Little Rock Central High School - Pix Yearbook (Little Rock, AR)

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Renovating A Champion Throughout the 53 years that Central High School has been in its present location, it has been the state’s best- known high school. Constructed at a cost of $1.5 million, the building was hailed as ‘•America's Most Beautiful High School” at a dedication service”attended by more than 20,000 people, including journalists from throughout the nation, in 1927. At the dedication service. Mrs. Lillian D. McDermott, a member of the School Board, said that Central High would stand as a public school for decades to come, a public school where Ambition is fired, where Personality is developed, where Opportunity is presented, and where Preparation in the solution of life’s problems is begun. Mrs. McDermott was correct. In fact, until renovation work began last summer, very little money had been spent on the building. The SI.5 million used to construct the building was a tremendous amount for that period in time, but it was SI.5 million wisely spent, as the years have now proven. The current renovation of Central has provided a new spirit to the school’s student body and to its faculty—a spirit that has made Central a champion” again this school year. Standing in now, the trombone section of the Tiger Marching Band performs during halftime ceremonies of the Central-Hall football game at Quigley Stadium on Thanksgiv- ing Day. The Tigers' victory over Hall provided Central with the state title in football, j 2

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The 1981 PIX Little Rock Central High Little Rock, Arkansas Volume 36

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Checking the work of Accounting I student Shelia Penn, a junior, is Mrs. Joyce Arick. Students had almost 100 courses from which to choose. Dedicated educators were instructors in all the courses. Because of renovation work, con- struction workers were seen often by students and their teachers. CONTENTS THEME .. .4 STUDENT LIFE ..12 SPORTS ..52 CLUBS ..96 CLASSES .150 PEOPLE .190 Faculty .192 Senior .200 Juniors .224 Sophomores .239 Kindergarten 256 ADVERTISING .258 INDEX 308 eMovin Oun Friend To Preserve Him A good, loyal “friend to Central's student body got a new home this year. The “friend is a statue of the school's mascot, a Bengal tiger. The statue was carved during the 1977-78 school year from the base of a 156-year-old sweetgum tree that had died in 1976. The sweetgum tree was a campus landmark. The demise of the tree did not go without notice from the state's news media. Both the Arkansas Gazette and the Arkansas Demo- crat ran Articles about the tree’s death. Through the efforts of Central's principal at that time. Dr. Morris L. Holmes, and one of the assistant principals. Mr. Everett Hawks, a local artist was employed to carve a tiger from the base of the tree so that “an old landmark can become a new landmark.” Wood preservatives were placed on the statue several times; however, the bottom of the tree trunk continued to decay. On January 16. 1981. the statue was cut from its base and brought inside the building. The Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) initiated and raised most of the needed funds for the project. (See page 320.) 3