Back in the 1960s, students left behind written tributes to one of the school's most beloved figures of all time: a domestic shorthair cat. His name was Room 8. He died on August 13, 1968 -- 50 ...

The students named him “Room 8” after the classroom he showed a preference for. The cat disappeared during vacations and summers – only to reappear each fall on the first day of school.

For some of the kids at Elysian Heights Elementary, he was the pet they never had, a portly cat dubbed Room 8 by the kids in, yes, Room 8. The gray-striped tabby roamed the halls of the Echo Park ...

A personal connection triggered Mr. Vargo's interest in this topic. "I'm proud to say I was a student at Elysian Heights and knew Room 8. Room 8 was the most famous cat in Los Angeles," Roger once ...