Reedtown Roundup preserves school’s legacy

RUSSELLVILLE Reedtown alumni and their families and friends gathered for three days last week to share memories, celebrate the school’s legacy and ensure the story of the school continues to be told.

Thursday’s meet-andgreet welcomed visitors with class photos, memorabilia displays and the chance to reminisce about school days at Reedtown.

Ella West, who graduated in 1968 as the valedictorian of Reedtown’s last senior class, helped set up a special room for her nephew, Torrence Groce. He flew in from California to begin filming a documentary about the school.

Ella West drives in Saturday morning’s parade.
CONTRIBUTED/ELLA WEST

“He’s always asked me about the school,” West said. “He came in with his video camera and interviewed different people.”

Alumni want to be sure Reedtown’s story is preserved while those who lived it can still tell it. They hope sharing their memories will help the spirit of Reedtown continue for future generations. The goal is simple: To hold onto these moments now so the history will never be lost.

West described Reedtown as more than just a building. She remembers teachers who felt like family, classmates who became lifelong friends, and activities that built lasting bonds.

“We were just locked in,” she said. “The teachers were just like your mother or your father. They would teach you, but they cared about you.”

She recalled Miss Irene Smith cooking spaghetti and peanut butter cookies served with chocolate milk.

West was a cheerleader for three years and loved playing basketball most of all.

“We didn’t have many students,” she said. “My graduating class only had 13, but we had talent shows, a choir that competed, sports teams, and track meets. It was a lot.”

After graduating, she was recruited by the FBI and moved to Washington, D.C., for a year. She called it a good experience that opened her eyes to the wider world.

At the time, FBI rules forced unmarried pregnant women to resign. She returned home to have her daughter.

“I wonder if I had stayed up there where I would be at this point,” she said. “But maybe God had something different. Maybe it was meant for me to come home.”

Melvin Young, who attended Reedtown from 1954 to 1964, described it as a tight-knit Black school that brought students together from all over Franklin County.

“We had schools like Rocky Glen, Five Town and Harrison,” he said. “After seventh grade, they came to Reedtown.”

He remembered bus routes run by local drivers who knew the families and students arriving from Haleyville and Red Bay.

Spring brought lively sports days and picnics at Roger Field with schools from the Quad Cities, Birmingham and Jasper.

“Once you got to seventh or eighth grade, we had class basketball tournaments,” Young said. “It was always a joy to beat the older grades.”

“Agriculture was a way to get away from school,” he added. “We judged cattle, swine, poultry and land. We’d go up to A&M in the spring and compete. We did well, even against bigger schools from Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile.”

Back row: William Nelson, Joe Graham, Lanny Hillman, James Griffin; middle row: Leo Harvey, Jerry Stanford, Melving Young; front row: Victoria McDowell, Rose Hillman, Ella West, Norma Harvey, Tammy West-Emerson.
CONTRIBUTED/ELLA WEST

Facilities were modest but students made the most of what they had.

“We didn’t have a fancy gym,” Young said. “We played on the ground up on the hill. For football, Russellville played Friday nights, and we’d use the same stadium Saturday nights.”

Homecoming was a highlight with floats made of twisted paper flowers, old boxes and spray paint.

“I tell my grandson if you made one like we did now, it’d cost an arm and a leg,” he said.

After home games, students held socials with records playing and food for sale to raise money for the school.

“It was also how you met people from other places,” Young said. “You made lifelong friends.”

“Everybody knew each other and tried to help one another,” he added. “The teachers taught us to respect one another and love one another.”

He said the strong bonds at Reedtown grew from the everyday challenges families faced.

“They felt your pain. Everybody was poor, but we didn’t know it. Parents learned to take a little and make a lot.”

Even now, he tries to pass those lessons on to his grandchildren.

“I want them to know these are great memories,” he said. “I’ll be gone one day, but they can tell their children what I told them.”

Back row: Tammy West-Emerson, Joe Graham, James Griffin, Melvin Young, Rose Hillman; front row: Leo Harvey, Norma Harvey, Lanny Hillman, Victoria McDowell, Jerry Stanford, William Nelson and Ella West.
CONTRIBUTED/ELLA WEST

The weekend included other activities to celebrate coming together to remember Reedtown’s school.

Thursday night featured a fashion and talent show at the A.W. Todd Centre with alumni and children modeling, as well as musical performances and dancing.

Saturday morning’s parade went from the Chucky Mullins Center around the block and back. The banquet Saturday night offered music, reflections, and fellowship.

Tammy West-Emerson, who helped cater the event with her husband, Chris, described the turnout as “amazing.”

“People really enjoyed the food,” she said. “It was an honor to serve in our community.”

The program included alumni speakers and performances.

Ella West sang with her sisters, Janet Groce and Mary Steward, and Pauline Mosley also performed. West led the crowd in the “Mighty Blue Devils” cheer she once shouted on the sidelines as a cheerleader. Decorations included blue and white, the school colors.