlife and mountains from my grandparents,” Anderson said.
While attending Norco High School, Anderson was a bright student driven by passion and ambition. He played three different sports—tennis, track and football—ended up playing tennis in college and excelled in all subjects.
“I loved school,” Anderson wrote. “My favorite subjects were math, science and history”.
As Anderson progressed into college, he was offered a spot at Stanford but turned it down for financial reasons. Even so, he obtained a great education through many schools including the University of Riverside, Boston University, California Lutheran University and Ventura College of Law. Although he thinks about what Stanford would’ve been like, he has no regrets.
“[I think it would’ve been different] given the opportunities at Stanford; however, I met my wife at UCR and married shortly after graduation,” Anderson wrote.
During his many years at college, Anderson studied Russian, among other subjects. He was able to retain copious amounts of useful information that he uses to this day. Getting to know his professors and going to classes were his favorite parts of college.
“I loved my classes and my professors,” Anderson wrote. “I was a Biomedical Science major for two years before I majored in Russian Studies and History”.
After taking on one of his favorite classes with a close professor, he was invited to take a trip to the Soviet Union in 1987 where he had the opportunity to visit historical sites.
“One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Lenin’s cars,” Anderson said. “Since Lenin was the leader of the Communist Party, you would think that he had a Russian car, but the Russian cars back then were unreliable, so instead he had several of the tzar’s Rolls-Royces.”
Following his graduation, Anderson went on to attend commercial diving school. Convinced that was where his career was headed, Anderson served four years on the Riverside County Sheriff’s Underwater Search and Recovery Team. Eventually, though, Anderson realized that commercial diving was not the right fit.
“It was dark, deep and dangerous,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s determination and adaptability have allowed him to undertake countless careers. Before he was a member of OPHS’s faculty, Anderson was a structural carpenter, construction cost estimator and attorney.
“One day I was coaching my son’s youth football team and he says, ‘Dad, have you ever thought about being a teacher?’” Anderson said. “I’m not going to be a teacher [I said, but after taking the four required courses for the teachers’ program], I could go into the teacher program. That’s how I ended up doing it.”
Now that Anderson has been teaching for 24 years, he’s come to enjoy the sweet things life has to offer, like listening to music, watching movies and taking care of his animals.
“I love everything from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to Celine Dion and Shaboozey,” Anderson wrote. “[As for movies], my favorite is ‘The Human Condition,’ a nine-and-a-half hour trilogy of Japanese epic war drama films co-written and directed by Masaki Kobayashi, based on the novel of the same name by Junpei Gomikawa.”
Anderson’s resume is endless and includes a love for scuba diving with over 4,000 dives, as well as skiing with his wife. Anderson continues to reflect on his special adventures, especially with his son.
“We mountain biked, skied, wake boarded and boogie boarded,” Anderson said. “We traveled to Mexico, Russia, Norway, France, England and Scotland.”
Through all his years of teaching, Anderson’s final word of advice is to live life in the present and to be happy.
“Live life to the fullest and be happy–that’s number one,” Anderson said.
