Below are some of my findings. It is quite possible that NOTHING below is true. It is bits and pieces I picked up from various websites (“it must be true, I saw it on the Internets”) or found in old newspapers (“Dewey Wins!”) or just made up because nothing else made sense.

PLEASE!!! I need your help. I will update this post as comments are received from our loyal follower(s?). I’m 99% sure there are schools completely missing from this timeline (Siloam?, others?). I’m also 99% sure my original timeline is wrong. Let’s make this the one place on the Internet where people can find a complete history of Greene County high schools. Thanks.
 

 
¹ Rome News-Tribune, Nov. 30, 1955:
“A truck collision…took a life…in Georgia yesterday.
Floyd Thomas Corry, 56, Greene County school superintendent for 19 years, died in a collision of his pickup truck and another driven by [name withheld] at Siloam. Sheriff L. L. Wyatt said [name withheld] of Rt. 3, Greensboro, was charged with failing to yield right of way at an intersection. A passenger in Corry’s truck, Hatchett Thornton, of White Plains received head cuts.”

What do you know about Greene County’s high schools?

The following schools have been added:

Albert Einstein High School, Kensington, MD, Titans
Allegany High School, Cumberland, MD, Campers
Annapolis High School, Annapolis, MD, Panthers
Atholton High School, Columbia, MD, Raiders
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Bethesda, MD, Barons
Boonsboro Chase High School, Boonsboro, MD, Warriors
Brunswick High School, Brunswick, MD, Railroaders
Calvert Hall College High School, Towson, MD,
Calvert High School Prince, Frederick, MD, Cavaliers
Catholic High School of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, Cubs
Eastern High School, Baltimore, MD,
Gwynn Park High School, Brandywine, MD, Yellow Jackets
Hannah More Academy, Reisterstown, MD, Eagles
Howard High School, Ellicott City, MD, Lions
Kenwood High School, Baltimore, MD,
Lackey High School, Indian Head, MD, Chargers
Lansdowne Senior High School, Baltimore, MD, Vikings
Middletown High School, Middletown, MD, Knights
Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD, Blazers
Mount Hebron High School, Ellicott City, MD, Vikings
Northwestern High School, Hyattsville, MD, Wildcats
Northwood High School, Silver Spring, MD, Gladiator
Park School of Baltimore, Brooklandville, MD, Bruins
Patterson High School, Baltimore, MD, Clippers
Salisbury High School, Salisbury, MD, Dragons
Southern High School, Baltimore, MD, Bulldogs
Surrattsville High School, Clinton, MD, Hornets
Towson Catholic High School, Towson, MD, Owls
West Nottingham Academy, Colora, MD, Rams
Western High School, Baltimore, MD, Doves
Westminster High School, Westminster, MD, Owls
Wicomico High School, Salisbury, MD, Indians
Winston Churchill High School, Potomac, MD, Bulldogs
Wroxeter High School, Arnold, MD, Mustangs

Paris High School

Greenville, SC
1926-1960

School colors: Black & Yellow
Mascot: Yellow Jackets

—Links—
Paris High on Facebook
Paris School on Facebook
Paris School history
Paris High School Yearbooks

Paris High School was located near Paris Mountain, southwest of Greenville, SC. (Their address was actually Taylors, SC.) The school was situated within the boundaries of Camp Sevier, a major Army training center for soldiers destined to see action during World War I. The first graduating class was in 1930, the last in 1960.

In 1960, Wade Hampton High School was created by consolidating Paris High School and Taylors High School along with some students from Greenville High School.

[from Facebook info:]
Paris High alumni have a Reunion once a year, usually at Lake Robinson in Greer, SC. They also have a breakfast meeting once a month at the Country Ham House on Rutherford Road on the fourth Tuesday of each month, starting at 8:30 AM.

[Just an odd note...]
In 1950, Wade Corn, a standout college football player, graduated from Wofford College. His first coaching job was that fall at Paris High School where he compiled a 10-1 record. He left in 1951 to coach Lancaster High School where he led them to 3 state championship games, winning a state title in 1959.

If you can provide any additional info about Paris High School, please leave a comment below.

