Class of 61 Home Page

Jacksonville High School
Jacksonville, Texas

Welcome to the Class of 1961

In 1957, newly graduated eighth graders from East Side, West Side, North Side (Joe Wright) and several adjacent community elementary schools nervously joined together to form the JHS Class of 1961.

We spent our freshman year in this building, learning to expand our horizons by including new friends in our old 'groups' while attempting to conquer new subjects such as algebra, geometry and Spanish.

We might not have conquered all of the new subjects, but we made a lot of new friends!

The whole town was buzzing with talk about the new ''Million Dollar School'' which opened in 1958. It was very different for Jacksonville in those days, with its exterior, shopping-mall style passageways and an open ramp that connected the buildings. (Be sure to read 'The Ramp' by Chuck Davenport, Class of 1960) Members of the Class of 1961 were sophomores that year and so we were the first to attend classes for three years in this new, very modern structure. The school was quite a distance from the mainstream of things -- at least it was back then. One of the major changes for students - other than dealing with The Ramp - was not being able to walk across the street to the Dairy Queen or the few short blocks to May Drug to get a hamburger and cherry coke for lunch!

The Ramp became very famous. It even inspired a poem!

Tramp, tramp over the ramp
Busy feet go scurrying.
Back and forth, back and forth
To classes they are hurrying.

On to chemistry and math
Back for two or more,
Busy feet, a pattern beat
From eight o'clock to four.

... written by Mrs. F.L. Haberle in 1958

We have 1958 - 1961 on CD. The CD includes every page of these annuals -- even the merchant advertisements.

If you are a grad of '58, '59, '60 or '61 and would like to have a CD, let us know and we'll send you one.

Click here to browse through the pages of the 1961 annual

Click here to see reunion photos for this class