Calling all 'original' city alumni through time

February 19, 2008 12:15 am

By Jonas Beals

James Monroe High School moved into its new digs in 2006, and the former building was razed. A spray-painted plywood sign on Washington Avenue read "Thanks old JM."

That plywood sign was proof of graduates' attachment to their alma mater--not just the name of the school, but the physical structure--the very halls that witnessed their passage into adulthood.

The same sign could have been propped up in front of Maury School, a building that is still standing, enjoying new life as condominium homes.

Maury is still the site of the Yellow Jackets' athletic stadium, but before 1952, Maury was known as James Monroe High School. For many JM alums, Maury is where they grew up and is the focal point of their high school memories.

A dedicated group of James Monroe graduates has formed the James Monroe High School (Original Site) Alumni Association. The group wants to stretch beyond graduating classes to include anyone who attended high school in the Maury building.

In doing so, the association hopes to revitalize the reunion process for many classes from 1937 to 1956.

Fredericksburg residents Carlton Onderdonk (1949) and Bill Doumas (1950) are spearheading the effort to bring all of those classes together.

"Those classes from way back when, there are either so few of the classmates still living or still living here that they probably didn't have much of an opportunity to have a reunion," Onderdonk said. "If there's going to be a reunion, somebody here has to take the initiative and get a committee together and plan accordingly."

Onderdonk took the ball and ran with it. He was inspired by his wife's Falmouth High School Alumni Association, which has been having successful annual reunions for 42 years though the school no longer exists.

Armed only with copies of commencement programs, Onderdonk and Doumas have dedicated 2008 to tracking down alumni, with the goal of an all-inclusive school reunion in 2009.

"We're trying to lasso everyone who attended what we knew as James Monroe High School," Doumas said.

It's no easy task. Many graduates no longer live in the area, some have died, and most of the women are now known by different last names.

"Some of the classes have been having such recent reunions that, in a way, that work is already done," Doumas said. "But there are probably other classes that have never had a reunion."

In all, Doumas estimates that 1,300 students graduated from James Monroe between 1937 and 1952. He and Onderdonk hope a consolidated reunion could attract up to 400 people, including spouses and teachers.

Onderdonk said his efforts so far have yielded unanimous support from members of every class. The association was created and approved by 27 representatives at a meeting in the Maury gymnasium, now a conference room. Bylaws have been drafted and officers selected.

Individual classes may still have their own reunions, with the consolidated "original site" reunion serving as an additional meeting spot, or perhaps an anchor date to plan smaller reunions around. Whatever the individual class response, Onderdonk and Doumas think all graduates will benefit from their idea.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed this," Onderdonk said. "It's enriching to me to talk to people for the first time. Their reaction is always positive. It's been really encouraging."

To reach Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com

Doumas and Onderdonk are still trying to track down schoolmates and would appreciate any information on the whereabouts of alumni who attended James Monroe at the original site.

To reach Carlton Onderdonk, e-mail csonder@aol.com or call 540/ 373-0545

To reach Bill Doumas, e-mail billdoumas@1big red.com or call 540/ 372-7084

"Wish You Were Here" reads the back of a postcard of Maury School, dated June 12, 1945, and mailed to a Tennessee resident. The building was a city school from 1920 to 1980. During the time of the postcard, it was James Monroe High.

A new field house was built at Maury Field in 2001. The field continues to be used as James Monroe High's athletic field for football, soccer and field hockey, even though the school itself moved to Washington Avenue in 1952.

This is an artist's rendering of the under-construction Veterans' Memorial, which is being built just outside the front of the old schoolhouse.

After 20 years as a white elephant, the old high school now bustles with activity. It's been transformed into condominiums and is known as Maury Commons.

Last fall, the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center moved into the old school's gymnasium. Jay Gomez of Hilldrup Moving and Storage helped with the relocation of the historic materials.