Covington High School

606 S. Lexington Avenue
Covington, Alleghany County, Virginia

Mascot: Cougars
School Colors: Royal Blue & Gold

Links:

- Covington Postcards

- Old Yearbooks for Sale

- Covington High School website

- Reunion Apparel

History

The original Covington High School building was a two-story frame structure built in 1894. It was razed in 1916 to make way for Jeter Elementary School (which was demolished in the early 1970′s.) The second Covington High School was a two-story brick building constructed in 1913. When the students moved to the current building in 1939, the old school became the Covington City Hall, until it was demolished in the late 1990′s.

The current three-story building was built in 1939. One-story and two-story additions, including the gym, were added to the rear in 1962. A connecting “hyphen” and elevator bay were added in 1990. The original portion of the building was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The school serves grades 8-12.

Here are a few references I found to Covington High School in old books:

- The 1907 book “Alleghany County, Virginia” (produced by the Chamber of Commerce of Covington, Va.), contains these statements about the school:
The Covington High School is one to which all the pupils in the county, after having completed the work in the primary and grammar grades in their home schools may attend without paying any tuition. The graduates from this High School may enter without examination the University of Virginia, Washington and Lee University, Hampden-Sidney College, and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Lynchburg, Virginia.

- V. E. Ayre was the principal of Covington High School during the 1912-14 school year.

- The “Virginia School Report” for 1912-13 contains this photo of the old Covington High School building.

- State Senator Michael McHale Collins graduated from Covington High School around 1918-1919.

Virginia State Football Champions:
1942 & 1984

In 1978, Shelia Halsey set State Records for the 8-pound Shot Put AND the Discus. Her discus record has since been broken, but her shot put record still stands.

Other State Championships (For whatever reason, The Virginia High School League doesn’t list most records prior to 1980, so this list is almost certainly incomplete.)
1983 – Sean Ginger, Boy’s Golf
1991 – Demond Venable, Long Jump
1992 – Robbie Royston, Wrestling, 119 lb.
1995 – Chris Merrell, 3200-Meter Run
1996 – Jason Stanier, Wrestling, 275 lb.
1997 – Brent Young, 3200-Meter Run
1998 – Justin St. Clair, Wrestling, 215 lb.
1999 – Francis Caravagel, Discus
1999 – Francis Caravagel, Shot Put
2001 – Francis Caravagel, Shot Put
2006 – Patrick Driscoll, Wrestling, 152 lb.
2006 – Randy Phillips, Wrestling, 145 lb.
2007 – Emanuel Alfred, Discus
2008 – Chad Sizemore, Wrestling, 125 lb.
2008 – Emanuel Alfred, Discus
2008 – Emanuel Alfred, Shot Put
2010 – Chris Bowden, Wrestling, 130 lb.
1975 – Wayne Humphries, Boy’s Poetry Reading
Yearbook Trophy Classes: 1925, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1979

Hall of Fame
1994 – Francis Albert, Coach
(Speaking of Coach Francis “Bootie” Albert, there’s this from the Lexington (N.C) Dispatch, May 17, 1956:
HEAVYWEIGHT EATING
COVINGTON, Va. (AP)— Jimmy Karides advertised all the shrimp anyone could eat for $1.35. For two weeks he made a profit on every meal. Then 33 of Covington’s biggest eaters visited his restaurant in a group—and ate 65 pounds of shrimp. Then they wanted more. There were no more and some eaters ordered steaks. The champion eater, to the surprise of nobody, was Bootie Albert, 285-pound coach of Covington High School. His score: 200 shrimp.

If you can add anything to the history (or just memories) of Covington High School, Covington, VA, please leave a comment below.

John R. Hawkins High School

W. Franklin St.
Warrenton, NC

Mascot: Bulldog
Colors: Blue & White

John R. Hawkins High School was opened in 1924 for grades eight thru eleven. The first graduating class was in 1929 and the last graduating class was in 1969. When the school closed, all of the students moved to John Graham High School.

A 1935 report on educational opportunities for African-Americans in North Carolina contained the following note for Warren County:
“Two schools offer secondary work — the County Training School and the JR Hawkins High School at Warrenton. Each school serves, roughly, half of the county.”

