Albany High School alumni, supporters to walk school halls

ALBANY — The gathering two weeks ago of Albany High School alumni and supporters for a final photo at the school went very well, so the group has planned a literal stroll down memory lane.

At 3 p.m. on Saturday, the 300-plus who came for the photo op and others who might have missed the opportunity are invited back for a “Walk the Halls: Farewell to Albany High School” event. Organizers said the building, which is being closed and “repurposed” by the Dougherty County School System, will be open for nostalgic tours.

“We were shocked with the response to that photo a couple of weeks ago,” said Lisa Holt Hood, who now lives in Jacksonville, Fla., and helped plan the photo shoot with Stephen Brimberry. “But we were very pleased with the show of loyalty for Albany High. After that event, some folks in Albany — Bruce Dorminy, Mike Cumbie and Gary Sloan — reached out to Stephen and me with the idea of putting together a final walk-through of the school.

“We contacted school officials who were gracious enough to allow us to walk the halls one last time. Based on the early response we’ve gotten on social media, I wouldn’t be surprised to see as many as 600 to 800 folks show up Saturday.”

Organizers said they are doing what they can to make Saturday’s event memorable. Attendees are being asked to sign a farewell banner that will be part of a large group photo planned for Hugh Mills Stadium. Businesses throughout the city are either showing their support with marquee messages or donating to the event.

“I hate to talk about specific businesses because I might forget some, but Way’s House of Flowers has given us corsages for some of the older alumni, Harvey’s in Lee County is donating ice and water, the Merry Acres Inn is fixing up one of the turtle statues in Albany High colors and businesses like Albany Package Warehouse and Homerun Foods are putting up messages on their marquees,” Hood said.

Hood said chairs will be moved into the lobby so elderly supporters will not have to stand the entire time they are in the building, and hall monitors will be available to help direct visitors. The former school lobby and sign-in table will be decorated with an old letter sweater, pompoms and past copies of Albany High’s “Thronateeska” yearbook. Spirit ribbons also will be given to participants.

“We’ll even have a golf cart available to help people who might have trouble walking get to and from the building and get to the stadium for the photo,” Hood said.

Organizers said they expect the group photo to be taken at 4 p.m.

Rumors surfaced this week that the Albany High building had been purchased by Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital to be used as a nursing education building, but officials at the top levels of both the school system and the hospital vehemently denied the rumors.