High school graduation is for many the first major milestone in life. The event symbolizes far more than mere completion of academic coursework, but the end of childhood and the beginning of adult responsibilities and expectations. Here are several photographs of graduating seniors from several schools across the county. Others may be found under the School Days category.
1915 Lyerly High School. From left to right (front row): Miss Ruby Lee, Mable Dover, Principal Victor Williams with unidentified boy, Annie Lee Groce ?, and Mrs. Victor Williams; (middle row) ? Doster, Anna Dover, Stella Hassed (sp?), ? Willow, Irene Dover, Grace Doster, and Helen ?; (back row) ? Morrison, Hollis Dorsey, unidentified, Wilburn ?, ? Tucker, Malcolm Hosteller, and Lucille Pollock.
1945
Gore High School. From left to right (front row) Farris Dawson, Mary
Nell Pinion, Virginia Woods, Mamie Bradford, and Robbie Lee Ward;
(middle row) Louise McCollum, Ima Jean Perry, Rita Baker, Dukie Lee
Hendrix, Sybil Christian, and Catherine Hawkins; (back row) Billy
Mills, Tom Phillips, Dill Ballenger, G.W. Jones, Billy Bowman, and
Jesse Dempsey.
1945 Summerville High School.
1945 Summerville High School women. Note the school buildings in the background which still stand today.
1945 Summerville High School men pose with the class mascot.
1945. These two unidentifed kids were perhaps underclassmen at Summerville High School and had something to do with graduation.
1945. Two graduates of SHS: twins Waynie and Haynie Pickle. Haynie later married Joe Speer, author of Uncle Joe's Journal on this website.
1953 Lyerly High School. From left to right (front row): Nathaniel Baker, Sally Anderson, Maxine Cochran, Toni Woods, and Bobby Woodall; (back row) Fred Copeland, Lawrence Bullard, Wilburn Ragland, unidentified, and Buddy Colbert.
1958 Summerville High School.
1961 Lyerly High School. This was the last graduating class from Lyerly due to consolidation with Summerville High School in the fall of 1961 to form Chattooga High School.
1962 Trion High School.
1963 Chattooga High School.
1964 Chattooga High School.
1967 Trion High School.
1967 Chattooga High School.
1968 Chattooga High School. Jimmy Abney addresses his fellow classmates and others.
1968 Chattooga High School. Superintendent James Spence distributes the diplomas.
1970 Trion High School.
1977 Trion High School.Photographs courtesy of Bill Bowman, Chattooga County Library, Waynie Edge, Charlie Logan, Joe Pullen, Wilburn Ragland, and L.C. Smith. Many of the photographs from the 1960s and 1970s were taken by T. Emmett Nunn.