It started with a trip to the basement of the Clark-Pleasant schools administration building to get a glimpse of what Whiteland Community High School looked like before any of its current students were born.
Now, people will have the chance to view historical photos from Whiteland High School dating back to the early 20th century and running through 1990. The photos will include those of basketball teams from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s, along with basketball memorabilia and senior class photos from the early 1900s through 1990, said Ann Conrow, who led the effort to organize the historical items and photos.
“I said, ‘what is this doing in a box in the basement of the administration building?’” Conrow said. “That led to the discovery of basketball pictures that led to the discovery of senior class pictures in an album in the high school library. No one knew that was there.”
The basketball photos are of teams coached by Glenn Ray, the man who the high school’s gym is named after. The photos also include ones from 1933 and 1934, when Ray Crowe played for the team. Crowe later coached the Crispus Attucks High School basketball team to a state title, becoming the first all-Black team to win a state basketball championship in the nation’s history. Clark-Pleasant’s newest elementary school is named after Crowe.
To help put the historical photo display together, Conrow got help from longtime athletic director and school board member Butch Zike, along with alumni chapter president Mike McElwain.
To raise money for the project, which included restoration, framing and presentation, the three alumni solicited donations from other former students, encouraging people to donate an amount representing the year they graduated. If someone graduated in 1968, for example, they would donate $19.68, Zike said.
The effort raised more than $1,000, making the display possible.
“The most interesting things were in the 1930s, when we were able to see Ray Crowe’s picture as a player at Whiteland, and I think the 1944 basketball team that went to the final eight that got beat by Anderson High School with ‘Jumping’ Johnny Wilson,” Zike said.
“Whiteland’s nickname was the Wrens. Then, in 1940, they became the Warriors. We were able to see other county schools, like the Center Grove Swedes in the 1930s, and Edinburgh was the Maroons. It was just neat to see the history of the other high schools (too).”
The exhibit may also interest people who want to see photos from their graduating classes, he said.
The historical photo display will be open to the public from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the administration building, 50 Center Street, Whiteland, as part of a day that also includes an alumni banquet. The photos will remain up in the building afterwards, Conrow said.
The photos create an emotional connection between people and the history of the school, McElwain said.
“One of the touching things we found was a picture of a young man, and he was the first soldier from Whiteland killed in World War II,” McElwain said. “That was very touching to see.”