Brief notes extracted from meeting minutes of the Warren County Board of Education:
- The gymnasium burned in 2003.
- The Warrenton Fire Department volunteered to burn down the rest of the school in 2005, but when they found asbestos in the glue under some floor tiles, that plan was scrapped.
- Bids were receivd for the demolition of the Hawkins High School building in January, 2006.
- At the same meeting, conditional approval was granted to donate bricks from the building to Hawkins Alumni and Friends, Inc.

In September, 2009, a commemorative sign was erected at the site of the former school. Here is a news article written about the unveiling.
And here is the Google Street View of the site taken sometime before the sign was erected. The site is now the home of the Warren County Senior Center and Warren New Tech High School.

———Links———

Here is a link to the John R. Hawkins High School alumni group on Facebook.

Hawkins High School has an active alumni association, the John R. Hawkins Alumni and Friends Inc.

The Hawkins High School Class of 1960 has a very nice website.

This link points to a page containing a newspaper article about Principal J. Estes Byers leaving Hawkins to take over West Cary High School.

Here’s our blog post about John Graham High School.

If you can add any information about John R. Hawkins High School, PLEASE leave a comment below. Thanks.

Kershaw, SC

Originally called Welsh’s Station, “In the early 1900s Kershaw flourished as a prosperous farming/industrial community with turpentine distilleries, gold mining, a cotton mill and an oil mill. Haile Gold Mine continues to operate today. Kershaw’s historic district, mostly residential, includes a number of the most beautiful Southern homes in the region, and its business district features a variety of unique shops featuring antiques, collectibles and pottery. Over 1900 folks reside in Kershaw.”
( source Lancaster Chamber of Commerce )

Kershaw County and Lancaster County were created in 1785, but the exact location of the boundary line was disputed until, in 1907, the State Legislature set the Lancaster County/Kershaw County line right through the middle of the Town of Kershaw’s business district. During the ensuing years, most new development tended to occur on the Lancaster County side. In 1954, Lancaster County started a drive to annex the town of Kershaw which was successfully completed in 1977.
( reference The Town of Kershaw, by Louise Pettus )

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Kershaw High School

School Colors: Purple & White
Nickname: Eagles

In 1969, Kershaw High School, Heath Springs High School and Flat Creek High were consolidated to form Andrew Jackson High School. The following year, Hillside High School was closed and also merged into Andrew Jackson.

Links

Eagles Reunion Apparel

Kershaw County School District High School Alumni & Reunion Contacts

Facebook group: You know you are from Kershaw, SC if…

Alumni in the News

Marion Boan was the Kershaw Eagles’ football coach for 15 years before retiring after the 1961 school year. Part of his 1996 obituary reads: “Marion Boan devoted his life to the people of the town of Kershaw, first as a coach who won state high school championships in football and baseball, and later as the town’s Recreation Department director.” His son, Billy Boan, was an All-State football player at Kershaw, then went on to become a SC State Representative, Chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and chief of staff to former Gov. Jim Hodges.

Here’s an interview with Arthur Smith, who graduated from Kershaw High School, then went on to create The Arthur Smith Show, the first nationally-syndicated country music TV show.

Football in the News

Kershaw was humiliated in the first game of the 1962 season, losing to Winthrop Training School, 26-0. “They beat the stuffings out of us,” said a dejected Eagle Coach Bill Few. Asked if he had hopes for better showings during the season, he replied “I hope to heck we do.”
( source: The Rock Hill Herald, Aug 28, 1962 )

In 1959, the Rock Hill Herald ran an ad, comparing their coverage of another Kershaw-Winthrop Training football game to the coverage provided by two competing newspapers. Depending on which paper you read, the critical play was a WTS punt return by either Chan Snypp, Cran Snypp or Cran Snepp. And somebody won the game, 6-0, depending on which paper you read.
( source: The Rock Hill Herald, Sep 9, 1959 )

In the 1951 State Championship game, the last play of the game was a 34-yard run by Mullins High School’s Jackie Powers. The play started from Kershaw’s 36-yard line, with the Eagle’s defense stopping Powers on the 2-yard line as time expired.
The Eagles line-up:
Harry Hicks, Billy Joe Catoe, Marion Faulkenbury, Phillips, Jackie Pardue, E. Catoe, Martin Carson, Glen Gardner, Charles Blaich, David Reeves, Malcolm McIsaac.
( source: The News and Courier, Dec 1, 1951 )

