Silence of the gym: Indiana woman searching for fights songs of 600 forgotten high schools

[Muda69]

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/12/07/indiana-high-school-fight-songs-woman-seeks-to-find-save-all-600/71247866007/

Quote

FRANKFORT -- Reta Williams is a retired elementary school principal, a fiery, redhead, who is part historian, part high school basketball fan, part lover of nostalgia and part chaser of wild dreams.

As she sits inside her farmhouse in Clinton County trying to explain the latest wild dream she is chasing, Williams repeatedly says things like, "I'm not being practical or logical," and, "I know it won't happen, but I can try," and "It's pretty farfetched."

Come hell or high water, Williams wants to track down the lyrics and music to every fight song from every closed Indiana high school that has been depleted of its magical, melodic history.

Scattered throughout Indiana are more than 600 forgotten high school gyms that sit shuttered or, more likely, torn down and razed. They are tiny gyms that were silenced by consolidation decades ago.

But inside Williams' living room as she talks, if you concentrate closely on what she is saying, you might be able to hear the sounds of one of those gymnasiums roaring with students, basketballs echoing and a pep band playing the school fight song.

Williams has a way of bringing nostalgia to life.

"Back in the 1930s and '40s and even '50s basketball games were the social life. That was it. Basketball was king," says Williams. "The gyms were packed, the atmosphere was electric and the playing of the school fight song was the tipping point."

Williams should know. For the past several years, she has been deep in Indiana high school history, and she has learned more about the Sugar Creek Crickets and the Michigantown Ganders and the Scircleville Ringers than any human should know.

Those are just a few of the 70 schools that Williams has been able to uncover fight songs for, which is pretty darn impressive.

Now, she has just 530 more to go.

.....

She's asking for anyone who knows the lyrics and tune -- or just the lyrics or just the tune -- to a fight song from a closed Indiana high school to send them to her.

"This history should not be forgotten," she said. "Let's not let these gyms be silenced forever."

Have school fight song info?

Contact Reta Williams via email at retawms@hotmail.com, by phone at 765-414-4388 or by mail at P.O. Box 2, Michigantown, IN 46057.

A worthwhile endeavor.

[Impartial_Observer]

1 hour ago, Muda69 said:

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/12/07/indiana-high-school-fight-songs-woman-seeks-to-find-save-all-600/71247866007/

A worthwhile endeavor.

Pretty cool. My kids attended a county HS that has been an elementary school since its consolidation into Seymour. There is still a lot of pride in that school. 

[gonzoron]

49 minutes ago, Impartial_Observer said:

Pretty cool. My kids attended a county HS that has been an elementary school since its consolidation into Seymour. There is still a lot of pride in that school. 

The Cicero Red Devils(my elementary alma mater that had converted from a High School in a consolidation in the 50's) made it to the 1916 State Finals after a rather controversial Sectional Title game against Anderson. The Cicero players came out to play covered in olive oil.

https://hickoryhusker.rivals.com/news/cicero-red-devils-slip-slide-right-into-the-state-finals

[Obi-Wan]

I know that Galveston High School (Consolidated into Lewis Cass) had IU's tune for their fight song.

[Staxawax]

On 12/7/2023 at 5:20 AM, gonzoron said:

The Cicero Red Devils(my elementary alma mater that had converted from a High School in a consolidation in the 50's) made it to the 1916 State Finals after a rather controversial Sectional Title game against Anderson. The Cicero players came out to play covered in olive oil.

https://hickoryhusker.rivals.com/news/cicero-red-devils-slip-slide-right-into-the-state-finals

Slippery little devils, weren’t they!

[BDGiant93]

On 12/7/2023 at 7:50 AM, Muda69 said:

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/12/07/indiana-high-school-fight-songs-woman-seeks-to-find-save-all-600/71247866007/

A worthwhile endeavor.

I wish her the best. It's a lot of fun trying to search down little tidbits of history to give to future generations. I'm currently trying to figure out game-by-game results for Ben Davis girls basketball, and it's a challenge. Once it's done though, it's there for everyone. My project is easy compared to what she's trying to do.

[Gatorguy]

8 hours ago, BDGiant93 said:

I wish her the best. It's a lot of fun trying to search down little tidbits of history to give to future generations. I'm currently trying to figure out game-by-game results for Ben Davis girls basketball, and it's a challenge. Once it's done though, it's there for everyone. My project is easy compared to what she's trying to do.

There are a few yearbooks on the classmates website. 

You can also use inspire.in.gov and click on the newspapers link and search for the Indianapolis Star, it has all the past editions except for the last 30 days or so.

I may be able to help you with what you are missing if you want to dm here.

 

[BDGiant93]

10 hours ago, Gatorguy said:

There are a few yearbooks on the classmates website. 

You can also use inspire.in.gov and click on the newspapers link and search for the Indianapolis Star, it has all the past editions except for the last 30 days or so.

I may be able to help you with what you are missing if you want to dm here.

 

I'm using the Digital Indy site which has most of the Yearbooks in question. I appreciate the Star link idea. The problem is that the yearbooks would put regular season results in and then say Sectionals 2nd. John Harrell also has all the IHSAA yearbook data inputted.

[Tippy]

East Chicago Roosevelt's school song was "Hail to Purple and to White"