The Class of 1982 at Olmstead High School made history, as did their counterparts at Adairville, Auburn, Chandlers and Lewisburg high schools. They were the last graduating classes from those high schools before they consolidated into brand new Logan County High School three months late.
The Rambler , the official name of the school yearbook, was a well-done chronicle of the final year of this proud South Logan school while also paving the way for the new school. To the credit of the staff, not only did they not run a picture of themselves but they didn’t announce who was editor and who joined that student journalist in producing a memory book for the ages.
From that book we learn the class academic leaders and other honors they achieved, as follows:
Philissa Norfleet (Trousdale) was valedictorian, president of student council , of 4-H and of the history club, tennis team, Most Studious, Best Dressed, FHA officer
Ralph Hildabrand was co-salutatorian, president of FFA, emcee of Class Night; Most Studious, Best Dressed
Lowell McIntosh was co-salutatorian and Most Congenial
Principal Bob Nylin, who stayed on as principal of Olmstead Middle School before eventually becoming the third principal at LCHS, was the commencement speaker on May 18, 1982. Dripping Springs Baptist Church pastor Charles Jackson led the opening and closing prayers. Board Vice Chairman Lynn Dawson, who represented Olmstead on the board and was the leader of the successful consolidation effort, presented the diplomas. Martha Maynard (Bayles) directed the school band for the music.
Olmstead graduate Steve Parrish, then pastor of Mt. Sharon Cumberland Presbyterian Church and a member of the Class of 1971, spoke at Baccalaureate services. He was introduced by faculty member Norma Taylor. Another faculty member, Mark Bennett, played the piano. Beechland Baptist Church’s R.L. Page gave both the invocation and the benediction.
Pictured at class night were Angie Holloway, Angela McIntosh (Baldauff), Mike Robertson, Robert Fugate, Debby Coursey (Adler), Donna Pierce, Sandy Wilder, Mike and Mark Wilson, Greg Poore, Teresa Yates Dodson, Sheryl Dawson (Speck), Norfleet, Hildabrand and Dawson.
Some of the seniors went on a trip to St. Louis where they saw the Cardinals play baseball and heard the St. Louis Symphony in concert. Among those going were Carolyn Nealy, Angela McIntosh, the Wilson twins, Poore, Fugate, Hildabrand, Norfleet, Dawson and faculty members Nylin and Maynard.
Named both Mr. and Mrs. Olmstead High School and Mr. and Miss Senior were Tracey Knight and Donna Pierce. Others superlatives were: School Spirit-Mark White and Holloway; Wittiest-Yates and Greg Poore; Most Athletic-Maryann McCarley and Wade Jones; Most Likely to Succeed- Norma Johnson and Fugate; Best Dressed and Most Studious-Norfleet and Hildabrand; Best All Around-Mike Ashby and Coursey; Most Congenial-Dawson and Lowell McIntosh,
Junior Christie Florence was the final Homecoming Queen, escorted by Galloway Holloway. She was crowned by 1981 queenCrystal Henry (Bowen), who was escorted by Terry Hunter. Her court consisted of senior Dawson (escorted by Poore), sophomore Renee Flowers (escorted by Jeff Mills) and freshman Robin Motsinger (Holland) (escorted by Larry Wayne Arnold).
In contrast to today, no girls were in FFA and no boys in FHA. FHA officers were President Sheryl Dawson, Donna Arnold (Boswell), Sandy Wilder, Ronica Long, D’leese Jones, Machelle Wilson (Whittemore), Brenda Nealy, Carolyn Nealy, Holloway, Norlett, and Angela McIntosh. Neva Jenkins was faculty advisor. FFA officers were Kevin Jackson, Preston Mayes, Hildabrand, Fugate and the Wilson twins. Mike Thomas was the faculty advisor.
Mitch Parker was advisor of the history club, which had as officers, Norfleet, Wilder, Dawson and Angela McIntosh.
