(This was submitted by a reader who shared thoughts of City High School, prompted by the recent reunion).
As I sit and think about the Chattanooga High School decade reunion that's happening this weekend, several memories come to mind, all good.
I remember that very first day at the new building. Since this was the first day for every class, no one knew what, when, where or how. Seniors were just as lost as us "silly sophomores" in such a big building.
Now for you that graduated after 1966, you never had the honor of being under the watchful eye of Col. Creed Bates. I became aware of Col. Bates and his ways of doing things in our first assembly.
Every student and teacher had gathered and needless to say things were anything but quiet. Col. Bates never said a word...he just pointed his finger and things got quiet in a hurry. Things had been that way for years with Col. Bates, not because anyone was was scared of him, it's because of the respect that every student and teacher had for him. It was a sad day when he retired at the end of that school year.
Dr. Jim Henry became the next principal and he had a few different views than Col. Bates. One of the things that Dr Henry said will always come to mind when I think about him. He said that "if we can't reach them through one end, we'll reach them through the other". And yes...he and I had more than one meeting with his "board of education" as well as time spent in the "covered wagon" serving detentions.
Funny thing is, other than the isolated scraps, I can not recall one time feeling afraid to walk the halls in fear that someone was going to pull a knife or gun on someone. Col. Bates, Dr. Henry and every teacher that was CHS did what they did best and that was to educate each and every student that passed through the door every day and from the bottom of my heart thank you.
And on a different note, there are 175 graduates that have left us far too soon. I am not really sure of the exact number of graduates but the reunion covers the years 1964 through 1974. I knew several of the 175 and it makes me sad to think that they can't be there this weekend to catch up, at least not to sit and talk about their lives and their families. But someone attending will have a good memory of each and every one of them and hopefully that memory will bring a smile to someones face.
Hopefully tonight at the Hall Of Fame induction, I will sit in the "covered wagon", along with my wife and friends, and think about what wonderful memories I have of not only CHS as a whole but each and every principal, teacher and student that has had the honor of attending Chattanooga High School.
Craig Collier
zook1@bellsouth.net