Category Archives: Schools

This past Saturday, June 12, 2010, the Bradley High School Class of 1970 gathered for a class reunion on the 40th anniversary of their graduation.  Below is a photo of those present.

Faces in the above photo are obviously difficult to discern, so here are two zoomed-in photos of the participants. Somehow Jerry Pickett and Odis Weems, the two gentlemen at the right of the group photo above, got left out of the close-up photos below.

Shown in the above photo are, left to right:  Rodney Burton, Bobby Brackman, Velinda Potts Hanson, Nancy Adkins Kees (in rear), Margaret Spence Cannon, Charanda Pratt Pool, and Carl Stephens.

Shown in the above photo are, left to right:  Carl Stephens, David Thompson, Gary Burton, Marion Cochran Morgan, Carl Wayne Adams, Kay Baker Weems, Janis Stone Kirwin (partially obscured in rear), and Glenda Allen Ray.

Last year, the Bradley High School class of 1959 assembled for its 50th reunion.  Thanks to LaVerne Keahey for the following article and photo.

– – – – –

“The Bradley Bears Class of ‘59 returned to their High School den recently for their Fiftieth Reunion.  Eighteen of their class of twenty-seven and one faculty member were reunited at the Bradley Baptist Church Family Life Center on May 16, 2009, for an afternoon of activities and a Fish Fry prepared on site.  A slide show from pictures submitted by classmates covering the last fifty years helped share stories of families, careers, homes, pets and hobbies.  Four members were memorialized.  Several gag awards added fun to the event, which was highlighted by the female classmates naming “The Best Looking Old Man.”  The warm greeting and hugs paid tribute to Bradley High and to the closeness they had treasured as a class.

The room was decorated in a purple and gold reunion theme with sand buckets holding a branch with classmates’ names on Bear cutouts on each table.  The snack table held a Teddy Bear fishing in a goldfish  bowl.  An eight-by-ten picture of each classmate was presented with their picture, classmate names on a bookmark, a magnet showing all the buildings in which they had been schooled, and a directory of classmates from Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Mississippi as mementos.

Seated, L-R:  Cheroyl Owens Taylor, Ann Copeland Dickson, Wanda Spruell Hays, Nellie Givens Nichols, Carolyn Kilgore Lamar, and Kathleen Spruell Malone.

Standing, L-R:  Bette Barnett Davis, Ralph Hamner, Martha Williams Mueller, Cecil Smith, Linda Fay Burns Givens, B. J. Powell, Charles Ambrose, Patsy Powell Burkett, Dianne Barker Rogers, Derial Whitehead, David Umphries, and LaVerne Burks Keahey.”

– – – – –

The four deceased members of the class are Bobby Collier, Charles Hamm, Rayford Lee and John Wynne.

The other members of the class who did not attend the reunion are Glenda Colvin Null, Gloria Pickett McCoy, Mary Wilson, Jimmy Redmon and Lawrence Shaver.

On June 27, 2009, the Bradley High School Class of 1962 held a reunion on the 47^th [!] anniversary of its graduation.  A total of 42 class members and friends attended the reunion and enjoyed catching up with each other.

James Drake, a member of that class, has provided bradleyark.com with two photos of those in attendance.

Ladies first:

Standing, left to right:  Judy Cheney Bogart, Bette Whetstone Lynn, Lola Lane Starling, Faye Tucker Durabb, Sherry Jackson Hendrix, Gloria Stephens, Sharon Drake, Judy Coker and Sue Cook.  Seated, left to right:  Rachel McKinney, Carolyn Burks, Diane Fletcher, Mary Cross, Phyllis Barrington.

And the gentlemen in attendance:

Standing, left to right:  Clyde Stephens, James Drake, Bob Coker, Dickie Bishop, Robert Lane, Samuel Marvin Cross and Willie Harrist.  Seated, left to right:  James Bland, Floyd Goode, Tom Burks, Henry Fletcher, Gerald Lynn and Marvin Barrington.

Thanks, James, for the photos.

This past Saturday, June 20, 2009, the Bradley High School Class of 1969 came together for a class reunion on the 40th anniversary of their graduation.   Below is a photo of those present, with the exception of one person who arrived after the photo was taken.

From left to right:  Johnny Craig, Danny Maness, Ricky Powell, Dennis McEachern, Jan Allen Segrest, Curtis Thompson, Betty Carol Endsley Stanley, Penny Dreher Lyons, Delores Maness Grimes, Linda Goodwin Elledge, Barbara Price McGuffie, Carroll Collier (partially obscured), Jean Starling Burnett, John Bishop, Billy Bynum, Vicky Powell Paige, Bobby Works, Buddy Stevenson, Earl Vickers, Susie Cochran Hargis, Jimmy Ray Dickerson, Peggy Wilson Cook, and Ronnie Hill.  Mary Adams Garner is not shown.

Faces in the above photo are obviously difficult to discern, so here are some zoomed-in photos of the participants.

Above are, from left to right:  Johnny Craig, Danny Maness, Ricky Powell, Dennis McEachern, Jan Allen Segrest and Curtis Thompson.

Above are, from left to right:  Curtis Thompson, Betty Carol Endsley Stanley, Penny Dreher Lyons, Linda Goodwin Elledge, Delores Maness Grimes, Jean Starling Burnett, John Bishop, Billy Bynum, Vicky Powell Paige, Bobby Works and Buddy Stevenson.

Above are, from left to right:  Carroll Collier, Billy Bynum, Vicky Powell Paige, Bobby Works, Buddy Stevenson, Earl Vickers, Susie Cochran Hargis, Jimmy Ray Dickerson, Peggy Wilson Cook, and Ronnie Hill.

In the above photo of the middle group, one person is obscured, so here’s another photo.

That’s Barbara Price McGuffie behind Linda Goodwin Elledge and Jean Starling Burnett.  Carroll Collier, Billy Bynum and John Bishop are obviously preoccupied with something besides the camera.

Three faculty members from the 1960’s also attended the reunion.

From left to right:  Coach Leo Johnson, Janiece Rogers Blount, and Jimmy Gray.

Class members who were unable to attend were Bobby Adams, Larry Adams, Tommy Harvey, Glenda Knott Givens, Rebecca Knott Fricks, Don McDonald and Bobby Earl Steed.

The Class of 1969 also paid tribute to the five deceased members of their class with a memory board of photographs.  Those class members are Fred G.  Berry, Jr. (1949–1992), Billy D. “Butch” Bland, Jr. (1951–2002), Fred H. Dreher III (1951–2008), Gary Dale Pickett (1951–1991) and Rose Hinds Thompson (1950–1996).

– – – – –

It’s probably trite to say that a good time was had by all, but the class members seemed to me to genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

On a personal note, I very much enjoyed visiting with Coach Leo Johnson, who is a veritable walking encyclopedia of happenings in the Bradley schools from the mid-1950’s to the late 1960’s.  Two bits of trivia from our conversation:

Coach Johnson’s paddle/strap was well known throughout the student body, both by students who had felt its sting and those who did not.  Coach Johnson told me that any “paddle-able” offense, no matter how heinous, always drew a set number of “licks” (8). 

Some of us remember watching Coach Johnson during games and thinking he was quite intense.  In 17 years of coaching basketball (not all at Bradley), how many technical fouls did he get called for? (Answer: 3).

– – – – –

Summer is class reunion time and if any other classes which are reuniting will furnish a photo(s), or a short article on their affair, I’ll be glad to post them.