Cemetery Weekend Tour of

Minden High School November 14, 2004

         1923-24 Minden High School Building - To Be Torn Down in 2005

This wonderful building has served the children of Minden for over eighty years. Thousands of feet have trod the floors.

Thousands of lessons have been taught inside her rooms.

   ALMA MATER

Minden High, we'll always love you

Hold your Honor high

We will cherish every memory

Of your dear old name;

Higher yet we hold your banner

Wave it far and wide,

Now we pledge anew to Minden

Dear old Minden High.

                          Molly Blake

We were each given a calendar by Principal, Morris Busby, with a picture of M.H.S. on the front

Those in attendance were

Dr. Richard Baker...................................................Class of 1953

Charles "Bo" Drake.................................................Class of 1954

Sherry Gresham Gritzbaugh.....................................Class of 1955

Jeanette Gipson Baker.............................................Class of 1956

Charlotte Smith Martin............................................Class of 1957

Ann Mays Harlan ..................................................Class of 1958

Sandra Richardson Walsh.......................................Class of 1958

Morris Busby.........................................................Class of 1975*

James "Jim" Gritzbaugh ..........................................Guest

* Our Tour Guide was Principal, Morris Busby

L-R, Ann Mays Harlan, Sandra RichardsonWalsh, Jeanette Gipson Baker &

Charlotte Smith, Martin

Photo by Roy Baggett

In 1938, the  Drummer Boy painting by Ben Earl Looney was a gift to

Minden High School. To learn more about the history read "Life After the

Drummer Boy" with Jwill Sims and "Ben Earl Looney" both under Biography

on this site.  For many years this painting was stored on the balcony of the

old auditorium in the 1910 building. It is now in the Neighborhood Museum.

Principal Morris Busby with Sandra Richardson Walsh

Mr. Busby and Sandra Richardson Walsh

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

Principal Morris Busby With Ann Mays Harlan

Jeanette Gipson Baker Mr. Morris Busby and Sherry Gresham Gritzbaugh

Jeanette Gipson Baker and Dr. Richard Baker

Charles "Bo" Drake and Dr. Richard Baker

L-R, Morris Busby, Charles "Bo" Drake, Ann Mays Harlan, & behind her is

Sandra Richardson Walsh.

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

The first senior class in the new building was 1955

Photo by Jim Gritzbaugh husband of graduate Sherry Gresham Gritzbaugh  pictured 2nd. from the leftf 1955

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker husband of graduate Jeanette Gipson Baker

Band Room - L-R , Jim Gritzbaugh,  , Charles "Bo" Drake,

Sandra Richardson Walsh, & Ann Mays Harlan

Band Room - L-R, Jim Gritzbaugh, Dr. Richard Baker, Charles "Bo Drake,

Sandra Richardson Walsh and Ann Mays Harlan

This was once our Home and Family Living Room where we once had teas and parties

L-R, Sandra Richardson Walsh, Charlotte Smith Martin, Morris Busby, Dr. Richard Baker

and Jim Gritzbaugh.

This was one of my favorite meals while attending school at Minden during the fifties.

1923-24 Building

The graduating class of 1955 attended grades 9-11 in this building.

Photo by Roy Baggett

1923-24 Building

L-R Charlotte Smith Martin, Charles "Bo" Drake, Morris Bubsy, Sandra Richardson Walsh, Jeanette Gipson Baker,

Dr. Richard Baker, Ann Mays Harlan and Sherry Gresham Gritzbaugh

Photo by Jim Gritzbaugh

Jeanette Gipson Baker & Dr, Richard Baker under arch of the Old High School

We were all impressed with the art room. This was once Mrs. Foret's Chemistry Lab

Photo by Dr. Baker

Mrs. Foret really loved her students and was a dedicated teacher. She often tutored them on her own time.

We are proud of the bio we have on her. If you haven't read it, you might like to do so. It can be found under

Class of.....Teachers ....on this site.

The lab was on the right end of the room.

Dr. Richard Baker visits Mrs. Foret's Physics and Chemistry Class that he studied in before he

became a Dentist. This is now an Art Class.

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

L-R, Morris Busby, (Principal, Charles "Bo" Drake, Sandra Richardson Walsh,

Jeanette Gipson Baker, Ann Mays Harlan and Charlotte Smith Martin

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

The Ceiling of the bookroom

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

This was Miss Ramona "Marm" Wigley's room. She was assigned this room so she could keep a

close watch on what was going on at the pits.

Bo Drake and Ann Harlan are in the background of the photo.

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

I never had any classes in the old building. We watched football game films there on Saturday morning after the games and we practiced freshman basketball there after the auditorium was converted to the girls gym. What I do remember is in the distance looking out the window in the picture. You can see the short turn of the track (It's shaped like an egg with a long turn toward the boys gym and a short turn toward the maintenance shed. It was done that way to make it fit in the available space) I left many a school lunch on the outside and inside of that turn during track workouts at MHS , as did anyone else who was running in those years. "Ralphing" after a workout was considered proof of having worked hard enough to count the track is not a perfect 440  meters either one I can't remember if it's a little short or a little long during during a workout it always seemed long.

Greg Grambling

This is the balcony over the auditorium in the 1923-24 building where the Drummer

Boy painting was once stored.

Looking down from the balcony we could see the girls gym which was once

our old auditorium. Old old staircase that once led to the cafeteria had been

torn down years ago. 

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

The light in the top of the ceiling located in the bookroom across from the library.

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

This was Miss Ramona "Marm" Wigley's room. She was assigned this room so she could keep a

close watch on what was going on at the pits.  Sometimes the senior boys would put the freshmen

in the pits. The only way out was to climb the pole and escape through the cafeteria window. Sometimes

the seniors would grease the pole making it harder for the boys to get out of the pits.

Bo Drake and Ann Harlan are in the background of the photo.

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

Photo By Dr. Richard Baker

The Pits - Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

This is the old cafeteria down in the basement. They made it into two rooms.

This is the part of the tour the group would not let me take because of my asthma however they

laughed and screamed a lot. They seemed to enjoy it a lot. They were in there a long time.  We

all enjoyed the tour but I think they enjoyed this room the most.

I am still outside waiting for the group while they are having fun touring the cafeteria.

I can hear them laughing and screaming.

This may have been the area where we could purchased school supplies and ice cream?

What are they going to do with all these chairs? Red ones, brown ones, wooden ones! There are so many of them.

Photo by Dr. Richard Baker

Mr. Busby showing the group around the old cafeteria in the basement

They ALL enjoyed going in the old boiler room.

Do you remember any of these homes near the stadium?

Walking to the gym from the school was fun because we could watch the fish swim in the branch.

Do you remember the big goldfish in the branch and how clean the water was?

The Football Stadium

Ann Mays Harlan snapping a picture of the old swimming pool in the old gym

L-R, Dr. Richard Baker, "Bo" Drake, Ann Harlan

gathered around the old swimming pool in the old gym.

"This was a wonderful tour! Thank you Mr. Busby."

Minden High, we'll always love you

We STILL cherish every memory

Of your dear old name.