Let’s play “Find Your Grandparents”
The starting lineup for the 1934 Kershaw Eagles: Truesdale, H?(unreadable), Bell, Cunningham, Williams, H. Garner, C. Roberts, Hayes, R. Roberts, E. Gardner, Rice.
( source: The Rock Hill Herald, Sep 29, 1934 )

Let’s play “Find Your Great-Grandparents”
The starting lineup for the 1924 Kershaw Eagles: Croxton, Gregory, Taylor, Hagler, A. Faulkenbury, Fletcher, Williams, Hilton, Jones, Culvern, P. Faulkenbury. The referenced article states that Kershaw played the game with no substitutes, meaning these eleven boys played offense and defense for the entire 60 minutes.
( source: The Rock Hill Herald, Oct 4, 1924 )

Athletics

Football

1951 Class B State Champs, Coach Marion Boan, defeated Mullins High School Auctioneers
1964 Class B State Champs, Coach W. E. Few, defeated Bamberg High School
1965 Class B State Runner-Up, Coach W. E. Few, lost to East Clarendon High School
1966 Class B State Champs, Coach W. E. Few, defeated Lamar High School
1967 Class B State Runner-Up, Coach W. E. Few, lost to Allendale-Fairfax High School

Boys Golf
Class B State Champs: 1964, 1965, 1966

Baseball
1953-1954 Class B State Champs, Coach Marion Boan, defeated Marion High School
1954-1955 Class B State Runner-Up, lost to Marion High School

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This has little to do with Kershaw High School, but I thought it was interesting:

Prior to 1945, South Carolina public schools only had 11 grades. The State Legislature added 12th grade after educators claimed that adding the extra year would allow them to expand curricula choices and put SC students ahead of students from other states when they entered college.

In 1949, Senator Kennedy, of Kershaw, intoduced an amendment to a state budget bill to eliminate 12th grade, thus reducing the amount of state money spent on public education. He claimed that, rather than expanding students’ educations, the schools were merely stretching out 11-years worth of teaching over 12 years, allowing more time for recess and basketball.

The amendment was eventually dropped, but not before putting the Department of Education “on notice” that they must show some proof that the 12th grade had some benefit if they wanted to keep it in the next budget.

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Are you an Eagles alumni?
We need your help! Please leave a comment below telling everyone what you remember about Kershaw High School. We couldn’t find anything about early schools in Kershaw, SC or when KHS was founded. Was there another school building before the one on N. Matson St.? Any info you can add will be appreciated by us and your fellow alumni. Thanks.

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The motto of the school was “Non Ministrari-Sed Ministrare”, Not To Be Ministered Unto But To Minister (more commonly translated as Not To Be Served, But To Serve.)

The first headmaster of the school was Rev. G. Gardner Monks. Rev. Monks served until 1946, when he was succeeded by Rev. Robert L. Curry.
Athletics was a big part of Lenox School’s student life. Lacrosse, skiing, tennis, football, soccer, sailing, fencing and squash were all played at one time or another, but hockey was the undisputed king of sports. Hockey used to be practiced on a frozen pond on the Lenox School property. Whenever it snowed, the students had to shovel the pond before they could practice.

Lenox School for Boys closed in 1971, amid growing financial difficulties that were plaguing many New England private schools. For the most part, the buildings still stand today. After the school closed, it was owned for two years by the Bordentown Military Institute, who operated it jointly with Fox Hollow School as the Bordenton-Lenox School. It was later bought by Bible Speaks, then sold to the National Music Foundation, and was more recently purchased by Shakespeare & Company. The 70,000 sq. ft. hockey rink is now the home of the Production and Performing Arts Center and the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre.

Friends of Lenox Donate Pew End to Trinity Chapel

[In 1937, the "friends of Lenox School" donated a pew end to the chapel at Trinity College, a men's college about 70 miles from Lenox in Hartford, Connecticutt. We wondered why they were making the donation and why they chose Trinity chapel. The following is the result of our research. If you have any corrections or additions to our info, please leave a comment, below.]

