John Shearer: City High Class Of ’72 Gathering To Recall Eventful School Days

The early 1970s was a momentous time in America’s and even Chattanooga’s history.

 

In many ways it was a continuation of the turbulent and changing 1960s, when the Vietnam War was still raging before the ceasefires of the early 1970s closed out most of the fighting and ended the anti-war protests that were common beforehand. 

 

And in racial relations, while the walls of segregation had finally been broken down in most public areas, some high schools in Chattanooga were still in the early days of fuller integration as part of a federal court order.

 

It was amid this backdrop – before the 1970s started being known more for quirky fashions, inflation and the Watergate scandal – that members of the Chattanooga High School Class of 1972 completed their secondary education.

 

That was 50 years ago, and on the weekend of June 17 and 18, several members of the class will gather in Chattanooga to mark the momentous golden anniversary and remember the high moments and challenges of that time when they were maturing teenagers.

 

They are having an event Friday at 6 p.m.

at the Universal Joint casual restaurant in the old service station by the County Courthouse, and a gala event Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Walden Club at 633 Chestnut St. They had hoped to tour their old school off Dallas Road – which they remember had a nuclear bomb shelter on the hilly campus but not a football stadium – but have been told it will be closed for some remodeling work, much to their disappointment.

 

Everything from the pandemic to slightly changing societal interaction has cut down on school reunions across the country, events that used to be regularly scheduled on major anniversaries. And the Chattanooga High Class of 1972 was not planning to have one, either.

 

But through the efforts of Hoyt Samples and some others who stepped up kind of late, a reunion will indeed take place. They have a committee of about seven who have been meeting and working to help the class remember the milestone and special times in their youthful past.

 

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Mr. Samples and fellow ’72 grad Vicky Heckemeyer Givens at Mr. Samples’ office near Shallowford and Hickory Valley roads in the East Brainerd area after they had a committee meeting with several others via online video.

 

To those two, City High – as it was commonly called – was a place they loved and one that was certainly changing by that time, as blacks were having an opportunity to enjoy the offerings at this school that had historically been known as the best public school in Chattanooga.

 

Mr. Samples pointed out that City through that time often had more National Merit Scholars than private schools Baylor, McCallie and Girls Preparatory School combined.    

 

“We had Russian, Chinese, German, aerospace science and calculus courses,” said Mr. Samples, adding that they also had a student newspaper – the Maroon and White -- that was known for being good and that pioneered using a computer printer. Mr. Samples also remembers interviewing such local personalities as TV talk show and live wrestling host Harry Thornton and jeweler and TV pitchman J.M. Sanders as the newspaper went beyond just writing school news.

 

Mr. Samples also said students’ parents from places outside Chattanoooga like Signal Mountain would pay $50 a semester to send their children to City because of its good reputation. As a resident of White Oak, he was one of them, he said.

 

“I got a really good education,” said Mr. Samples, who was also a top science student and won statewide recognition.

 

Ms. Givens, who was named Most Intelligent, said the school had a good atmosphere. “You could be as busy as you wanted or inactive, but there was always something going on. They encouraged you to be active in things,” she said.

 

She also said she liked the teachers and how invested they were in the students. A favorite for her was Madame Pearson, her French teacher. “She was an interesting person. She had been in the French Resistance (against the Nazi occupation as a Belgian). She was very interesting and always had great stories.”

 

The school had continued much as it was after moving over from Third Street to its current location in 1963, while starting to grow slightly in its black population. But in 1971, the school began to change more significantly as the City Schools – before they became part of Hamilton County Schools – were making a bigger push to balance the racial makeup in their buildings to meet federal court requirements.

 

As a result, even more black students and black faculty members arrived at City beginning in the 1971-72 school year. Former principal Jim Henry had left to head the city schools, while Jim Phifer became principal, and such black teachers as the highly successful Riverside basketball coach Dorsey Sims came to City. Coach Sims’ Riverside team had earlier seen a long winning streak snapped by City under coach Buddy Guedron.

 

Mr. Samples said the white students at City had gotten along well with such multi-year black City students as Alton Chapman and Deborah Noel and others. But all the changes of 1971-72 with some new students did create some friction as both races were getting more used to each other and sometimes had different outlooks.

