Albany High School alumni, supporters prepare to say goodbye to school

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Lisa Holt Hood, a member of the Albany High School graduating Class of ‘83, has been away for some time now from the Southwest Georgia city that she called home for most of her life. But, Hood declares, the city — and the high school that she and a close collection of friends call their alma mater — remains dear.

So when Hood, now a resident of Jacksonville, learned this week that the Dougherty County Board of Education voted to close Albany High, she decided to pay what could very well be a last visit.

“Yesterday was a shocker,” Hood said in a telephone conversation Wednesday, the day after the School Board voted 4-3 to close and repurpose Albany High. “I love my Albany, Georgia, and I love Albany High. I put a post up on Facebook (after the vote), talking about the decision, and I found out a lot of people felt the same way I did.”

So Hood, with Albany friends like Stephen Brimberry, decided to put out a call to hold an “Albany High Proud and Pride Day.” The response, Hood said, has been much greater than she expected.

“I figured this may be the last chance a lot of us will have to get a picture made at the Albany High sign before they tear it down,” Hood said. “So I asked school supporters to meet at the sign at 4 o’clock Saturday to take a group picture.

“We’re not about putting anyone down for the decision that was made, but I think a lot of people want to show the leaders in Albany that they’re not happy with the decision. They don’t want to see the history of this great school just swept away, the mementos stored in a warehouse somewhere.”

Brimberry, who graduated from Westover in ‘83 but went to Albany Middle School with many of the friendly rivals who would end up at Albany High, said the roots and love for Albany High run much deeper and are much more widespread than just among AHS alumni.

“Westover and Albany High were always friendly rivals, and as the numbers in our graduating classes have gotten smaller over the years, we’ve combined our reunions,” Brimberry said. “Now, we’re all sad that while we at Westover still have a football team to cheer for and a place to go for homecoming, our friends at Albany High don’t.”

That feeling, he said, stretches back for generations.

“Both my parents, my aunts, my uncles … they all went to Albany High,” Brimberry said. “We want to get the word out to those older generations that maybe aren’t as computer savvy as the younger folks and let them know about this Albany High Proud and Pride Day. We want to see representatives there of several generations. I know a lot of them are planning to come.”

Both Hood and Brimberry say they want to see Albany High’s legacy preserved.

“It would be awful to see them take all the mementos from Albany High and just store them away somewhere,” Hood said. “I’d like to see them on display, maybe in an exhibit at Thronateeska (Heritage Center). I think Stephen has already made initial contact with (Thronateeska Executive Director) Tommy Gregors about the possibility.”

Brimberry said it’s not coincidental that the name of Albany High’s yearbook is “Thronateeska.”

“That name is part of the school’s and the city’s heritage,” he said. “I think a lot of people hope that the things that are a part of Albany High’s history — the school trophies and things like that — can be put on display somewhere. There’s a lot of history associated with that school, and a lot of people are sad at the decision that was made (by the School Board).”

AHS supporters and alumni who want more information or to connect with other supporters can go to Lisa Holt Hood’s Facebook page.