Rev. Dr. William G. Thayer was a great friend and mentor of Lenox headmaster Rev. G. Gardner Monks. Rev. Thayer was the long-time headmaster of St. Mark’s School and Rev. Monks had been one of his outstanding students. They worked together on several projects over the years. Indeed, Rev. Thayer appears to have been the driving force behind the founding of Lenox School.

At some point, he had been asked to write a report on the state of private schools in New England. The report solidified a concern he had often encountered as headmaster of St. Mark’s. Many bright, industrious, energetic boys were being turned away from private schools because of finances or circumstances. He envisioned a school where boys could be educated based on merit rather than the wealth and connections of their families. Working with the Protestant Episcopal Church of New England, Lenox School was opened in 1926. The obvious choice for headmaster was his protege, Rev. Monks.

When Rev. Thayer died in 1934, his standing in the church and in people’s hearts was apparent, as witnessed by the list of attendees at his funeral. It was attended by the presidents of such schools as Harvard, Yale and Trinity College and by hundreds of clergy and former students.

The “friends of Lenox” wanted to create a lasting memorial to the man who had done so much for Lenox School, the Episcopalian Church and, really, anyone with whom he came into contact. The president of the Lenox School Board of Trustees was Dr. Remsen B. Ogilby, president of Trinity College and long-time friend of Rev. Thayer. Dr. Ogilby had overseen the building of the chapel at Trinity College in 1932. He and Rev. Monks recognized the opportunity to pay tribute to their great friend by dedicating one of the chapel pews in his honor.

The pew end was carved by J. Gregory Wiggins, who had done all the other carving in Trinity Chapel. It was unveiled at the 5 o’clock vespers on May 23, 1937. The original plan was for the Lenox upper classmen to tour the Trinity College campus and inspect the new pew end, but since the entire faculty made the trip, it is also possible the entire student body attended the ceremonies. The presentation of the pew end was made by Rev. Monks and Dr. Ogilby made an acceptance speech and presented the blessing.

In addition to the Lenox School crest, the carved pew end depicts a scene of St. Martin (patron saint of Lenox) sharing half his cloak with a shivering beggar at the gates of Amiens. It incorporates the lion of St. Mark on the armpiece (representative of Dr. Thayer’s beloved St. Mark’s School) and a hockey player on the finials (representing Lenox School’s favorite sport.) The general background is intended to be suggestive of the hill in the Berkshires on which Lenox School is located. The pew end may still be found at the chapel at Trinity College. As you face the altar, it is located on the left side of the aisle. It is the front pew in the second section of pews.

[If you’re steady-handed, you may be able to find the pew in this virtual tour of the Trinity College Chapel.

Notable alumni (from wikipedia article Lenox School for Boys)
Robert C. Seamans, Jr., Secretary of the Air Force under Richard Nixon
John Allen Gable, (1961), executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association until his death
Lucien A. Hold, (1965), a comedy-club talent booker and manager who helped discover and promote the early careers of New York comedians Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler.
Kirk Scharfenberg, (1961), a distinguished journalist who worked for the New York Times and the Boston Globe. He shared the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Journalism given to the Boston Globe for “Local Investigative Specialized Reporting”. He was also famous for an editorial of March 15, 1980, under the headline: “Mush from the Wimp”. This referred to a proposal by then President Carter. The headline was inadvertently included in a printed edition of the Globe.
Robert L. Crosby, (1961), a Swift Boat captain in Vietnam, where he died, was a friend of presidential candidate John Kerry.
Clifton O. Dummett, (1961), a dental professor at LSU who helped integrate the New Orleans Yacht club, now deceased. He was a known for his dental lectures on pediatric dentistry.

