The Mountaineer replaced the older school newspaper, The High School Tattler, with its premier edition in 1922. The Mountaineer may have substituted sometimes for the yearbook during the years 1922 - 1934 when the Alleghanian was not published. But WE haven't seen any other substitutions than 1922.

And SOMEBODY during this school year put a feather in their cap by selecting the name, since it persisted until the closing of the school in 1983!

Notice that it was thought that when the CFHS merged into the Alleghany Highlands School System in 1983, the complete collection of Alleghanian yearbooks was transferred from CFHS' former building to the CF Public Library.

At one time, it was common practice to charge students for the production of photographs for inclusion in the yearbooks. This meant that if a student didn't buy a photo, they didn't get their likeness published. It is unclear if their names were published in a different section, however. We have noted upon occasion that a section titled "Not Shown" (or equivalent) would have a few names listed. And Summer School graduates, completing their requirements for graduation, did graduate but might not have a photo included; their names were listed in a section following the Senior Class. So, just because their name and photo didn't get shown in a particular yearbook, or in a particular section of a yearbook, doesn't mean that the student didn't graduate or participate with that class.

We have tried to locate other copies of the yearbooks, even going so far as to try to find information from the printers. The Stone Printing Company of Roanoke printed so many of the later Alleghanians, but that company has been sold and their archives do not exist. Past issues may be found in flea markets, yard sales, and junque stores, usually for sale.

It was not common practice in those times to list full names at each instant of publication. Many times, only nicknames or middle names were listed. This was a problem when a student's real name was different from his nickname, or when his full name was listed at Graduation but his middle name was used throughout school previous to graduation.   Complete names are provided where known, as the Editor deems it valuable to have full names listed.

It's so very interesting to see how the annuals (and people) change through the ages. Check them out some time!

The Class Colors of '09's Senior Class were Green and Gold. The Junior Class had the same colors, but the Sophomore and Freshman Classes had different colors. Indeed, the Sophomores had Brown and Gold as their colors in 1909, but in the 1911 yearbook, their colors turned into Green and Gold. They even referenced these colors as those they wanted to wear in their Graduation on May 5 - "gilt net over green messaline." Later classes in different years had different Class Colors, so it's hard to tell unless you're fortunate enough to be able to compare the early yearbooks.

However, the 1922 Mountaineer (substituting for a yearbook) reports that the Class Colors of the Senior Class were Black and Gold, and that the Senior Class Night was held in the Elks Hall, suitably decorated in the Class Colors.

But we are unsure as to just when and how the colors of Green and Gold came to be School Colors.

It is stated in the text of the 1909 Alleghanian that it was their intention to produce the book every two years. There is an original 1909 issue in the CF Public Library. We located several copies of the second edition of 1911 in private collections but none are in the CF Public Library. The second edition (1911) is identified as the second "Volume", in Roman Numerals. The edition of 1921 (found in private hands) is identified as the fourth volume. We do not know which preceeding edition was Volume III.

In the 1935 Alleghanian, Frances Van Lear, Class Historian '35, writes, "In March, our Alleghanian was sent to the publishers. We are very proud of the fact that we are the first class since that of '21 to publish an annual."

It appears that 1908 was the first year of a separate identity known as Clifton Forge High School. Elizabeth Hicks Corron's book Clifton Forge, Virginia (1971) gives a nice history of schools in CF, including the Robert E. Lee High School which has been replaced by a convenience store and a former Chevy dealership cum maintenance garage. Additional history is found in the yearbooks of 1909, 1911, and 1935. The 1911 Alleghanian tells us that the high school classes enrolled in a new four-year program in 1908 and were split off from the established school buildings (what we now call Moody School) in 1910. These students in the higher grades were sent for schooling in the Louise Steam Laundry, a building which was on (I think) Commercial Avenue and hopefully not laundering by that time. When a new building, the Robert E. Lee High School, was completed for the 1912 Senior Class, the students had a home identified as a "high school". The Lee School continued until closing in 1940 as a result of diminishing enrollment. The building WE know as CFHS had been constructed in 1928 because of increasing student enrollments, and all high school students attended it begining in 1941.

Frances Van Lear, Historian of the Class of '35, wrote of the history of the Clifton Forge School System in the 1935 Alleghanian:

"The first school on record was an old log cabin in Slaughter Pen Hollow. Before the war, this cabin was used for housing slaves. This was only a one-room structure and as the population increased, a three-room structure was built.

"In 1896, an eight-room school building was built. This was a splendid building, steam heated and modern in every respect. This soon became inadequate and it was necessary to rent rooms in near-by buildings to accommodate the children. In 1907, the town having become a city, added $20,000 in improvements to this building. This doubled its capacity and gave to Dlifton Forge the Moody Building.

"In 1911, the Robert E. Lee buiding was erected for high school students. As this became too small, in 1920 the Moody Building was used for high school students, and the Moody Annex Building was built for graded children."

