Seniors Then Are Seniors Now

LBJ WAS THE NATION'S PRESIDENT, Carl Sanders was Georgia’s governor and Dr. William Henry Shaw was superintendent of the Muscogee County School District. The year was 1965 and Shaw joined others on September 7 of that year to cut the ribbon on the school district’s newest school, Hardaway High. Columbus was in a period of growth and expansion and Hardaway, named for school district board member and Columbus businessman Benjamin Hurt Hardaway Jr., was the school district’s latest contribution to meeting the needs of that growth. Hardaway has prospered and this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. Much excitement and big doin’s are afoot.

Through its 50-year history the school has had four principals: Dewey Renfroe,

Roger Hatcher, Keith Seifert and Matt Bell. Bell holds the position today. “Hardaway today is a very good representation of Columbus” says Bell. “Our student body, about 1,300 strong, is very diverse, and the school offers academic programs, extra-curricular activities (sports, music, drama, etc.) as well as community service activities to support that diversity” Bell says Hardaway has withstood the test of time, preparing students for life beyond high school. “We must prepare our students to compete not just on a local or national scale, but also on a global scale” He points to the school’s International Baccalaureate program as an example of international preparedness. Hardaway lists among its outstanding graduates surgeon Dr. David Varner Jr.; Julia Slater, district attorney for the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit which includes Columbus; and Valerie Caproni, former general counsel for the FBI. In 2012, Caproni was nominated by Pres. Barack Obama as U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York and approved for that position by the Senate Judicial Committee in 2013. She holds that position today.

Bell says Hardaway began as both a junior and a senior high school, encompassing grades 7-12. “As the 12th grade class graduated, the 7th grade moved up to the 8th grade and was eliminated. That progression continued until the school became the four-year high school it is today with grades 9-12.

Bell is quite happy and proud of the overall atmosphere of Hardaway these days. “Our teachers are well-trained and dedicated to their jobs and students, and the alumni association, as well as individuals, are generous in giving back to the school that prepared them for life’s challenges”

Dr. Billy Kendall, class of ’71, is president of the Hardaway High School Alumni Association and has fond memories of his days there as a student. “I had a choice of where I wanted to go to school and I was excited about my choice of Hardaway. It was the newest school in Columbus, was already building a reputation for academic excellence and it was air-conditioned! I had friends going there and I knew the school had a strong drama program which was of particular interest to me, under the direction of teacher Durwood Fincher. Fincher is now a double-talk artist on the national speaking circuit. We had a lot of pride in being Hardaway Hawks and wore our red and gold school colors all the time. I considered our rivals to be a toss-up between Columbus High and Jordan High”

The HHS Alumni Association, established in 2006, has been active in supporting the needs of the school. Most recently the association donated a new sound system for the auditorium and funds to digitalize the school’s marquee out front. In the past, the sign’s letters had to be changed manually. Now the sign can be changed more often and simply from the central office. “It will be more of a community source of information” says Bell.

Another outstanding graduate of Hardaway is Kia Chambers, class of 1990. Chambers now serves as at-large member of the Muscogee County School District Board of Education. “Mr. Roger Hatcher was principal when I was at Hardaway” Chambers says.

“I remember him as a strong leader who ran a tight ship. You always knew what to expect. I always looked forward to the pep rallies before a ball game. There was a tremendous sense of pride in being a Hardaway Hawk. There still is” She is now in a successful real estate business with her husband and is chair of the board of education’s policy committee. She attributes her successes in life in great part to her Hardaway High School experience.

There are two big events on tap to help mark Hardaway’s 50th anniversary. On Thursday, November 19, the alumni association will host a birthday/open house in the school cafeteria from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is open to the public. Guests who are former students will be asked to share their memories and a tour of the school will take place. Current students and their families are also invited. And on Friday, November 20, the school will celebrate the big event with student performances and an appearance by Miss Georgia, Adeline Kennedy.

So it’s a full circle moment in time—those students who were high school seniors when the school opened in 1965 are now seniors of another kind.