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How the Legend Began
It’s been more than 50 years since Lynn Aase started a Model United Nations program at a public SoCal high school known more for surfing than academics and brashly took its first cohort across the country to compete at the Harvard MUN conference. From the beginning, Aase had big plans. He saw MUN as a way to transform honors academics into competitive sport. And he intended to have his team play in the big leagues.
Aase started out a promising young pitcher who signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1956, but an injury ended that career after just one year. He turned to teaching history and coaching baseball, first at a high school in Brea, California, and then in 1971 at Huntington Beach High School. Looking for ways to spice up his teaching, Aase checked out an MUN conference held at Cal State Fullerton. When he saw how intensely young people vied to solve world problems—and to win the gavels handed out to top delegates—he made two decisions: he would start an MUN program at HBHS, and he would coach it so that his team took home more gavels than any other school.
At most public schools, MUN is taught as an after-school club. But Aase somehow convinced his new principal to tackle MUN by diving whole-hog into the nation’s largest conference: Harvard. That first year in Boston, the HBHS team took home no gavels, but the valuable lessons learned there led to a string of successes at California conferences. A new course dedicated to MUN was soon launched, followed by a summer preparatory program. Under Aase’s coaching, HBHS began sweeping awards at conferences throughout the state, the nation, and the world.
At most public schools, MUN is taught as an after-school club. But Aase somehow convinced his new principal to tackle MUN by diving whole-hog into the nation’s largest conference: Harvard. That first year in Boston, the HBHS team took home no gavels, but the valuable lessons learned there led to a string of successes at California conferences. A new course dedicated to MUN was soon launched, followed by a summer preparatory program. Under Aase’s coaching, HBHS began sweeping awards at conferences throughout the state, the nation, and the world.
Aase’s CommitmentFor 31 years, Lynn Aase introduced hundreds of students to dozens of complex global issues and conflicts. He motivated students to research, think, strategize, debate, and lead. Before each conference he set up a “roast” at which students mercilessly grilled their peers. With an infamous grin, he gloated over dominating awards ceremonies and challenged each class to uphold “The Legacy.” Aase was tough—but he instilled confidence and camaraderie. Students learned not only about the world, but also about themselves. And after going over logistics, Aase always took a moment to lower his voice and make an announcement that if someone could not afford the costs associated with a conference, to come see him later in private. Behind the scenes, he and other teachers discreetly pooled personal funds to help out. Aase’s generosity also extended to the extra time he put into the program—driving students to UCLA or UCI to research as well as traveling to multiple overnight conferences throughout the year.
Aase retired in 2004, leaving the program in the hands of teachers he mentored. HBHS’s reputation as a powerhouse in MUN continues 50 years later. When Lynn Aase died in April 2021, some of us lucky enough to have had him as a teacher paid tribute at his memorial service and online. Over and over, his students attributed later academic and professional success to experiences they had in the MUN program he started.
Legacy Lives OnWe want to make sure Aase’s legacy lives on. Aase challenged students, then empowered them. His legacy lives on in the accomplishments of the students he mentored. This nonprofit honors and extends that legacy by making sure top students in HBHS MUN can compete at elite conferences by providing travel grants to families in need.
Legacy Lives OnWe want to make sure Aase’s legacy lives on. Aase challenged students, then empowered them. His legacy lives on in the accomplishments of the students he mentored. This nonprofit honors and extends that legacy by making sure top students in HBHS MUN can compete at elite conferences by providing travel grants to families in need.
50 Years of HBHS MUN in 90 Seconds. Watch on YouTube.
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