SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL IS FILLED WITH HISTORY, TRADITIONS, MEMORIES AND EVENTS THAT COULD HAVE FALLEN INTO OBLIVION WITH THE CLOSING OF SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE FORETHOUGHT AND PLANNING OF SOME CONCERNED AND INTERESTED RESIDENTS, TEACHERS AND A PRINCIPAL.

     THE LAST GRADUATING CLASS AT SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL WAS 1986. RUMORS HAD BEEN ABOUNDING FOR SOME TIME THAT SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL WOULD BE CLOSED, AND JOY JAMES (AN ENGLISH TEACHER AT SOUTH  PARK HIGH SCHOOL AND THE TEACHER / SPONSOR OF THE SENIOR
CLASS) DISCUSSED WITH PAT GILBERT, MARY FRANCIS FREEMAN, RAY ASBURY AND JOHN GRAY THE THOUGHT THAT WITH THE CLOSING OF SOUTH PARK SO MUCH TRADITION WOULD DIE.

     WHEN THE PLANS TO CLOSE SOUTH PARK BECAME A FACT, THIS GROUP DECIDED THAT SOMETHING NEEDED TO BE DONE TO PRESERVE THE HERITAGE OF SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL, AND DECIDED THEY NEEDED A PLACE WHERE THEY COULD COLLECT AND DISPLAY MEMORABILIA OF SOUTH PARK'S HISTORY.

     PAT GILBERT WOULD BE THE ONE TO TRY TO GET ON THE SCHOOL BOARD AGENDA FOR THEIR REQUEST, BUT WHEN THE SUPERINTENDENT, MIKE TAYLOR, HEARD OF HIS REQUEST,  HE TOLD THE GROUP NOT TO WORRY, HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF THEIR REQUEST.  MILTON ALLARDYCE, THE  MAC
ARTHUR PRINCIPAL, WAS CONTACTED AND WAS IMMEDIATELY RESPONSIVE TO THEIR PLAN.

     A SMALL ROOM WITHIN THE SOUTH PARK LIBRARY WAS SET ASIDE FOR WHAT WOULD BECOME THE SOUTH PARK HERITAGE ROOM AND THE GROUP MADE AN IMMEDIATE PLEA  FOR SOUTH PARK MEMORABILIA TO FILL THE ROOM, AND THE RESPONSE WAS INSTANT. THE NEWS-PAPER RAN AN AD, AND BY 10:00 THAT MORNING MEMORABILIA WAS POURING IN.

     ONE OF SOUTH PARK'S FAVORITE TEACHERS, ETHEL SIMPKINS, WAS THE OWNER OF MANY ITEMS OF SOUTH PARK'S PAST, AND WHEN SHE PASSED AWAY, LO-DEE HAMMOCK, WHO HAD BEEN HER GUARDIAN, PRESENTED ALL THESE ITEMS TO THE HERITAGE ROOM FOR DISPLAY AND SAFE KEEPING.

     EVERETT MARTIN, A SOUTH PARK TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL, HAD A LARGE COLLECTION OF SPINDLETOP YEAR BOOKS, WHICH WAS MADE A PART OF THE HERITAGE ROOM.

     ALTHOUGH JOE REDMAN DID NOT ATTEND SOUTH PARK, HE WAS A LONG TIME RESIDENT OF SOUTH PARK, A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER AND A BIG SUPPORTER OF SOUTH PARK AND ESPECIALLY THE BAND, AND OVER THE YEARS HE HAD COLLECTED MANY SPECIAL ITEMS.  AT HIS DEATH HIS
FAMILY PRESENTED HIS SPECIAL COLLECTION TO THE HERITAGE ROOM NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, FOOTBALL PROGRAMS, AND MANY OTHER ARTIFACTS.

     THERE IS A LARGE COLLECTION OF INSCRIBED BOOKS BY AMERICAN AUTHORS OF NOTE WHICH HAD BEEN COLLECTED  BY MORRIS CLONINGER. A FORMER TEACHER AT SOUTH PARK, WHICH HE HAD DONATED TO THE SCHOOL.

