Ain’t it GRAND!!

Just got this note from Bob Ellis:

“Ed, I am not sure how many fellow classmates are GREAT grandfathers or grandmothers, but add me to the list.. VERY VERY PROUD…” -Bob

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Meet Georgia Leone Swanon!

A "Ships in the Night" tale

This is the story of two CHS54 grads who, for years attended the same event hundreds of miles from their homes and never even knew the other one was there.

Until this year! For years, Don and Letty Nance have made it a point to attend the outstandingly entertaining Story Telling festival in Tennesee. The same festival that Ellouise Diggle Schoettler and husband Jim also attend annually.

As Ellouise tells it,

“ The back story on this is that we found out at the 70th birthday party that we had been in Jonesborough for the Festival at the same time for several years and never run into one another – so Don wrote and we made a date to meet this year.

FUN!. really nice to have a shared interest with a classmate – a new connection – would that be new wine in an old wine skin – well something like that. Donald and I first met at Piedmont Jr. High School. Letty is a doll and Jim and I had a great time getting to know more of them on the sacred ground of story.”

And Don said,

“This event is one of the best events that Letty and I go to each year. The stories are great. We laughed a lot. Those who tell the stories remind us of the past, and they encourage us to continue to tell our stories to others in the future.”

(CLick to enlarge)

CHS Slide Show

Folks,

We’re all pretty excited about the new face on our old building. Of course, seeing the old building almost as it was conjured up thoughts and feelings in my mind of the old building.

But, of course, it wasn’t the building; it was the people.

This is my feeble effort to “rewind the tape.”

Ed’s short CHS Slideshow

Our New Face

Warren Sparrow weighs in on our old building’s face lift:

Ed:

It is gratifying to see the changes to the facade at Central. My sister was in the Class of 1959 and yesterday she told me how glad she was to see the old building restored to its original look. I, too, teared up a bit when we drove past.

Our drive up Elizabeth Avenue caused a sense of pride. It also caused an old grievance to surface. The old grievance is this: I was disappointed when the replacement school was named “Garringer.” I have never gotten over it. It has nothing to do with Dr.Garringer. It has to do with the short-sightedness of those who decided to name the new school after him. How could they transfer all the indicia of Central to the new school without transferring the name? What a pity. Apparently, the gods were not pleased, either. Who could blame them? No wonder Garringer has lost so many football games. No wonder the geese have destroyed Garringer’s football field.

Naming the new school Garringer was a bad decision. I hope those responsible understand what they did to those who went to Central and to those who followed in their footsteps at Garringer. A rich history was diminished, almost lost, for both groups by politicians who failed to see the long view.

All of us who went to Central are indebted to those who pressed for the renovation. They have rendered Charlotte and us a great service. Nevertheless, it is hard for me to forgive those who gave up on Central when it really mattered.

Warren Sparrow
Central High School, Class of 1954

Warren brings up a good point. Frankly, it never crossed my mind that they might name it the “New Central” or something like that. To my way of thinking, that would be like putting lipstick on a pig, or putting a tuxedo on a monkey. When they closed that old building on Elizabeth Ave, as far as I was concerned, Central no longer existed. No point in keeping it on life support by pretending the old school was still alive by calling another building miles away “Central.” If they had, there would always have been an asterisk by the name.

However, I wish they would change the name of the University that I went to. It still carries the same name that’s on my diploma, but it sure as heck ain’t the same school I went to! I’m embarrassed to ever mention that I even went there. -Ed

The staff here at CHS54.COM would love to hear from you folks on your reaction to the new facade, OR anything you want to mention!

Email me at Ed Myers

Dedication

C H S is BACK!

Kinda………………Jerry Gaudet our ace reporter has that story:
(Click on pictures to enlarge them)

9/30/07…The completion of the remodeled Central High School building was celebrated with a re-dedication and multi-class reunion held on Sunday, September 30, 2007.

Photo 1 below – About 300 Central High School alumni attended the celebration. The venue was the front lawn of Central Piedmont Community College’s Overcash Building, across Elizabeth Avenue from the school (where the Maid used to be).

Photo 2 below – Welcome and Remarks were made by Dr. Tony Zeiss, President of CPCC, Legacy Campaign Co-Chairs Patsy Kinsey, Class of 1959 (the last class) and Jim Beatty, Class of 1953. Jack Claiborne, Class of 1951, brought “The Evolution of the High School”. Jim Babb, Class of 1951, gave an update of the Legacy Campaign and introduced Amanda Armstrong, Central High Legacy Fund Scholor for 2007, who expressed her great thanks.

Photo 3 below – Our Assistant Principal, Ed Sanders, was an honored guest. To the left of Mr. Sanders was Betty Cunningham and to the right was his son. Continuing clockwise were Mary Rand Norton Kratt, Jean Willis (Mrs. Charles) and Charlie’s ear. Mr. Gault, Piedmont’s Principal, and his wife were also in attendance.

Photo 4 below – The celebrants where seated at tables marked by decades (several tables were marked 1950). In addition to those named above, CHS’54 was also represented by Sylvia Arnold Regehr and Jim, Jeanette Berryhill Bryant, Barry Clark’s sister, Arlene Higgins, (herself, Class of ‘59), Pat and Jerry Gaudet, Patsy and Martin Hill, and Anna Lynn Smith-Peterson Kearse. If other CHS’54 classmates were in attendance, they were lost in the crowd.

Photo 5 below – After a countdown, confetti flew and baloons lifted to the heavens amid shouts of celebration.
Photos by Jerry Gaudet
Jerry also found this videof the event on the Charlotte.com website.