June 15, 2009

Greetings from the alum,

Friday I went to a wake.  Kind of an outdated term, but actually fitting for the occasion.  Central High School closed this week, a minor story in my hometown, overshadowed by more dramatic news.   I knew my old school was slated to be shuttered, and I had shoved the thought into the pile of things to think about some other time.  When I heard that the school would be open for past students to walk through one last time, something told me I should pay my respects.

In the four years I prowled the halls of Central I did not give the building much consideration.  I know that the school had a long history but could not have named what year it was built.  I remember being relieved when I graduated, and did not give the school any more thought than that.  I did not even make the effort to go back to get my diploma the summer I threw my cap in the air with my classmates.    

We were the Central Indians, with a formidable sports legacy and a long list of graduates who went on to be change makers in our city and the world beyond.  There was a reason to be proud of the heritage, and of our part in that, in spite of my somewhat indifferent attitude.     

A few years ago, amidst much debate, the school board deemed 'Central Indians' to be politically insensitive and the name was erased from everywhere in the school overnight.  Friday, outside the school, the Alumnus Association had its revenge, selling t-shirts that said 'Central Indians' with the logo I remember from three decades ago.  Some people wore shirts that said  'Once an Indian always an Indian'.

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