     THE HERITAGE ROOM CONTAINS A COMPLETE SET OF ANNUALS FROM 1917 TO 1986 (IN FACT TWO SETS OF THESE YEAR BOOKS), WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 1931-1932, DURING THE DEPRESSION WHEN NO ANNUALS WERE PRINTED, ONLY PICTORIAL YEAR BOOKS.  THERE IS A COMPLETE SET OF THE GREENIE GUSHER NEWS-PAPERS, WHICH PAT GILBERT IS PLANNING TO PUT INTO BINDING.  IT CONTAINS A LARGE GLASS FRAME PICTURE OF FORMER SOUTH PARK PRINCIPALS - FOOTBALL PROGRAMS - A LETTER JACKET DONATED BY MONROE SCURLOCK - MANY SCRAP BOOKS OF SOUTH PARK'S HISTORY - RAY ASBURY'S FILE OF NUMEROUS SOUTH PARK ARTICLES AND PICTURES.  SO
MANY SOUTH PARK STUDENTS WERE SO GENEROUS IN GIVING OF THEIR MEMORIES.

     NOT ONLY DID THIS DEDICATED GROUP COLLECT ALL TYPES OF MEMORABILIA, THEY COLLECTED MONEY TO PURCHASE BOOK CASES AND DISPLAY CASES IN ORDER TO DISPLAY ALL THE ITEMS THE HERITAGE ROOM CONTAINS, INCLUDING  - A TROPHY CASE BUILT SPECIALLY BY JACK ALFORD

     MILTON ALLARDYCE, PRINCIPAL OF SOUTH PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND ALL THE TEACHERS HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE, HELPFUL AND PROTECTIVE OF THIS WONDERFUL COLLECTION.

     MANY OF THE TROPHIES WON BY SOUTH PARK TEAMS AND STUDENTS ARE STILL ON DISPLAY IN THE HALLS OF SOUTH PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL, ALTHOUGH SOME ARE ON DISPLAY IN THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING.

     IF YOU HAVE NEVER VISITED THIS HERITAGE ROOM AT SOUTH PARK SCHOOL, IT WILL INDEED BE WORTH YOUR WHILE.  IT CONTAINS SO MANY INTERESTING MEMORIES OF DAYS PAST. ALL YOU NEED DO IS CHECK IN WITH THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, AND THE LIBRARIAN, MS. TUCKER WILL BE PROUD TO SHOW YOU THIS COLLECTION.

     THERE ARE FEW SCHOOLS ANYWHERE THAT HAS HAD ITS HERITAGE PRESERVED AS THE MEMBERS OF THIS ASSOCIATION HAVE DONE. I REALLY FEEL SUCH A SENSE OF PRIDE EACH TIME I VISIT THIS GREAT COLLECTION.  I REALLY WISH I POSSESSED THE ABILITY TO PROPERLY DESCRIBE WHAT
EXISTS IN THIS WONDERFUL COLLECTION,  AND I URGE YOU TO VISIT THE HERITAGE ROOM.

     AND A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO JOY JAMES, MARY FRANCIS FREEMAN, PAT  GILBERT, RAY

ASBURY (NOW DECEASED) AND JOHN GRAY FOR ALL THE TIME AND EFFORT THEY PROVIDED

TO MAKE THIS ROOM SO REMARKABLE  AND TO MILTON ALLARDYCE FOR HIS HELP AND

SUPPORT.

     PAT GILBERT ADVISES THAT IF ANY CLASS HOLDING A REUNION WOULD LIKE TO VISIT THE HERITAGE ROOM, ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE MADE FOR WITH ALL THE MEMORABILIA IT CONTAINS, HOPEFULLY A LARGER ROOM WILL BE PROVIDED SOON.

     IN 1988 THE SOUTH PARK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INSTALLED A MEMORIAL PLAQUE ON THE FRONT WALL OF THE SOUTH PARK BUILDING.

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