 

While more racial friction had existed at Brainerd High shortly before that over the use of the Confederate flag and the Brainerd Rebel nickname, Mr. Samples said some issues occasionally arose at City, such as black students walking out of class as a form of protest. It was typical of what was going on at a lot of high schools in the South and beyond at that time when younger blacks began calling out for even more equal rights or were simply showing youthful forms of rebellion.

 

Johnny Oneal was one black student who came from Riverside High to City for his senior year in 1971-72, in large part to play basketball for coach Sims. He called the experience good overall because he, like a lot of others, had come from a mostly black school and neighborhood.

 

“When I went to City, it was definitely a melting pot, and that was good,” he said, adding that it allowed people from different cultures and backgrounds and races to become better acquainted with each other. “You got to see how others thought.”

 

While he knows some fellow blacks and others handled the situations differently at City, he said his family always taught him to practice the Golden Rule, and he got a lot out of his new school. 

 

“The academic requirements were higher than Riverside,” he said. “Up at City, you had to be accountable. They pushed you and challenged you.”

 

Mr. Oneal, who went on to enjoy a rewarding career working with the First-Centenary United Methodist Church’s Centenary neighborhood youth outreach ministry through the Chattanooga city parks department, did say that he had not kept up with the current reunion plans. He had attended a recent Riverside High reunion, in part after having gone to school most of his youth with graduates from there.

 

A glance at the 1972 City High yearbook, the Dynamo, at the Chattanooga Public Library shows that of the 194 graduates pictured, about 44 are black. Some 68 students – including Mr. Oneal -- are listed without headshot photos.

 

The younger grades that year appear to have slightly more black students. The school became more predominantly black overall by the late 1970s and later became known as Phoenix 3. Today, the architecturally eye-catching mid-century school is a popular fine arts-focused magnet school formally known as Chattanooga High School Center for the Creative Arts.

 

Overall, City High survived that 1971-72 year of different races getting more used to each other. And the 1972 graduates left having felt they experienced a taste of the racially mixed world that would be more a part of the future of America, despite the imperfections that would continue.

 

Mr. Phifer, who later became a popular principal at Notre Dame High, seemed to hint at this in an end-of-school-year letter posted in the yearbook. After discussing the changes that came to the school, including graduating with caps and gowns instead of just dress clothes, he wrote, “It has been a difficult and trying year for most of us, as these are difficult and trying times. But I do feel that Chattanooga High rose to the challenge and came out the winner.”

 

As one positive footnote to the year, a black girl, Rachelle Hammonds, was homecoming queen for the class of 1972, while Phyllis Corker, a white girl, was named Miss Chattanooga High School. Yes, she is the younger sister of former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker from the City Class of 1970. 

 

She became Phyllis Kizer and now lives in the Atlanta area, Mr. Samples said.

 

Among the other class members were local golfer Mike Nelms, John Coolidge (son of recently deceased Medal of Honor recipient Charles Coolidge), Bill and Nancy Fehn from the Fehn’s restaurant family, Joel Solomon (son of former General Services Administration head Joel W. Solomon), swimmer Bambi Davis, and former U.S. District Judge Sandy Mattice, among many others.

 

The 1972 graduates have also spread far and wide, with Donald McCormick now a lawyer in Los Angeles, Mr. Samples said.

 

Other teachers and faculty at the time included successful football coach Bobby Davis, whom Mr. Samples remembers having a heart attack during a game, assistant principal Edward Bates, director of student activities Katharine Pryor, and guidance director Harriet Bond.

 

One living faculty member – Ann Ward – is scheduled to attend the reunion, the planners said. 

 

Mr. Samples and Ms. Givens – who have enjoyed careers as an attorney and dental hygienist, respectively – said they are hoping to have about 70 or 75 back for the reunion. Dozens of classmates have unfortunately died, they added. One, Keith Fults, died of stomach cancer while they were still in school.

 

Anyone wanting more information about the reunion can contact Mr. Samples at hsamples@sampleslaw.com.

 

Other members of the planning committee are class president Bill Robinson, Mike Morrow, Pat Hendrix, Hannah Fowler and Paula Oley.

 

Mr. Samples added that they are looking forward to seeing everyone and remembering the good old days. He added that he is thankful for all his teachers, including science teachers Richard Davenport in biology, Mr. White in chemistry and Conrad Bates in physics.

 

“They set the expectations big and set the bar high,” he said of his overall experience at City that he said has helped him enjoy a rewarding law career.

 

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Jcshearer2@comcast.net