16 minute read

Happy 75th, GSL!

from The Anchor, Fall 2022

by Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School

from The Anchor, Fall 2022, page 26

THE IMPACT OF READING

Partygoers enjoy looking through old yearbooks, news clippings, and other memorabilia in the Anchor Library during the event.

Carlos Clardy ’92 and Will Hudson ’92 Julie Binder, Ashley High, and Lauren Scrugham ’92

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Happy75 th, GSL!

Crowd Gathers for Anniversary Event

By Marci Woodmansee ’83

Kim Caldwell and Tom Beazley

Members of the Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School community – past and present – gathered on campus in August for a festive event that served as both reunion and celebration of the school’s founding in 1947. Some 600 attendees from 14 states came together to commemorate this special milestone. Lemaster Avenue was blocked off street-party style and strung with lights for the event, which featured music by the local band Shufflegrit, a beer garden, and the school’s iconic, red-and-white Bullet bus serving as a photo booth. (See related Bullet story, page 22.)

Flanked by Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on the west and the school’s Anchor Center multi-purpose building on the east, young and old alumni mingled with parents, grandparents, and former teachers to share memories of GSL and enjoy reconnecting with former classmates. A wide range of memorabilia items – including yearbooks, press clippings, photos, a vintage letter jacket, and ’70s and ’80s cheerleading uniforms – were on display in the school’s Anchor Center Library, while class composites dating back to the 1970s were available for viewing in the building’s Alumni Lobby.

Attendees also had the chance to tour the church to reminisce about school

chapel services. Many also took the opportunity to revisit the Middle School activities building and Saints Gym in Morton Hall, where all P.E. classes, pep rallies, and home volleyball and basketball games were held from 1970-2010.

The mood at the party was jubilant and attendees were all smiles, with the commonly overheard refrain being, “We should do this every year!”

The school received proclamations from the offices of both City of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris commemorating August 20 as “Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School 75th Anniversary Celebration Day.” Event remarks included a reading of the mayoral proclamation by the Rev. Ollie V. Rencher, Rector of Grace-St. Luke’s Church; a welcome from GSL’s new Head of School Dr. Andy Surber; and comments from Honorary Event Chair and former longtime faculty member Nick Scully. Themes of community, connection, and engagement were shared, and enthusiastic attendees made their love and appreciation for GSL abundantly clear.

“We are grateful for our history on this beautiful corner of Central Gardens, and excited about what the future holds for GSL!” Surber said.

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All the Ways We Love GSL

Testimonials and Comments from Event Attendees

“ Katie and I had a blast. I hadn't been in the old Middle School in over a decade, and it’s shocking how powerfully the smell of a place can trigger so many memories. I was very wistful walking through the gym, snack bar, stairwells, recounting stories to my wife. I remember how when I arrived from Mississippi I thought GSL was the most urban, sophisticated place I'd ever seen – complete with elevators AND a science lab – and lots of wonderful teachers and smart students. That school meant the world to me and remains such an important part of my education.”

- Marshall Bartlett ’03

“ I thought the party was such a special event – the atmosphere was awesome, and it was so nice to see so many people there. Thank you again! This is just another great reminder of why our family and many others are so happy to be a part of the GSL community.”

- Ben Barksdale, GSL Parent & Board of Trustees Vice-President

“ I thought the 75th reunion celebration was a huge success! I got to see a lot of old friends. It was a great idea to block off the street. It went beyond my expectations. Keep up the good work.”

- Kenny Jabbour ’79

" I came to see all the teachers and my friends. I love that all of my favorite teachers showed up and EVERY SINGLE ONE REMEMBERED ME. That means something.”

- Hannah Meacham ’12

" Wowzer! The 75th reunion was an amazing event! Reconnecting with past staff & classmates was a joyous homecoming celebration indeed."

- Loyd Foner ’79

" What other elementary school in Memphis can throw down like GSL and get 600+ people to show up? Not a single one. GSL rocks!"

- Abby Huber ’10

" It was great seeing so many generations mingling, all with GSL as the common thread."

- Daniel Fundo, GSL Parent & Director of Finance & Operations

" The thing I heard most often at the event was 'GSL is my home, and will always be my home.' This is proof that there is no place like GSL."