Miscellaneous Mentions of Lenox School on the Web
Lenox Reunion Apparel
Oral History Project, Interview with Dr. Robert Seamans. A former Lenox student talks about his impressions of Lenox School and his relationship with Rev. Monks.
Skiing workouts at Beartown State Forest.
Photos from the 2006 Lenox School Reunion.
Photos from the 2008 Lenox School Reunion.
Miscellaneous old and new Lenox School photos.
1966 graduation photos.
Old photo postcards of Lenox, MA, including St. Martin’s Hall.
Some more recent photos in and around Lenox School on Flickr.
A 2009 article about Shakespeare & Co.,current residents of the Lenox School grounds.
Aerial map showing location of Shakespeare & Company
History of the Town of Lenox
History of the Berkshire Country Day School who occupied parts of the Lenox School campus from time to time.
Massachusetts: A Guide to Its Places and People mentions “The Lenox Boys School, a group of fine, yellow-painted clapboarded buildings with extensive grounds…”
A short history of the Spring Lawn Mansion, home of Lenox School for Boys.
Lenox School was bought by the Bordenton Military Institute.
In Labrador Doctor: My Life with the Grenfell Mission, Dr. William Anthony Paddon tells of his days at Lenox School between 1926 and 1931.
In his book Wooden Boats: In Pursuit of the Perfect Craft at an American Boatyard, Michael Ruhlman recalls the one term he spent at Lenox School for Boys before “dropping out and heading for Texas.”
As of this writing, 2 copies of the 24-page pamphlet Lenox School: “Not to Be Served But to Serve”, by Rev. Robert L. Curry were available at Amazon.com.
Lenox School yearbooks and memorabilia on eBay.
A portion of the Lenox School grounds is now the home of the Kemble Inn.
Google Street View of Lenox School grounds from Kemble Street.

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We are still working on this page. There is much more to be added. PLEASE send us your memories of Lenox School. It will make this post much more enjoyable for other alumni.

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(click image for Google Street View)

Olanta High School Gym

Olanta High School

Hwy 301
Olanta, South Carolina

Mascot: Bearcats
Colors: Red & Black
Photo: Olanta Elementary and High School

Olanta High School was opened about 1909 and closed in 1985.

The first high school yearbook was published in 1928, THE OLANTAN.

About everything I know about Olanta comes from this History of Olanta, SC.

Here’s a couple of quotes from the History:
In 1923, a two story block building was built near where the Olanta School facility is located today. In 1957 that would be torn down and a new High School would be built. That facility would remain in use as the Olanta High School until 1985 when children of High School age would be transported to Lake City. The facility would then become a part of the Olanta Elementary School facility for the area and remains to this date.

And the history of Olanta would not be complete without the picture of a school that meant so much to a lot of the readers of this history, that being the Olanta Elementary School… The school was built in 1951 and would serve the area until 2001 when it was removed and replaced with today’s structure.

———— Olanta Bearcats Sports ————

Baseball

• State Champions
  1951-52
  1962-63
  1963-64
  1964-65
  1965-66 (that’s right, 4 State Championships in a row!)

Football

• State Runners-Up
  1935-36

Basketball

• Class A State Runners-Up
  1968-69

Olanta alumnus, Don Buddin, was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

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Olanta High School Bearcat
Alumni on Facebook

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We would really like to round out this history of Olanta High School. Please leave your memories of Olanta by adding a comment below.

There isn’t much information available for Bidwell School on the web, but for a few years it was one of the top private schools in the country. Below is a collection of facts, articles and conjectures about Bidwell School. Hopefully some alumni will jump in and fill in the spaces.

Bidwell School may have opened in temporary facilities sometime between 1965 and 1967. The main Bidwell School building was constructed on 67 acres of rural Joaquin County farmland at 12755 N Hwy. 88, Lodi, California in 1967-68. It was a 12,000 sq. ft. single-story white wood building. An additional 546 sq. ft. shop storage building was also built. Various sources give further details about the school:
- east of Stockton, southeast of Lodi, between Live Oak Rd and Harney Lane
- across from Fraser Ranchettes
- 15 miles from the population center
- 5 miles from nearest fire department
- had its own water and sewage system

When the school closed (in 1973?), it was comprised of a lower school (grades K-5), middle school (grades 6-8) and an upper school (grades 9-12).

The Bidwell School yearbook was called the “Attica” and the student newspaper was the “Easy Writer” (great name!).

A quick look at Google Map’s satellite view shows the school sitting in the middle of thousands of acres of farmland. It’s interesting that the 1971 Attica Yearbook contains a photo of a crop-duster (an ad for Agrico Flight Futures). In 1984, when the Bidwell School building was being used as a juvenile rehabilitation center, a “pesticide drift” from a nearby farm sent 34 boys to the hospital with respiratory distress.

