Garfield High School

Wabash Valley profiles : a series of tributes to hometown heroes who have made a difference

Description:	One typed page including photograph; brief history of Garfield High School in Terre Haute, Indiana. WABASHP R OFIA hometown h heroes who h difference. A seriies of ttributes tto h f ib t t h have made a diff dVALLEYL E SGarfield High Schooltragic trolley-train circa 1920 collision that took place in October 1908 was indirectly responsible for the creation of Garfield High School. Speculating as to what might have happened if the accident had occurred while students were returning home from overcrowded Wiley High School, several Twelve Points residents gathering in Crooks Cigar Store at Tenth and Lafayette resolved to seek a safer alternative. By the time the board of the Terre Haute Public Schools agreed to meet in the Wiley Assembly Room on Feb. 18, 1909, more than 6,000 people had signed a petition, prepared by The Northside Committee, urging the creation of a northside high school. It was not until January 1910 that the school board, with former superintendent of schools William H. Wiley as a new member, agreed to erect a new school. During the summer and fall, the board acquired land at Twelfth St. and Maple Ave., upon which the building was to be situated, for a total sum of $23,000 from the Ketchum, Phillips, Miller and Byrne families. W. Homer Floyd of Terre Haute was the architect. Meanwhile, at the Sept. 16, 1910, school board meeting Wiley advanced Garfield as the proposed name of the school. His motion carried, 4 to 1. Ryan and Hayworth Construction Co. was awarded the contract to build the school for $93,345, but, alleging lackadaisical practices, the board revoked the contract on May 12, 1912, and assigned the work to Terre Haute contractor P.C. Kintz & Sons less than a week later. On Sept. 8, Charles J. Kintz laid the cornerstone, in which Charles T. Nehf, president of The Northside Committee, deposited many items. School board president Wiley was one of the speakers. When Garfield opened its doors to its first 432 students on Sept. 3, 1912, it did not have a heating plant or finished floors, and much equipment remained unpacked. It was winter before workers left the premises. Albert E. Highley, mathematics teacher at Wiley between 1910 and 1912, was the first principal. The student body selected purple and white as the school colors. After one year, Highley became the superintendent of schools in Marion, Ind., and was succeeded by Thomas W. Records. The initial sophomore, junior and senior classes were composed mostly of Wiley transfers. The freshman class came from Collett, Rankin, McKeen and Warren schools. In June 1913, diplomas were issued to the first 39 graduates. Of the many traditions associated with Garfield, none was more enduring than The Spirit of 7-6, conceived by eventual principal Jim Conover after 7-to-6 football triumphs over Wiley in 1915 and 1917. The legacy was glorified by an oil canvas presented to the school by alumnus John M. Jock Wilson after another 7-to-6 triumph in 1922. The rivals faced each other in football on 56 occasions, 38 times on Thanksgiving Day. On April 29, 1934, the school was severely damaged by fire but it survived, erecting a gymnasium in 1938. Garfield earned a reputation for producing outstanding business leaders and three Olympic gold medal winners--Clyde Lovellette (1952), Greg Bell (1956) and Terry Dischinger (1960)--before closing due to consolidation in 1971. Garfield Gardens and Garfield Towers now occupy the high school grounds.AAlways Close to Homewww.first-online.com MEMBER FDICYoull find First Financial Bank in these and other cities and towns near you: Terre Haute 238-6000 Brazil 443-4481 Rockville 765-569-3171 Clinton 832-3504 Sullivan 268-3331 Marshall, Illinois 217-826-6311 Robinson, Illinois 618-544-8666
Origin:	2006-06-21
Created By:	McCormick, Mike
Publisher:	Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Source:	http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/vchs/id/1355
Collection:	Vigo County Historical Society
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/
Copyright:	Copyright Undetermined
Subjects:	Garfield High School (Terre Haute, Ind.) High schools Students Education Education

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