- Ellen Hendry GSL Grandparent, Alumni Parent & Head of Middle School

Price Smith Peacock ’03, Ainsley Ayres Beasley ’03, and Kirkland Bible; Nick Scully;

Honorary Event Chair Nick Scully,

Chris and Gina Roberts, Kathleen Behnke, Nina Callan, Jeni and Jamie Linkous, Courtney and Charlie Ciaramitaro

Carey Pontius, Teresa Sweeney, x, Sally Clark ’10, McKenna Kohlhof ’10, and Abby Huber ’10

Amy Deshaies Sharp ’85 and Robert Sharp, Janey and George Newton ’80;

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Morgan and Wil Slatery

Matt Morice, Cindy Brewer, Kevin Brewer, Kelly Morice, Andrew and Cynthia Saatkamp, and Anna McQuiston ’85

SPECIAL SPONSORS CONTRIBUTE TO 75TH SPIRIT

DILLARD DOOR SPONSORS BEER GARDEN AT 75TH CELEBRATION

Dillard Door President and GSL Alumni Parent Chris Bird was excited to see Grace-St. Luke’s celebrating its 75th anniversary. After all, his company, Dillard Door, is also celebrating 75 years! Bird reached out to GSL in the spring to learn how Dillard Door could help in this year of celebration.

At the 75th Anniversary Celebration on August 20, GSL was proud to offer guests access to a Beer Garden, sponsored by Dillard Door. The Beer Garden was located on the Lemaster Playground and featured yard games, comfortable outdoor seating, and lots of space for guests to mingle!

About Dillard Door First established as a door company in the 1940s, Dillard Door has grown into one of the most successful security system providers in Tennessee today. With a reputation for integrity, reliability and ingenuity, Dillard Door helps companies develop complete security solutions, installing everything from entrance gates to security cameras to complete Access Control Systems, allowing companies to focus on running their businesses.

Learn more about Dillard Door at dillarddoor.com, or by calling 901-775-2143.

CLAY SMYTHE ’82 HONORS TEACHER WITH PHOTO BOOTH SPONSORSHIP

We are grateful to GSL alumnus Clay Smythe ’82 for sponsoring one of the 75th event’s most popular attractions – our Bullet bus photo booth – in memory of a special former GSL teacher, Gladys Q. Griffin (pictured here). Señora Griffin was a beloved Spanish, Bible, & Art Instructor at GSL from 1975-1981. Griffin passed away in 2020, and her obituary tribute described her in a way that would resonate with her former GSL students: “Her personality was one-of-a-kind, and if you met her, you would never forget her.”

Memorializing a past teacher was perfectly in keeping with the spirit of the 75th Celebration. Many thanks to Clay (our 1982 Student Council President, Athlete of the Year, and “Mr. GSL”) for these special contributions to the school’s 75th Anniversary.

Unexpected Surprise About a month before GSL’s 75th anniversary event, Clay Smythe ’82 reached out with a generous offer. He had designed a retro pinstripe, red-and-white baseball jersey, with “Saints” in old-school script on the front and “75” on the back – mimicking the 1970s GSL uniforms. He wanted to donate 100 of these shirts for GSL to sell the night of the event as a spirit-building fundraising item.

Then, post-pandemic reality set in: Supply chain issues meant the shirts could not be produced in time to reach Memphis by the event date.

But in September, the sample jersey finally arrived! Smythe promptly gifted it to the school for our permanent archives. New Head of School Andy Surber was excited to try it on, and even sported the shirt during our annual All-School Picnic in September, when we celebrated the 75th as a school community.

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Important Moments in GSL’s History

School assembly on the steps of Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, circa 1958-59, featuring Father Richard MacDonald (upper left) and school founder Lorena Webber Walker (end of fifth row, far right).

Early school classroom in one of the basement floor rooms at Grace- St. Luke’s Church, probably third grade, approximately 1958-59.

Acolytes and students assemble for the dedication of the new Day School Building, 1960.

Fall 1976 Boys Soccer Team on the roof of a previously existing Lemaster bungalow.

Latin Club field trip to Gatlinburg, Tenn., 1976

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Although GSL's official founding year is 1947, the school’s earliest origins on this site in the heart of Midtown’s beautiful and historic Central Gardens neighborhood actually date back to 1919. That year, the Rev. Bartow B. Ramage, rector of St. Luke's Church, began a small parochial school for the neighborhood in the red clapboard parish house adjacent to the church, on the present site of Trezevant Hall. His wife was the teacher, and their daughter joined them on staff in 1923. But after Rev. Ramage's retirement the following year, the school closed in 1924.

Years passed and in 1940, Grace Church merged with St. Luke's to create Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church, which celebrated its first service that year on Thanksgiving Day. In 1947, former St. Mary’s kindergarten teacher Lorena Webber Walker approached the Reverend Dr. Charles Stuart Hale, the second rector of the newly-merged church, to see if she could rent space to begin operating a kindergarten. A scholarly man himself and firm believer in the importance of a Christian education, he agreed.

From humble beginnings in the church’s Parish Hall, a thriving day school was formed. Grades were added each year, and the school was issued its first charter in 1959, with groundbreaking on a new Primary Building. The school expanded and grew, adding Morton Hall (1971) for Middle School and above, and Bratton Hall (1973) for senior kindergarten through grade five. By the mid-1970s, GSL

was graduating several high school classes. But space constraints led the school to right-size into a kindergarten through ninth-grade configuration in 1979, allowing GSL to focus on developing students in preschool through middle school. This ultimately evolved into the two-year-old to eighth-grade model the school enjoys today.