We would like to create alumni apparel for Bidwell School, but we couldn’t find the school colors or determine if they had a mascot.

We don’t know to what degree Bidwell School participated in interscholastic sports. They had an enviable archery program and girl’s volleyball was introduced in 1971. The middle school had a basketball program at least between 1970 and 1972.

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— Online Yearbooks
— Yearbook Reprints For Sale
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Below is a list of news stories about the Bidwell School. (These articles are all from the archives of the Lodi News-Sentinel.) The next to last one, A Long Talk with George Creary, is very interesting.

May 6 1965: Private Prep School to be Built South of Lodi

July 17, 1965: Educators of World Picked for Bidwell

September 11, 1965: Dedication of Bidwell School Set for Monday

November 13, 1965: Three Named to Bidwell School Board

November 13, 1965: Bidwell School Hosts Reception Thanksgiving

December 11, 1965: Bidwell Prep School to Build Site Near Lodi

July 20, 1966: School Site Claim Staked for Bidwell

May 20, 1967: Bidwell Work to Begin

August 14, 1967: Zoning Director’s Agenda – Bidwell School

January 2, 1969: Bidwell Student Killed in Airplane Crash

Jan 25, 1969: Newspaper Ad for Bidwell School

November 1, 1969: Olive Creary Obituary

December 8, 1969: Archery Tourney

October 30, 1970: Bidwell School 49, St. Anne’s 28 (4th grade basketball

June 25, 1971: Headmaster George F. Creary Retires

July 16, 1971: Frederick DiazGranados Named Headmaster

July 28, 1971: Bidwell School Reorganizes Both Curriculum and Administration

October 16, 1971: Torrey Stadtner Elected Student Body President

October 23, 1971: Girls Volleyball at Bidwell School

November 22, 1971: Steve Giannecchini Picked for All-League Soccer Team

December 13, 1971: Bidwell School Elects Trustees

January 11, 1972: Newspaper Ad for Bidwell School

January 21, 1972: Bidwell School 26, Victory Christian 13, Middle School basketball

February 1, 1972: Mrs. Donna Otto Now Bidwell Teacher

March 3, 1972: Bidwell School Rated Above National Average

September 29, 1972: New Head Boy (Terry Tarditi) and Head Girl (Laurie Cullman) Named

May 3, 1974: Bidwell School Property Considered for Alcohol Rehab Facility

June 14, 1974: Pacific Collegiate’s First Commencement

August 20, 1974: County to Buy Bidwell School Property

August 27, 1974: Bidwell School Purchase Restudied

September 7, 1974: Hearing on School for the Retarded Directed

September 19, 1974: Former Bidwell School Archery Instructor Aids Tokay High School

December 16, 1974: Juvenile Probation Dept. Wants Bidwell School

December 17, 1974: Residents Oppose Juvenile Treatment Center

October 27, 1976: Juvenile Home Permit Sought for Bidwell School

October 30, 1976: Juvenile Home Approved for Bidwell School

December 20, 1984: 34 Boys from Bear Creek Boys Ranch (old Bidwell School) Treated for ‘Unknown Irritant’

December 22, 1984: Bear Creek Ranch (old Bidwell School) Reopened after Scare

July 15, 1985: A Long Talk with George Creary

June 23, 1989: George Creary Dies at Age 91

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We’re sure there’s much more to tell about Bidwell School. Please share your memories (and straighten out our facts) by leaving a comment below.

Midway High School

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Midway, KY

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[ extracted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway,_Kentucky ]
Midway is a city in Woodford County, Kentucky. It is located midway between Frankfort and Lexington, along the single-track railroad between them. The town is home to a major thoroughbred race horse breeding operation, Three Chimneys Farm, widely known as one of the world’s preeminent horse farms. The area around Midway was inhabited by Indian Mound Builders. Two large Indian mounds have been identified on nearby farms, as well as several smaller mounds. What is now the town of Midway, was once a farm belonging to John Francisco. It was sold to the Lexington and Ohio Railroad Company on 31 January 1835 for $6,491.25. It became Kentucky’s first railroad town. Midway was purposely located an equal distance between the cities of Lexington and Frankfort along the railroad. The town is also equidistant between Versailles and Georgetown. The major streets of Midway were named in honor of the railroad’s first officials.

