Class of 1953 works to bridge gap between campuses

Displays created to connect Las Vegas High School alumni

By LAURA CARROLL
VIEW STAFF WRITER
John Holland is trying to bridge a generation gap. As chairman of the reunion committee for Las Vegas High School's class of 1953, Holland and some fellow alumni created a unique way to merge old and new.

The group designed and built a 10-foot black marble table with white ceramic tiles that represent each graduating class since Las Vegas High School opened at its original downtown location, 315 S. 7th St., now the site of Las Vegas Academy. The tiles are replicas of the senior squares outside the historical campus.

In addition to the copies, the group added tiles to represent classes that didn't have senior squares at the original campus, classes from 1933 to 1940, before the tradition began, and classes from 1989 to 1993, after they'd stopped due to space constrictions.

The table since has found a home alongside other original campus memorabilia inside Las Vegas High School's theater lobby. There will be a dedication for the space at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 in the school's theater area at 6500 E. Sahara Ave.

"Our piece is the centerpiece for the whole thing," Holland said.

The high school's band and choir will perform, and alumnus Richard Bryan will cut the ceremonial ribbon. In addition to the table, the memorabilia-filled room includes Bryan's letterman jacket and other alumni-worn clothing, a basketball from the 1953 championship team, a 1939 graduation announcement and a football program.

"We have some lovely things there," Jill Horton, Las Vegas High School's athletic secretary, said. "While the building has changed, the traditions have stayed the same."

A mural of the original campus sprawls across the theater foyer's wall, and trophies that were housed in the downtown building now reside in the school cafeteria. Also in the theater lobby is a collection of yearbooks from the 1930s.

"The plan is we will have more memorabilia donated," Horton said. "We've had a lot of really good help with the project."

At the time the senior square tradition began at Las Vegas High School, Maude Frazier was the school principal. Two students, playing a prank, painted their graduation year of 1941 on the sidewalk outside the original campus. Instead of becoming angry, Frazier liked the idea and decided to continue painting the squares until 1988.

"That's when they ran out of squares out there," Holland said.

Contact View education reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@viewnews.com or 380-4588.