Classes hope to start a tradition at alma mater
Tuesday, April 15, 2003 8:42 AM PDT
By Brenda Blevins McCorkle
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E-mail this articleOne day, the courtyard of R.A. Long High School may be lined with a series of concrete benches, fondly referred to as alumni row.
The school's classes of 1956 and 1947 laid the groundwork for such an endeavor recently when the members of each class donated a bench to their alma mater.
Bill Murray of the class of 1956 said he and his classmates became interested in the idea after another alumni group bought a bench for Lake Sacajawea. Murray's sister and brother-in-law, Betty and Jerry Shields, are in the class of 1947, and that class also was receptive to the idea.
When the lake idea fell through, Murray contacted R.A. Long Principal Rollie Johnson who, Murray said, jumped at the idea.
"I told Rollie that we had two benches, and he was elated," Murray said.
Both classes set to work raising money. They sent out notices to classmates and raised enough funds to purchase two of the roughly $1,100 concrete benches.
Recently, those benches were set into place in the school's courtyard --- directly across from each other.
The benches are painted a creamy white and are engraved with a tribute to each class.
Murray said his class's bench was decorated in an interesting fashion --- with a chicken.
"Because our class was the one who threw the chicken off the balcony," he said, laughing.
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