 In 1933 , when Roddenberry was twelve years old , the family moved to <unk> Monte Vista in the shadow of Mount Washington , and he began attending Luther Burbank Junior High School . This was the house that Roddenberry would later describe as his childhood home . His father helped the boys obtain local jobs ; Gene worked as a newspaper delivery boy and as a gas station attendant on Saturdays , and after school . The young Roddenberry moved to Franklin High School during the middle years of the Great Depression . His father was relatively unaffected by the Great Depression because of his stable employment with the police department . The family distributed food to friends and family who were in need . Glen 's parents and her younger sister <unk> moved into the house for a time before finding other accommodation in Redondo Beach . During his time at Franklin , Roddenberry joined the Varsity Debate Team and was a member of the Authors Club under Mrs. Virginia Church . He graduated in 1939 . 
