A few Wheeler Photos

Footprints At East Cobb Emily Anthony

These are located in the top step going up from the parking lot to the media center door. I'm not sure who she was but the date looks like 9-24-71

Top left Beth Hizner top middle Beth Hizner and Beth Heinz top right Beth Hizner bottom left Doug not able to remember his last name sorry Doug. Middle bottom guy in left of photo was Keith Evans a friend of mine that I have not been able to find out what happened to as I seen him listed as deceased. And bottom right Billy Brooks and Mrs Wade.

Just The Memories Now

It seems like just yesterday when we used to roam these halls folks. The halls however are no longer standing. But the memories will live forever in the mind and hearts of us all. Back then none of us had any real idea of what we would grow up to become. The sad part is if you visit the site http://www.wheeleralumni.com/ they have place where they list those who passed away. I check this site every now and then looking to see who is no longer with us. Many of them I knew and some were even close friends at some point in the past. I was both happy and sad to see this section. Happy to know there is a place dedicated to those passed and sad to see anyone listed on it.

My son now services Wheeler and I did venture by there to snap the photos of it while it was being knocked down this summer. But I'm glad he does it now instead of me. It hurt like crap pulling up and seeing it in a pile. But everything in life changes and life goes on. Many of us now have our own kids to worry about now some of us may even have grand children :) I'm not there yet but I know it's just around the corner.

But as for those that didn't make it and have passed away remember them and cherish the memories. If God is willing you will like myself get to watch yourself grow old and fall apart. My brother died at 39 years old in 1993 from cancer. I'm 46 now and laugh at myself when I look at my reflection. OLD! Yes it happens we made the climb all these years up that freaking hill and now we get to ride it back down while watching our body change in all the bad ways. Did you ever look at an old person when you were in high school and just stop and think that will be me one day? Yea I never took to much time thinking about it myself until just a year or two ago when I was going into Wheeler to service them and looked at my reflection in the glass door I was about to open. My hair used to be black and it's now going white and my beard is white. Everything about that reflection looked old. And yet I remembered reaching for that same door 28 years ago seeing such a young man in my reflection. That person is gone if you passed me today you wouldn't know me in fact you may have and didn't know it.

But I wouldn't trade any of these wrinkles for anything. I earned them folks and enjoyed doing it.

Out With The Old In With The New

I went by Wheeler today and it's pretty much gone. Just a pile of rubble now folks I took some photos. That was the main entrance pretty much standing in the same spot I took the other photo from.

Wheeler High School The Last Photos 6/3/13

Update 7/2/13
My son went to do the pest control at Wheeler today and called me while he was there. He said the special ed building is gone now. So the photos I have below I took last month of this building will be the last.

6/3/13
I had to service the pest control on Wheeler High School today and found the school being taken apart. The school is going to be pretty much brand new come next year. From what I was told they are going to leave one building the three story one that had art class in the basement. They tied the new school into this building. Everything else is going to be history. I serviced the kitchen last month and then today walked in and found everything gone. Then I walked into the cafeteria and seen just a couple of tables left. I took as many photos as I could with my phone but not enough. I wish I would have had more time. My oldest son works with me and he got to go with me today to service the school and watch me run around getting these photos.

 

How many times did you walk in and out of these doors? Take a good look this might be the last photo of the main entrance to the old Wheeler. So many memories just pulling up in a bus here as a kid and in a few weeks this will be gone.

The courtyard in front of the cafeteria. 

The Cafeteria What's Left

Cafeteria Another Part 

They had converted the old gym into a temporary library for a while and now it's about to be gone forever.

The old clock in the gym my photo of it didn't come out as clear as I thought it did but it's the best I could do folks.

I still remember all the pep rallies we used to pile up in here and watch. It seem like yesterday.

Just a very old chair and a desk sitting on the gym floor I would guess this chair was from the 50's or 60's it was old.

Steps in the gym going up to sitting area.

Did you sit here when you went to Wheeler?

The far side of the cafeteria wall leading up to the courtyard seen from the back. I remember hanging out here with other rednecks back in the 80's It was a good place to hide and dip or smoke.

The bell in the hall just outside the cafeteria. You can tell it has been there for a long time.

The breezeway behind the old main part of the school the special ed building is the one on the right.

Another of the breezeway this time the special ed building is on the left.

And one more showing the roof a bit more.

The stairs going up into the old part right next to the dip hole area at the same breezeway.

And speaking of the dip hole take a good hard look at that hand rail I'm sure you must have sat on many of times it is about to be gone.

004 Special Ed Building Entrance

Well I did go to special ed folks it was just one of those things. And I made some great friends in there. And found many other people with some of the same problems in life. We were not stupid or slow some of us just had real bad tempers from other things going on in life. And it made it hard to sit in a normal class with so much on your mind.

Lets have a look inside and see if it still looks the same.

That is the main entrance doors to 004 to the left and then you went into that open door seen with four rooms inside and they were not very big.

004 Special Ed

004 Special Ed 

The first class room in 004 I have so many memories in this room. 

004 Special Ed

004 Special Ed

004 Special Ed

004 Special Ed

Another one of the dip hole the last two sections of hand rail.

Standing at the dip hole looking down the breezeway going towards the three story building where art class was. I think the two building seen to the right are going to come down this summer. The first one there with the bike cage is the special ed building. I remember girls sitting there getting sun back in the 80's during break time.

The back of the special ed building when I went this area was known as the smoke hole. You can see my 20 year old son to the left going to check a bait station.

How many times did you climb from this area on to the bleachers?

The lockers at Wheeler do you still remember where your locker was?

Was this one your locker?

How many times did you use this john and fix your hair? Well it no longer has any mirrors so either the kids that go there now broke it or they took it down.

Just a old set of stairs but I'm guessing you went up and down them many times.

They removed some lockers that I know must have been in this same spot for a very long time from looking at the dirt and trash. But if you look real close there is some real old stuff in that trash.

That gum wrapper looks pretty old!

You know that clock was there when we went they just don't make them like this anymore.