National Alumni Association for West End

High School

Clarksville, Virginia

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 NATIONAL REUNION

The 13th Annual West End High School National Reunion, hosted by the Richmond Chapter, was held on June 25 – 27, 2010. More than 120 alumni and friends turned out to carry out the theme of “Uniting to Remember Our Past”. This year’s reunion honored the graduating class of 1960. Each attendee received a copy of a 1960 ECHO and each 1960 graduate attending received a copy of their class picture in the registration packet.

Friday Night Meet And Greet

Irow Hector (1960) was the MC for the evening. Healthy Connections, caterer provided a selection of heavy hors d'oeuvres. Donald Pierce (1960) and George Lancaster (1962) lead the group in “West End High School” and “Class of 1960” trivia games. Former teacher Mavis (Wray) Farrar received a prize for answering the most questions correctly for the WEHS trivia game. Later, dancing to the music provided by DJ George Soloman of Mic Productions, the group showcased their talents (and stamina) in the forms of Stepping, Electric Slide, Booti Call, Cubic Shuffle, Cha-Cha Slide and Take It Off. (Click here to see pictures from the Friday night event.).

Saturday Morning Prayer Breakfast

Frances (Wood) McClenney (1960), Vice President of the Richmond Chapter was the MC for the breakfast. Winning Taste Catering provided a breakfast buffet of eggs, waffles, bacon and sausage, hash browns, biscuits and fruit. The Riverview Baptist Church Praise Singers, (Jake Holmes, musician) rendered inspiring musical selections and the Riverview Baptist Church Praise Dancers ministered through dance. The floor was opened to testimonies and prayers, which were heartfelt and inspirational. The Richmond Chapter recognized Frances for her donations of time and personal resources to the chapter and to the reunion’s success. A memorial service was held for deceased alumni, which included each chapter calling out the names of those who passed since the last reunion and lighting a memorial candle. The morning ended with a Unity Prayer. (Click here for pictures from the breakfast).

Saturday Night Scholarship Banquet and Dance

Fred Valentine (1960) President of the National Association and Richmond Chapter was MC for the evening. The evening started with dinner catered by Winning Taste Catering. Attendees feasted on Fried Chicken, Baked Fish, Macaroni & Cheese, Green Beans, Garden Salad and scrumptious deserts.

Honoring the Class of 1960

Seventeen members of the class were present at the banquet. They received a plaque commemorating their 50th anniversary and posed for photo opportunities. Memorial moments were observed for deceased members of the class. Moments of fellowship and reminiscing continued throughout the evening. Click here to see those who attended.

King and Queen

How it works: One goal of the Association is to provide scholarships to descendents of those who attended West End High School. Each year the three chapters engage in a friendly competition to see who raises the most money for scholarships. Each chapter selects 2 representatives as King and Queen and the representatives from the chapter that presents the most money at the banquet are crowned.

Chapter Representatives

The chapter representatives for this year were:

Mecklenburg – Charles T. (1961) and Betty C. (1962) Terry

Metropolis – Charles E. White (1953) and Norvella Short Moore (1966)

Richmond – Donald A. Pierce, Sr. (1960) and Alice Hardy Miller (BHS-1970)

Click here to see name, bios and pictures of this year’s representatives.

The Metropolis Chapter took the crowns and therefore, Charles and Norvella will “reign” until next year’s reunion. See the King and Queen in their crowns.

2010 Scholarship Recipients

This year the Association awarded twelve $1000 scholarships. Recipients and parents/guardians were invited to attend the banquet. Alice (Hardy) Miller a member of the Scholarship Committee presented the awards and the recipients and parents, guardians or other representative came forward to receive the Letters of Award. See a list of the 2010 and previous recipients here.

Recognition of Mr. Lewis R. Marshall

Due to his illness, the 2010 reunion was the first reunion that Mr. Marshall missed. The commemorative souvenir journal was dedicated to him. A card was available at the banquet for all to sign to let him know we missed his presence and wished him well. The card and a Visa gift card were delivered to him a couple of days later.

…And They Danced the Night Away…

The evening ended with dancing to the music of Glenroy Bailey. The band played a variety of music including “oldies but goodies”—such songs as “One in a Million”, “Three Times A Lady” and “Mustang Sally”. See a short video of this outstanding band. Even though the room was a bit warm, it didn’t deter those present from the line dances, the slow dances, the swing dances, the cha-cha-cha, the twist, and those “unnamed” dances. The evening ended with many farewells and best wishes, as well as aching feet and sore muscles. Click here to see pictures from the banquet.

Sunday Morning Worship Service

The weekend ended with a powerful message from Reverend Dr. Levy M. Armwood, Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where approximately 50 alumni and friends gathered for worship. The group had reserved seating and Fred presented the church with a donation from the Alumni Association.

Visit the photo gallery to view all pictures from the 13th Annual West End High School Reunion.

See you next year!

2011 Reunion will be hosted by the Metropolis Chapter

Short Written History

President's Message