On April 26, more than 600 Smithfield High School graduates and friends returned to the campus of what was Smithfield High School from 1903 till 1969. They had returned to see the beautifully renovated 1913 building in its new role as an office building for Johnston County Board of Education employees. More important, they were there to witness the naming of the restored building for Principal A.G. Glenn, an educator who affected the lives of local students during his long tenure, 1933-1965. It was an emotional and happy time for the visitors, many of whom had not visited the school in years.

The Glenn Building, which now faces South Second Street, is a handsome and historical asset to the Town of Smithfield. It functions not only as an office building, but also as a museum that preserves the memories associated with a school that turned out Rhodes and Fulbright scholars, doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians, business leaders, artists, educators, military leaders and hosts of good citizens.

The Smithfield High School Alumni Association, which sponsored the event, has a special room in the Glenn Building decorated with memorabilia from the school’s past. There is also a trophy case for SHS athletic awards, and more than 30 large posters and shadow boxes with SHS photographs and artifacts have been placed on all three stories of the building. Copies of yearbooks and school newspapers, plus notebooks filled with clippings about SHS students and teachers, are available for reading in the History Room.

People who want to visit the SHS History Room and tour the building to see the other exhibits should check in at the receptionist’s desk during regular office hours and wear a visitor’s pass while they are in the building. The Smithfield High School Alumni Association is grateful to all who contributed to the success of April 26’s once-in-a-lifetime event.

Special thanks go to Associate Superintendent of Johnston County Schools Ann Williams, whose cooperation and can-do spirit were absolutely flawless. Special thanks also go to the Board of Education workers who helped put the History Room together, hung the posters and did countless other things to get the Glenn Building and the gym ready. The crew of uniformed school workers who directed traffic, monitored the campus and drove the golf carts that transported handicapped visitors were consistently polite and competent.

The Smithfield High School Alumni Association sincerely appreciates the many people who made our April 26 Gala Celebration a memorable success.

JULIA A. McCULLERS
ANN L. HUCKENBECK
Co-Chairs, Smithfield High School Alumni Association