West End Alumni Bid Fond Farewell to WEHS

Publish Date: 6/09/08
By: Russ McClinton, Class of '87

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Over 5,000 people came out to send Dear Old West End High off in grand style. Classes mingled as far back as 1951 up to 2008 on the aging campus with BBQ grills, fryers, tents, music and just about any beverage you could think of making you feel like you were at an HBCU football classic. Although temperatures reached well above the 90s the crowd seemed to grow as each hour of the day rolled on. In one tent you could find the Williams family which includes family members that graduated in the 70s up until 2007. A group of white students from the early 70s shared memories of integration and how the black students were treated. After a few minutes of conversation a lively older white gentleman from the group butted in reflecting on Mrs. Rakstraw and how she would often adjust her bra strap and totally abandon class subjects when someone mentioned Bear Bryant. This is a memory that only those that had Mrs. Rakstraw as a teacher could identify with. Members of two of the oldest Birmingham City High School fraternities - KTU and Phi E huddled in their groups hashing out memories and sporting their Greek letters. Some of these fraternities experienced their greatest growth periods in the halls of West End High School and have been in existence for over 50 years. Other attractions at the event included a recognition ceremony for West End High School teachers, an alumni Basketball game for both men and women and a parade which mixed alumni band members, majorettes and cheerleaders for one last march. Many alumni elected to take quick tours through the hallways of the old school and get one last look at the popular wall of graduates.

Although more than 1,000 alumni t-shirts were pre-ordered hundreds of people raced to vendor tents to pick up whatever memorabilia they could get their hands on. T-shirt vendor Vernon Moland, also a West End High School graduate, created a popular t-shirt which featured a collage of some of West End's most popular teachers. With a quick glimpse of the shirt you could easily locate pictures of Mrs. Rakstraw, Mrs. Chapman, Mr. Billups, Mr. Bell and Coach Acorn. Mr. Moland will continue to print the shirts and offer them for sale to anyone that would like to make a purchase. Mr. Moland, who spent several hours going through archives, says he is also working on t-shirts and memorabilia for additional fraternities and sororities that were a part of the West End High School Legacy. Mr. Moland can be reached at (205) 565-0552 or by email at motees26@yahoo.com.

Earlier this year, the Birmingham Board of Education decided to close West End High School and separate students among the newly built Wenonah High School, Jackson-Olin High School and Parker High School. An obvious array of mixed emotions was being expressed by alumni and educators that worked at the school but for the most part the closing is finally sinking in. As the West End community looks to regroup the memory of West End High School will live on in the hearts of WEHS Alumni and dedicated faculty.

Plans for future alumni reunions that include all living classes are undetermined at this time but kudos must go out to Dr. Marcus Guyton (c/o 97), Aimetta Prince (c/o 97) and the WEHS Alumni Staff for putting together and organizing the ceremony. The majority of those in attendance could only agree that the event was necessary and well worth it. Efforts are currently underway to build an alumni website which will serve as a location for WEHS alumni to congregate, share information and keep in touch.