Joining Parker as Student Council advisor was his wife, Carol Parker, also a faculty member. In addition to Norflett, officers were Greta Poore (McKenzie), Machelle Wilson and Donna Arnold. Other members included Crystal Briggs (Birdwell), Janice Taylor (Duncan), Fugate and Jackson.
Boys varsity basketball players, coached by Jack Pack, included Karl Wayne Dawson and Henry Jones, who two years later were key players for the LCHS state championship team, Jim Herderhorst and Paul Jones, who were original Cougars, future college coach Mark White, and Fadell Sydnor, Brent Lee, Wade Jones, Bobby Lyne, Jason Sydnor, Sylvester Cage, Jimmy Kent Wilson and Poore and Harper.
The Ramblerettes, who had won the first seven district championships after girls basketball was reinstituted and mandated in Kentucky, were playing for the first time without a Mason or a Jones. Veteran coach Lugene Rogers’ roster included Kathy Maddox, Michelle Browder, Alice Scott, Geanette Townsend (Holcomb), Sandra Grinter, Theresa Flowers (Bell), Jan Arnold, Debbie McCarley, Maryann McCarley, Cindy Gibbs, Renee Flowers and Henry .
Baseball players pictured were Tim Allen, Mike Coleman, Jeff Mills, Robby McLellan, White and Karl Wayne Dawson. Pack also coached the diamond team.
Cheerleaders were Kim Celsor, Laura Batchelor (Watkins), Tammy Hines, Sandra Gibbs, Missy Brown (Coleman), Tina Laster, Greta Poore, Motsinger, Machelle Wilson and Taylor.
Tennis team members were Kris Lyne, Steven Lyne, Angela Norleet (Sanford), D’Leese Jones, Bobby Lyne, White and Jackson.
Some of the youngest Olmstead students were pictured as Brownie scouts. They were Shelly Proctor (Barron), Wendy Johnson, Janice Dotson, Barbara Wright, Kim Markham and Sheila Brown. Also noted was that Toni Alvis not only one the county spelling bee but was the first student from the Logan County School System to win the Third District Spelling Bee.
The Rambler announced the retirement of long-time teachers Jane Riley and Neva Jenkins along with Supervisor James Grimes.
Faculty members in addition to those already named were Jeri Blick (Taylor), Camilla Bowles, Connie Burress, Mary Lee Chapman, Martha Jo Dawson, Mary Ann Downing, Allison Garrett (Coleman), Betty Garrett, Janet Hall, Linda Harlan, Nina Holman, Marshall Kemp (who left to become Adairville principal during the school year) and his wife Cynthia Kemp, Denny Milam, Laverne Jones, Janet Miles, William and Betty Norlleet, Nancy Piper (Woodson), Brenda Rigney, Mary Jane Riley, Debbie Shoemake, Jane Sweatt, Karon Talley, Connie Thomason and Dee Willis.
Debbie Nichols played a key role as school secretary. Cooks at the high school were Peggy Jackson, Sandra Blick, Marilyn Wilson and Lucille Johnson while cooking at Johnstown School were Marie Dotson and Elizabeth Jackson. James Boisseau was custodian.
The Rambler ran the following list of graduating seniors: Timothy Anderson, Michael Ashby, Jeffrey Casebier, Deborah Coursey, Sheryl Dawson, Robert Fugate, Michael Harris, Ralph Hildabrand, Angela Holloway, Charles Hoots, Norma Johnson, Wade Jones, Tracy Knight, Lisa Laurent, Maryann McCarley, Anglea McIntosh, Lowell McIntosh, Carolyn Nealy, Philissa Norfleet, Donna Pierce, Gregory Poore, Melody Richardson Robertson, Mike Robertson, Ricky Sharp, Laura Laurent Stratton, Roger Thompson, Mark White, Sandra Wilder, Mark Wilson, Michael Wilson, Teresa Yates, Steven Kennedy