First class
Akron High School, forerunner of Central-Hower, held inaugural graduation ceremony in January 1887
By Mark J. Price
Beacon Journal staff writer
Every ending has a beginning. A long, steady march -- unbroken since the Victorian Era -- will come to a halt this year.
Akron High School was the pride of the city when it opened in 1886 on South Forge Street between Union and College streets.
Celebrated as Akron's largest building, the brick-and-sandstone palace covered 55,000 square feet and contained four floors. Its most prominent feature was a 160-foot clock tower bearing four illuminated dials and a 2,000-pound bell that summoned children to class.
The Akron Daily Beacon heralded the school as the chief of Akron's glories and ``a monument to the liberality, culture and enterprise of her people.''
Most residents simply referred to the $101,393 building as ``The High School'' because it was the only one in town. Akron's growing population, rapidly approaching 27,000, had demanded a modern facility to replace a cramped, two-story structure on Mill Street.
In the new school, Principal Wilbur V. Rood presided over a teaching staff of about a dozen. Superintendent Elias Fraunfelter kept close tabs from his office in the basement.
Average daily attendance at the 12-classroom building was more than 250 students.
Twenty-seven of those students made history in January 1887 as Akron High School's first graduating class. (In those days, commencement
was held in January and June.)
The 17 girls and 10 boys had conducted rigorous studies along three tracks: English, German or Latin. They mastered such courses as algebra, physiology, general history, natural philosophy, geometry, Greek, physical geography, chemistry, U.S. government and bookkeeping.
In addition, they took two lessons a week in vocal music and one in drawing, and participated in weekly exercises in ``declamation, composition and extempore speaking.''
At commencement, each senior was expected to deliver a graduating oration on a topic of great importance.
The school's 650-seat assembly hall was filled to capacity Jan. 29, 1887, for the graduation ceremonies, which began at 9:30 a.m., broke for lunch and resumed at 1 p.m. Extra chairs were brought into the room to accommodate the crowd of families and friends.
Evergreen ropes and American flags decorated the school. Emblazoned in green and white on a wall behind the main stage was the class motto: ``We Finish But to Begin.''
Pianist Sybil Caskey provided musical accompaniment as underclassmen filed onto stage -- girls to the left, boys to the right. They sang religious-themed tunes such as All the World Shall Praise Thee, The Lord Is My Light and Home Is the Word.
Decked out in white dresses and Prince Albert coats, the graduates sat in two rows of chairs at the center of the stage. On cue, the school's teachers paraded into the hall for ``the grand march of the faculty.''
The Rev. C.E. Nash of the Universalist Church led the gathering in ``a fervent prayer.''
The literary exercises began.
One by one, each graduate stood up to present an oration or recite an essay. With precise elocution, the seniors covered a wide variety of topics.
In an essay titled The Pleasures of Travel, Nellie Ginther discussed the benefits of horse-drawn carriages, canalboats and railroad cars.
``In no time in the world's history have the conveniences and pleasures of travel been so great as now,'' she told the audience.
Harry E. Leopold discussed The Ballot and wondered if ``restricted suffrage'' might improve the nation.
``At the present time, the tendency of all civilized nations is to place the ballot in the hands of all men,'' he said.
William H. Montenyohl presented an oration on Immigration and Labor. Speaking highly of Akron's industrious German immigrants, he warned about ``the evils created by pauper immigration to our native labor.''
In her essay, Minnie Johnson emphasized the power of Pictures, stating that the January 1887 class photo ``would be a picture remembered by all.''
Thomas W. Jackson analyzed The French Republic. May V. Moore championed House Cleaning. J. Sherman Baldwin recounted The Recent Depression. Binnie A. Long heaped praise on Charles Dickens.
To each graduate, Akron School Board President Lewis Miller presented a diploma -- or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof. In truth, the diplomas weren't ready for the ceremony, so Lewis had to pass out rolled-up sheets of paper. The real sheepskins were delivered later to each student.
When the ceremony ended, the 27 graduates bid farewell to each other and their school.
``Thus they went forth with a new dignity, fully realizing that they were no longer school boys and girls, but that they were prepared to enter upon the full duties and dignities of life,'' the Akron Daily Beacon reported.
Adulthood began in earnest. Some went to college, some got married, some had children, some found jobs, some stayed in Akron, some moved out of state.
The January 1887 class produced two famous graduates.
Frank E. Whittemore went to law school, entered politics, served as Akron councilman and Ohio representative. He won election to the Ohio Senate and served 10 terms, including seven as majority leader, until 1949.
Frank H. Motz became a professional baseball player, playing first base for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds in the late 19th century.
Reunions were infrequent for the former classmates. Some attended a 1908 alumni gathering at the high school. More than 1,000 graduates participated.
``There will be no worry over hard lessons tonight, but a happy evening of remembrance of days long gone by,'' Judge George W. Sieber told the crowd. ``It is worth a good deal to be a graduate of Akron High School.''
The school added a three-floor annex, but it couldn't keep up with Akron's surging population. More schools were needed. Akron High was renamed Central High in 1911 when South High opened. A few years later, West High was built.
The January 1887 class held its last official reunion in 1936. Seven of the 17 surviving members, all pushing 70, attended an alumni party at the Akron Armory.
They reminisced, looked at vintage photos and sang old school songs. ``And eyes were wet with remembrance of days which had gone before, and there was a catch in some voices as they sang, for days which never could be again,'' the Beacon Journal reported.
They never met again -- at least not on this Earth. One by one, the classmates passed away.
The last known survivor, May Sanford, was in her 90s when she died in the 1960s.
Central High School was renovated several times over the years. An auditorium was built along South Union Street. The clock tower was dismantled. The roof was leveled off.
The last remaining section of the original school was razed in 1973 during the $6.3 million merger of Central High with Hower Vocational High School.
In 1975, Central-Hower High School opened.
This June, it will say goodbye to its final class.
Akron Public Schools will shut down the building as it scales back an $800 million construction project in the district. Central-Hower was targeted because of falling enrollment.
The school will end as it began -- with a graduation ceremony. Only 27 students walked across that stage 119 years ago. About 140 Central-Hower seniors will follow those footsteps in June. Last year, more than 1,400 graduated from Akron's eight public high schools.
The old motto still holds true: ``We Finish But to Begin.''
Mark J. Price is a Beacon Journal copy editor. He can be reached at 330-996-3769 or send e-mail to [email protected].