Alumni Remember High School’s Past

— The Tiger mascot and Bentonville High School’s black and gold colors united several generations at the school’s football homecoming pep assembly Friday morning.

The mascot and school colors are probably the only things connecing the graduating class of 2013 and the one that graduated 70 years ago in 1942.

Memories of high school flooded back to Jack Crone, 90, and Tennie Taylor Russell, 88, following the pep assembly.

The class of 2013 is projected to graduate more than 800 students, while 55 received a diploma in 1942.

“Everything is different,” Crone said. “Its amazing. We were pre-Walmart.”

At A Glance

Last Home Game

Bentonville’s last home football game of the regular season will be Nov. 2 against Fayetteville. The game will be rematch of last year’s 7A title game won by Fayetteville. Bentonville’s next two games will be at Van Buren on Oct. 19 and at Springdale on Oct. 26. Games times are 7:30 p.m.

Source: Staff Report

High school students attended what is known today as Old High Middle School in 1942. Basketball games and proms were held on the school stage, Russell said. Pep assemblies were held on the front lawn.

“It is hard to compare with what it was like back then to what it is now,” Russell said. “Old High at that time was the biggest building in town.”

Russell said she wore black corduroy pants and a gold long-sleeved top as a cheerleader her junior year in high school.

“We would have been expelled from school to wear what these kids wear today,” Russell said.

World War II was under way in 1942. Everyone knew a majority of boys would leave for war and many girls would leave for jobs that supported the war effort.

“We didn’t have a reunion for a long time because everyone was scattered,” Russell said.

A yearbook wasn’t printed her senior year because the school used the money to purchase war bonds instead, Russell said.

An assembly while Crone was in high school showcased an early television, he said.

“I remember going into the meeting room and seeing some type of equipment,” Crone said. “They pulled a switch and black dots started going across the screen. If you had good enough vision you could see a pretty girl. They said there would come a day where every house would have one. You thought ‘Why in the world for?’”

Crone and Russell had roles in school plays. Russell was a cheerleader and majorette, while Crone spent his time drawing.

“I still have an etching that Jack did when he was sitting in class,” Russell said. “He was supposed to be listening.”

Robert Dees from Reno, Nev., graduated from Bentonville High School in 1972. He returned to Bentonville on Friday for the first time in 25 years to attend his 40th high school reunion.

The school graduated 135 students in 1972. Old High Middle School was still the high school at that time.

“I couldn’t have envisioned the changes,” Dees said of Bentonville. “The roads are different. There are roads where there were never roads before. The square has changed a little bit. It is similar in some regards.”

Dees said in 1972 everyone in town knew everyone else.

“Our football team wasn’t as good,” Dees said. “I think our record was 3-7. There were only seven that were seniors that played football.”

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