“Dear Butler, we’ll always trust and love you,
From day to day, we’ll love to sing your praise;
because we strive to keep your standards ever,
Dear Butler High, we love you best of all.
Dear Butler High, we’ll always love you best of all,
We’ll always keep our motto high and true,
Until the day when it is time to leave,
Our love is true to thee until eternity.”
The voices of seven years of E.E. Butler High School alumni rang out in front of the old school building Saturday afternoon, singing the school song while they gathered to remember the school that closed 50 years ago.
Students and teachers shared memories from the seven years the school operated, from 1962 to 1969. In 1969, a decision from Washington made it down the pipeline, requiring Gainesville High to be integrated and to the eventual shuttering of Butler.
Now, a portion of the school is used for the Ninth District Opportunity Hall County Head Start Program, allowing children under traditional school age a place to learn and sometimes, catch up. The school also housed the Alpine Psychoeducational Program, also known as the Futures Program, until it closed in 2017.
The campus will also be home to Butler Park that will soon be under construction. The park is waiting on a grant from the federal Parks commission, which was delayed until possibly September, Hall County Commissioner Jeff Stowe told the audience before he read a proclamation recognizing the historical significance of the school and commemorating the E.E. Butler High School 50th Remembrance Ceremony; City Council Member Barbara Brooks said in her speech that the skate park was officially underway as of July 1 at the location of the old Pine Street Pool, as well as a new park project planned on Highway 129 instead of only putting a business park there. She also read a proclamation from the city, declaring Saturday E.E. Butler High School 50th Year Remembrance Day.
A member of each graduating class spoke about their high school experience; favorite teachers, Butler High Queens, clubs and sports teams were recognized; school board member Sammy Smith recalled his time at Gainesville High School as it integrated with Butler; Superintendent Jeremy Williams spoke on the theme of the remembrance ceremony: “Where Do We Go From Here?”
Jerry Castleberry, class of 1965 and a former employee of the Gainesville School System ended the ceremony by saying that in order to answer “Where do we go from here?” we must look at where we are now.
“50 years after Butler closed, some of our children still languish behind some of the other kids academically. We have to make sure our children are taking advantage of every opportunity that’s available to them, and there are many, our school system provides a lot of services: wraparound services, career ready programs. It’s up to us to encourage our kids and that we take advantage of those opportunities,” Castleberry said. “When the last class left Butler High, there weren’t the opportunities our kids have today.
He read a list of accomplished members of the class of 1969, including attorney Walt Rucker, Dr. Eddie Cheek, Dr. Mary Cannon, Dr. Benjamin Rucker, Dr. June Hayward, Dr. Jenny Young Morrison, CPA Carolyn Baylor, U.S. Attorney Terry Lindsey, retired judge Michael Hancock, counselor Doris Ann Hughey, Angela Hughey EDS, former Hall County Commissioner Deborah Mack.
“That’s something we all can be proud of. Not only has this building served as an institution of education for our students, but it continues to do so today with Ninth District Opportunity Head Start Program that is housed here. It has also been administrative offices for the city of Gainesville, mainly ALL cities, community center for years by the Gainesville Parks and Recreation Department under the management of Jacob Wilmont and Gene Brown,” said Castleberry. He reiterated the development of the new park as well.
“But the question still is, what do we do from here? And I’ll leave the answer up to you.”
