A Night to Remember 2015

Albemarle High School Alumni’s
“A Night to Remember - 2015”

May 15  -  6Pm  -  AHS Cafeteria

May 15, 2015 was another memorable night for the Albemarle High School Alumni Association and the AHS Alumni who attended our fourth annual "A Night to Remember".` The event was held in the Albemarle High School Cafeteria.

One attendee made the comment, “When it is time to start and the chatter continues you know they are enjoying themselves.” As old friends from years past gathered there was a lot of laughter, hugging and chatter.


Complete Program - Thanks to David Dillehunt ('02)

See the video above for the full program of the 2015 Albemarle High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Inductees are Julian King, David McDaniel, Janet Blume Shiflett, Suzanne Cale Wood and Lindsay M. Harrington (2014). Keynote speaker is William Raines. .

"A Night to Remember" has two major purposes, to honor Albemarle High School Alumni and Faculty deserving of the Hall of Fame and to connect people. Both were accomplished at this year’s event.
 
Albemarle High School Principal Jay Thomas welcomed those attending and praised the Alumni Association for its accomplishments. He thanked Charles Crenshaw for his continued dedication and efforts on behalf of the Association.

Special Guests
Special guests attending the evening were introduced:

  • Pam Moran - Superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools, who was recently named the Superintendent of the Year in the State of Virginia,
  • Matt Haas - Assistant Superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools, Hall of Fame Review Committee member, and former AHS principal,
  • Diantha McKeel - Albemarle County Board of Supervisors member, former long-time member of the Albemarle County School Board and Hall of Fame Review Committee member;
  • Sherman Shifflett - 1960 AHS graduate, AHS Alumni Hall of Fame Member, Hall of Fame Review Committee member, a teacher, coach and administrator at Louisa High School for thirty one years and currently a member of the Louisa County School Board. 
  •  The Planning Committee members
    • Gay Norford Loftin - 1956
    • Stan Maupin - 1967
    • Penny Layman Ray - 1959,
    • Charles Terry - 1958
    • Karen Viar - 1970 were introduced and thanked for their efforts. 
  • Previous Hall of Fame Members were announced. Ten members were present to welcome our new Hall of Fame Members. 

Sponsors
Thanks were given to our sponsor’s Charlottesville Press, First Citizens Bank, Pepsi Cola Bottling Company, Sam's Club, DND Films and our host, Albemarle High School.

Special Thanks
The school student group PAL's and Student Council members helped with registration in the Main Lobby as people arrived. Some served as tour guides when there was interest in visiting the new wing and one alum wanted to see the old and new gymnasiums. 

 
Alumni Association in Review 
Karen Viar told us about the activities and accomplishments of the Association in the past year including scholarships, the AHS Alumni Association website, membership, Hall of Fame and our "A Night to Remember" program. 

Keynote Speaker - William H. "Willie" Raines - Class of 1955 
The Keynote Speaker was William "Willie" Raines. Willie, a 1955 graduate of Albemarle High School, received degrees from the University of Virginia. He was AHS Principal from 1984 to 1995. In all, serving as teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal and in the county central office, Willie was involved in Albemarle County education for over 35 years, plus his years as an AHS student.

For the past 20 years at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Willie has served as Director of School Relations, an instructor and a member of the Graduate Faculty. He spoke of some of his experiences and changes in the education system through the years including how communication has changed. Many classes are now being taken online. He stated that students are often missing out on the person to person discussion and instruction. Technology has changed our world and may not always be a benefit when it comes to education. Willie expressed that Albemarle County has done better than most in keeping up with the times to provide students with a good education. In light hearted comments he acknowledged  several football and track team members in the audience that he coached at AHS.
 
Hall of Fame Class of 2015

Julian King
Ted Abbott and Sherman Shifflett nominated  and began the introduction. Julian's wife Mary Grekila, son Julian King Jr. and daughter Sue King accepted. Mary spoke of how she and Julian had met with the encouragement of Superintendent Paul Cale when she was hired as a teacher at Albemarle High School. There were some humorous moments leading up to when they were married. Mary expressed the family’s appreciation for honoring Julian.

 
David McDaniel, Jr.
Joe Fix, AHS Class of 1956, nominated classmate David McDaniel. David's brother Pete introduced him. David stressed the importance of education and that Mr. Hurt was the one that encouraged him to continue his education after high school. David said he took advantage of every education opportunity that came his way. Education is the one thing no one can take from you. He spoke of his 42 years in the National Guard and retiring with the rank of Brigadier General and his years at DuPont and now as a Pastor.
 
Janet Blume Shiflett
Hall of Fame Member Mary Antil Lederman nominated Janet Blume Shiflett and Charles Crenshaw introduced her. Janet spoke of her 23 years of teaching French at Albemarle High School. Her father always encouraged Janet to be a secretary. She chose teaching French instead. After retiring from teaching she has been the secretary of the Belmont Baptist Church for many years. She has come full circle and fulfilled her wishes and her father’s.

Suzanne Cale Wood
Mr. Hurt, with the assistance of Paul Cale supplying information, nominated Suzanne Cale Wood. Mr. Hurt and Paul introduced her. Suzanne expressed her thanks for the support of her family including her two younger brothers, big brother Bill and little brother Paul as she called them. Suzanne always wanted to be in the classroom with the children. She did just that, teaching for 48 years.

Lindsay Harrington 
2014 inductee Lindsay Harrington was introduced  by Sherman Shifflett. Sherman spoke on behalf of Lindsay at our 2014 “A Night to Remember” since Lindsay could not attend. Lindsay joined us for this year’s event. He spoke fondly of Mr. Hurt and his years at Albemarle High School. He expressed thanks to his parents and step parents for providing a good foundation. Education was a key to being ready to take advantage of opportunities. Lindsay was Mayor of Punta Gorda, Florida and served in the Florida House of Delegates and was elected Speaker Pro Tempore.

 
Closing Comments
Closing comments were made and thanks expressed to all who made the event possible. Special thanks were given to Stan Maupin for his continued programming and posting on the AHS Alumni Association website. Alumni were encouraged to send in nominations for fellow students or faculty who deserve the Hall of Fame honor. Sam's Club refreshments and Pepsi Cola products were a big hit at the reception. For some, including this writer, it was dinner. Thoughts are already in mind to enhance "A Night to Remember" for 2016. A common comment heard was that more people should attend to connect with classmates and to enjoy being a part of something good.
 
AHS Alumni Association