School memorabilia cabinet to be showcased at open house

Published 12:00 am Thursday, August 19, 2021

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The Clemmons School open house and an all-year reunion will be from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25. Alumni, families and all members of the Clemmons community are invited. This event will take place at Historic Broyhill (the former Clemmons School location).

Clemmons School served the community from 1926 until 1956 as a high school and 1956 to 1981 as Clemmons Elementary School. It is now known as Historic Broyhill Office Suites.

The event will showcase the Clemmons School memorabilia cabinet and displays. Ed Broyhill, owner of Historic Broyhill, has allocated space for the cabinet.

This project is a result of a fundraising campaign spanning over two years. The alumni, their families and donors from the community have generously contributed to the cabinet fund.

The cabinet was built by Poindexter Lumber Company and is 18 inches wide, eight feet tall and is located in the east wing of the former school building. The Clemmons Historical Society has donated to the fund and will use a portion of the cabinet to display items about the history of the village.

The cabinet has been filled the with memorabilia from the 55 years the school served the community. The cabinet includes:

• Baseball from the 1948-1949 state championship team, signed by all team members

• Principal Frank Morgan’s grade books

• 1950s prom dress and prom photos

• Class rings from graduates in years 1926, 1931, 1944 and several from the 1950s

• “Letter sweater,” sports trophies and jerseys

• Several diplomas from the early years

• Assorted photos from the school days

• Scrapbooks

• Many other items of interest from the school years

In the same corridor, there are several other displays. Included is a timeline display of important dates in the history of the school. There is also a wall of photos of the seven principals that served the school. There is also a 10-foot-long display that lists the names of the 875 graduates of the school distinguished by the year of graduation.

At 2 p.m., there will be a short dedication program that will feature Gene Hoots as speaker.

After Clemmons High School closed, Hoots graduated in the first class at Southwest High School. Hoots’ career includes working at RJR for 21 years. Responsibilities included handling the pension and savings plan investments. After the RJR years, Hoots formed his own investment company and all together, he spent 44 years in the investment business. His career took him all around the world; he reports that he has spent time in 50 countries.

Hoots also recently authored a new book, “Going down Tobacco Road,” R.J. Reynolds’ Tobacco Empire.

The committee is continuing to collect memorabilia and all alumni and their families are encouraged to contact any member of the Memorabilia Cabinet Committee if they have items to donate.

Committee members:

• Barbara and Tom Mahannah — 336-766-2346; cell: 336-408-4906

• George Wilson — 336-416-3923

• David Hauser, president of Clemmons Historical Society — 336-766-9823

• Janice Bodsford Foster — 336-940-2449; 336-749-0825

• Sarah Morgan — 919-851-1892

• Odell Cheek — 336-765-3594

• Ellen Vogler Matthews — 336-463-2934