By Stephen Smoot
When one first takes the stairs, or the lift chair to assist those who struggle with climbing, to the top floor of the Bice-Ferguson Museum in Downtown Shinnston, one photo stands out. Looking to the left, a visitor will see a photo from the days of sock hops and finely designed Chevrolet sedans.
That photo portrays the Shinnston High School Spartan Band. On both the left and the right sit proud teenagers in gray looking military style uniforms complete with Sam Browne belts. In the back and center, however, stand 10 young ladies. All wore big smiles and gleaming white garments, each with either a letter or a punctuation mark on them.
They stood so that together they spelled out SHINNSTON! And it would not have nearly the same effect without that confident and proud exclamation point at the end.
“We always had a pretty good band,” remarked Debbie Malone who takes care of the remarkable collection.
Shinnston High School’s Alumni Room offers not only artifacts from days gone by, but also endless stories and memories lovingly curated by Malone.
Malone explained that saving Shinnston High School’s past took a great deal of work – and not a little luck. She credited Harriet Harmer, a former secretary, for rescuing almost every yearbook issued by the school in its existence. Harmer also “salvaged the trophies.”
The Alumni Room features both class photos and also pictures from the decades that students attended Shinnston High School. “The pictures were thrown into a box,” Malone said, then shared that “we were able to clean up and save some of them.”
One of those photos was of John McKay who, like others from the area, grew up, moved away, and became legendary coaches. McKay graduated from Shinnston in 1940 and later headed the football program at the University of Southern California. There he won nine conference titles and five of his team’s eight appearances in the Rose Bowl. He also led the team to four national titles.
He had less success coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McKay, however, earned his way into National Football League lore by responding after a particularly lackluster performance to the question “what do you think of your team’s execution?” with “I’m in favor of it.”
Other memorabilia includes letter jackets and other Spartan colored clothing, as well as a group photograph from the last reunion.
Malone shared that her favorite moments in taking care of the memories comes when older graduates peruse the collection. “It’s great to see families reminisce,” she said, describing how some will look for their relatives or even themselves in class pictures.
The centerpiece is certainly the scrapbook, a massive treasure tome of clippings, pictures, and more. One older visitor, Malone remembered, “cried when he looked at the scrapbook. It was really touching.
Others love looking for old friends in the Alumni Room. As Malone described, “when they see someone they haven’t seen in years, their eyes light up. It’s really heartfelt. It’s just an experience you have to see.”
Few high school alumni treasure their stories as much as Shinnston High School’s, at least to the point of establishing a small museum in its memory. Like most small towns, however, the local high school serves as the backbone of area culture and history, a common touchstone of memories and understanding the world during childhood.
The Alumni Room has 15 poster sized photographs of some of the classes for sale for $10. Malone says that those interested in purchasing one can contact her to do so. Additionally, the museum still accepts donations of any items, save newspaper clippings. She stated that they have received a large number over the years and that the task of working with them is daunting.
It is open to visitors during the Shinnston High School Reunion celebration on Saturday afternoon and by appointment. Malone states that those who wish to view the collection “ can contact Deb Herndon (with the Bice Ferguson Museum) or they can contact me. We will work it out.”
The Alumni Room also has a Facebook page for those who wish to keep up with events or reach out.