Major improvements over the years included the acquisition of Snowden Field (1986), which helped raise the level of the school's Middle School athletic offerings, and the purchase of Miss Lee’s School of Childhood, which was founded in 1924 but had closed in 1986. GSL’s reopening of Miss Lee’s in 1987 allowed the school to expand its preschool offerings. In 1990, the church and school collaborated to link the church, the school administrative offices, the middle school, and the Saints Gym via an addition known as the Evans Building. In 2010, the Anchor Center opened on Lemaster between Linden and Peabody, across from Morton Hall and the Church, and featured a new gym, cafeteria, library, music and art rooms, science labs, dedicated space for After School Care, and a greenhouse. In 2013, the Little Lukers program was added, expanding the preschool program to include two-year-old children. GSL was one of the first schools in Memphis to add such a program.

We are thriving today, excited about the future, and proud of our history on this beautiful corner in Central Gardens!

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Beloved Bullet Finds New Home

By Denise DuBois Taylor

If only wheels could talk, what stories GSL’s legendary red-and-white Bullet bus could tell! From long trips and misadventures to neighborhood jaunts, the Bullet faithfully served GSL students for 39 years. (Is that something like 273 in bus years?) But what does one do with an ancient and really big machine that everyone loves, but that no longer rolls quite as well as it did? This was the quandary facing school administrators, many of whom had been passengers on the old gal themselves. This decision was as sentimental as it was problematic.

“I know how it got its name,” explained Marilyn Kidd, GSL’s equally faithful Bookkeeper of 43 (human) years. “Coaches Nick Scully and Rick Kohlhof used to drive it pretty fast, and the teams on board would say, ‘We’re driving like a bullet!’, so it was actually named by the students.”

In addition to the usual brief excursions from the school campus to Snowden Field, the Bullet made some longer hauls as well. Diane Glueck, former Middle School Art Teacher and Summer Camp Director, took young Lukers on several trips to Mississippi, but she remembers one trip, in particular, to her lake house outside of Boliver, Tenn.

Marshall Bartlett at the wheel of the Bullet in its new home in Como, Miss.

“I hosted the fifth grade class at my home in Hardeman County,” Glueck recalls. “Some of the parents came along in their own cars. Of course, I drove the Bullet with all the kids. My pet lab came, too! We had a picnic and a day full of fun, but there was a school dance that night, so we packed up in the afternoon. I loaded the students back onto the bus – but it wouldn’t start. And all the parents had already gone. My niece worked for a Ford dealership in Boliver that supplied a couple of vans, but it took about two hours, and we still had an hour-and-a-half drive to Memphis. We barely made it back in time for that dance!”

And as the Bullet aged, dear thing, it was prone to increasingly frequent breakdowns. This led to several “face lifts” – new paint, which, sadly (to some), also removed some popular graffiti – and a new engine.

Still, it was time for this loyal Luker to graduate, and it has now, literally, been put out to pasture. Home Places Pastures, to be exact.

Marshall Bartlett ’03 accepted the request to keep the beloved Bullet in the family. A Dartmouth grad with a degree in environmental studies and anthropology, Bartlett came back from college to his home in Como, Miss., and repurposed the five-generation family crop farm into an environmentally sustainable, free-range livestock operation that includes a USDA-processing facility, retail outlet, restaurant, special events, and monthly farm tours.

“I rode on the Bullet many times when I was on the football team,” he said. “Fond memories. I’ll use it for farm tours primarily, but I have some other ideas as well. I love that I can give the Bullet a purposeful semi-retirement – and my fellow Lukers can come down for a literal drive down memory lane.”

Editor’s Note: Saints of a certain age believe this Bullet that was just retired is actually the second Bullet, and that the previous red-and-white bus acquired in the late ’70s was the first to (unofficially) earn the Bullet moniker. We'll have to wait and see if our remaining red-and-white school bus will eventually be deemed Bullet 3!

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Ellen Hendry and Margaret McLean

Mary Jones, Sherry Emerson, Stan Jones, Tess Emerson ’14, William Franklin, and Kendall Jones Franklin ’04 Lorie and Porter Cavette '79

Director of Technology and Shufflegrit guitar player Jeff White sported a vintage GSL basketball jersey while playing the show.

Chris McComic ’81 and Amy Amonette Huber ’81

Patrick Whitlock ’92, Carlos Clardy ’92, Libby Shannon, and Justin Taylor ’92

Wallace Ann Sorrells ’07 and Dub Sorrells ’11

Carson Claybrook ’96 and Brad Trotter

Tiffany Shelton, Shonda Sargent, and Jeanna Johnson