On September 11, the basement of the Newman Museum buzzed with energy as members of the Newman Historical Society, community residents, and representatives from the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District gathered to discuss an ambitious project: bringing back the first motorized school bus in California history.
The discussion was led by Korey Santor, a teacher at Yolo Middle School and longtime supporter of local history education. For the past decade, Santor has involved students in National History Day projects that often highlight Newman’s unique past. Recently, with extra time on his hands, he dug deeper into the story of Newman’s role in transportation history.
His conclusion was striking: Newman is undeniably the birthplace of California’s first motorized school bus…