It is unclear to the Editor at this time as to the use of the R.E. Lee building during the years 1928-1940. Was the 1928 building used as the only high school for the city during that period? Was the Lee building used as a graded or elementary school during the period? Did the Robert E. Lee High School ever have a yearbook, commencement exercises, or any other official activities or publications?

• 1909 is the first graduating class of the new system which now labeled students as "high school students".
• It is interesting to note that the Sophomore and Freshmen classes of 1911's yearbook were labeled "second high school".

From 1935 to 1983, the last year of the school, the yearbooks were published annually. Copies of the Alleghanian are on hand in the Clifton Forge Public Library, but the library was missing Volume III as well as individual issues of 1964, '71-72, and '78. Some issues in the Library are damaged, and a few duplicate issues are on hand elsewhere. We have located and copied the 1921 issue, in private hands, which is identified as the fourth volume. We don't know the year of the third volume. Anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of those missing links please contact the web Editor at the address below.

It often is touted that the yearbooks were published by the students, even if it IS with the permission of the School Board. When we see clubs like the "Kickers", we can be fairly certain that this was "student input". In later years, such youthful humor is absent. Does this illustrate a change in the characteristics of youth's humor, the emergence of a sense of gravity, evolution of maturity, or the subtle influence of The Adult? No one will say. But something has been lost.

In the 1909 Alleghanian, there was a Kicker's Club, whose motto was "Kick others before they kick you."   Its Flower was the Sour Grass, its colors were Red and Gray, and the Password was "Three of a Kind." It had only three members - Guess who they were? (they were all Seniors, if that's helpful!)

Also in that 1909 annual, there was the Young People's Progressive Club, a spoof on roller skating. The only condition for memberhsip was that a candidate must possess one roller skate. It seems that roller skates were a nuisance on public streets then, maybe like roller blades are today.

In 1909 and again in 1911, the King Literary Society is found, but it's purpose is unclear. Named after F.W. King, ex-superintendant and State Senator, the Society was founded for "systematic literary club work". A number of meetings were recorded in the school calendars, including the founding day of December 4, 1908 and the very first meeting of December 11; a celebration of George Washington's Birthday, another unidentified celebration on May 27 followed by Graduation on May 28. The first meeting in the 1911 yearbook calendar is on October 28, but elsewhere is recorded their celebration of "Lee's Birthday". The 1908 "Christmas Break", as it's known today, was between December 23 and January 4; and the 1910 break, between December 22 and January 3. Modern students believe their current break to be too short, but what's wrong with keeping tradition?!

In 1910, the King Literary Society suffered an upheaval of sorts when the boys decided to secede and form their own version of that club. Thus the Ciceronian Society came to be, and the girls kept the King Literary Society. Consolidation of the two clubs did not occur during that school year, but members did attend each other's functions, whatever they were.

Other clubs found in the 1911 Alleghanian are:

• The Mum, or Oyster Club (January 19, 1911) was formed "for the purpose of creating a Class Spirit such as is seen in other schools, and heretofore never heard of in this vicinity." Charter Members ("Pearl Oysters") were Malvina Payne, Raymond Werner, Fife Samples and Guy Turner; and they hoped that even though "it did not create an epidemic", "...any further enlargement of this club will be for the advancement and enlargement of that one idea, namely, Class Spirit."
• The Talker's Union membership of 10 included only females. The Chief Talker, Close Second, Chatter Box, and Chief Inquirer were the officers. The club Flower was the 4 O'Clock (sometimes later); the Favorite Dish was tongue (loose at both ends), and the club Color was the Blue Streak.
• The Hobo Club was headed up by the Chief Hobo and the King of Tramps, the only officers. There were four other members, and everyone was a male. Their Yell (all organizations seem to have had a Yell) probably describes their Reason for Being:

The R.E. Lee Literary Society was active in 1921 and 1922.

In 1922, the "2 A.M. Club" was strictly social. Also, the Bobbed Hair Club was entirely (surprisingly?) female. Details are absent about the Three Day Club of that year.

In 1935, we find the Walla Wah Toola Society. We have absolutely no idea of the requirements for membershsp, but Ruby King and Nancy Reyburn, both Class of '35, were members.

There were other clubs and members listed in the various annuals. From the late '30s we find the following:

• Stamp Club - boys and girls
• Bachelor's Club - all boys
• Collection Club - all girls
• Sub-Deb Club - all girls
• Data Club - before computers? - all boys
• Model Club - presumably model airplanes and such, but who knows since all the members seem to have been males. Maybe there were other types of models for this club...

Over the years, various awards have come and gone. From the '30s we find William Walton '37 and William Overstreet '38 winning the American Legion Award, and Marion Drewry Forren '35 won the United Daughters of the Confederacy Essay Prize. In the '40s, we find Dorothy Louise Woodson Baber '40, Elizabeth Connell Shaffer * '42, and Frances Dove Diehl Griffin '42 winning the D.A.R. Good Citizenship Award.

© Copyright 2005, Clifton Forge High School Alumni Association