Midway, KY Flickr photos

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[ from http://www.kyhometown.com/midway/ ]
Midway is also home to Midway College, an independent liberal arts institution for women (the only one in Kentucky). There are 176 buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places which are located in Midway. The Midway Fall Festival is held every year in September, providing a number of entertaining events for those in attendance.

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Midway High School

Opened: 1903 or 1910 or 1926?
      (We’ve found references to all 3 dates.)
Closed: 1964
Mascot: Blue Jays
Colors: Blue & White

For many years, Midway High School was one of three high schools in Woodford County, the others being Simmons High School and Versailles High School. In the 1950′s, Simmons was closed, sending its students to Versailles and Midway. In 1964, Woodford County High School was opened, consolidating all of the county’s students into one high school.

Midway High School is now the home of Midway School Apartments and has received many awards, including the Blue Grass Trust Award for Historic Preservation. The cafeteria houses Baskets from the Bluegrass, offering a wide selection of gifts and antiques with a distinctly Bluegrass flavor.

Midway schools from an 1892 photo album:
- Midway School (white)
- Midway School (black)
- North Midway School

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1937 KY State Basketball Champs
Coach: Bobby Burns
Defeated Inez, 30-22.
[from alumni Peggy S.]
“Coach Burns coined the Full Court Press for a play the team perfected that was quickly adopted by Adolph Rupp at University of Kentucky.”

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YouTube video:
Video starts with discussion of the 1937 State Basketball Championship, won by Midway High School. (Miss Margaret Ware Parrish was THE cheerleader.) Representative Chandler then pays tribute to Miss Parrish and presents the 2009 Midway Living History Award on behalf of Midway Renaissance, Inc.
(Recorded November 14, 2009)

More videos of the evening honoring Miss Parrish.

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U.S. Congressional Record, Jan. 11, 2007

TRIBUTE TO THE MIDWAY HIGH SCHOOL’S 1937 BASKETBALL TEAM ON THE 70^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

HON. BEN CHANDLER OF KENTUCKY IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Mr. CHANDLER: Madam Speaker, today I would like to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Midway High School’s 1937 Kentucky state basketball championship. Under the guidance and leadership of Coach G.L. “Bobby ” Burns, the Midway Blue Jays reinvented the game of basketball for years to come. The Blue Jays rejuvenated Kentucky basketball and made it a truly exciting spectator sport with their up tempo “run and gun ” style of play.

Coach Burns and his squad of: Jack Penn, Ernest Jefferson, Armon Portwood, Carl Thomas, Raymond and Harold Sanderson, James Murphy, Sherman and Quentin Columbia, and Karl Jefferson used their natural abilities and athleticism to play against their taller competition. They averaged only 5’8″, the smallest team to ever win the state tournament. Yet they persevered, as Coach Burns believed that natural instincts and physical stamina, combined with fundamental basketball, were keys to success. Coach Burns was right.

To celebrate this historic occasion, on January 12, 2007, the Woodford County Yellow Jackets will honor the “Boys of ’37″ by dressing in the blue and white uniforms of Midway High School during their regular season game against Madison Central High. Additionally, during the halftime ceremony, a giant banner will be raised and installed in the Woodford County Gym to honor the Midway Blue Jays’ tournament win. In March, the members of the ’37 squad will be honored in a ceremony at the halftime of the 2007 state championship game.

Madam Speaker, it is with great honor to have this momentous occasion celebrated in my home district. The “Boys of ’37″ truly represent Kentucky’s passion and dedication to the game of basketball. This group of individuals will always be remembered as Kentucky’s finest and we will continue to celebrate their accomplishments for years to come.

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Facebook Links:
I went to Midway Elementary in Midway, Kentucky
Midway, KY
Midway, Kentucky
Midway College
Midway College Alumni Association
Darlin’ Jean’s Apple Cobbler Cafe (Gratz St.)

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If you attended Midway High School or have memories of Midway High School, please share with our readers by leaving a comment below.