I graduated from Amos P. Godby High School in Tallahassee in 1981, and still live in the Godby district. Charlie and I delivered Mr. Amos P. Godby's Tallahassee Democrat newspaper for more than a year in the early 1980s. I attended both my ten-year high school class reunion events, at Silver Slipper and the Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center, but never thought I would have anything more to do with Godby High School after graduation. When I was a student at Godby, I knew I was planning to attend college so I didn't purchase a class ring, even though my grandparents offered to buy me one. I didn't like to wear jewelry and still won't wear a watch.
One weekday in 2003, I chanced upon a small local events article in the Tallahassee Democrat announcing that Godby High School was forming an alumni organization, and the meeting was that afternoon at 5:30 pm. I pass Godby on my way home after work every day about that time and had absolutely no excuse for not attending, so I went. By 7 pm that evening, I was president of the newly-formed Association of Godby Graduates (AGG), in charge of developing a mission statement and by-laws, and beginning the alumni scholarship fund for Godby seniors, the raison d'être of the AGG.
The Association of Godby Graduates is an academic booster club that fosters, recognizes and rewards outstanding service and academic excellence of Godby seniors and graduates. Creation of the AGG and two years later the AGG Hall of Fame was the brainchild of AGG Director Manny Joanos, class of 1974, Leon County Schools' Director of Energy, with advice and assistance from Dr. Patti Skates, class of 1972, Vice-Mayor of Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee.
Florida Senator Bill Montford, District 6, was Godby's principal at the time of my class commencement in 1981. After serving as Lincoln High School's principal, Bill Montford was elected Leon County Commissioner and then Superintendent of Leon County Schools. On January 12, 2004, Superintendent Montford signed a proclamation heralding the formation of the Association of Godby Graduates. "Bill," as I prefer to call him, has a coffee mug in his office with his and my photo on it.
The next year, I inherited and rewrote much of the Association of Godby Graduates website from a retiring Godby teacher. Several former Godby teachers are on my Facebook friends list.
In December 2004, the Association of Godby Graduates partnered with the Godby Construction Class to build and ride a holiday float on an 18-wheeler truck and tractor trailer in the Tallahassee Festival of Lights parade. I played a svelte Santa Claus, riding in a sleigh at the very top and back of the trailer.
When Darius and the Godby Gospel Choir ran a soup kitchen in Tallahassee last winter, the Association of Godby graduates arrived with food and we took the opportunity to tell the choir about the AGG and our ideals and told them to stay in touch with us after graduation.
Each Spring, we host a dinner to honor Godby's Top 20 graduating seniors and their families, and we acknowledge their accomplishment and encourage them to continue to excel and to adopt our mission of lifetime service and achievement.
We give away about $2,000 in scholarships to deserving Godby seniors each year and we have awarded over $15,000 in scholarships since 2004. Five years ago, we began the Association of Godby Graduates Hall of Fame to recognize and honor outstanding Godby graduates among several fields of service, and we have hosted the annual AGG Hall of Fame Induction Banquet in Godby's Media Center each spring since 2006. Manny oversees most of the planning and organization including culinary responsibilities, and Godby's National Honor Society serves dinner.
The Association of Godby Graduates will accept donations of $5 or more at any time, and gratefully acknowledges donations of $250 or more at the AGG website. The AGG Hall of Fame Banquet is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we all look forward to it. It's open to the community, our honorees and their families and friends, students and graduates alike. It's a reunion.
Godby High School is still a young school and graduated its first senior class in 1970. In 2009, I began watching for news of Godby's very first 40th reunion and asked a few people from that era what was going on for the reunion and no one had heard of anything, although unknown to me at the time a few people had been talking about it. In early 2010, I created a Godby Class of 1970 Reunion Facebook group and began inviting people from that class to join it.
Within a month, I was the youngest member of the class of 1970 40th reunion committee and began attending planning meetings pretty regularly. I met with Sharon and Marsha and some really nice people from Godby's first senior class and they welcomed me. At one of the meetings at the Red Elephant restaurant early last year, I personally met Adele Graham for the first time and proudly showed her the photo of her husband, US Senator Bob Graham and Dave the Cat and me that I had been carrying around in my wallet for 20 years.
Life got a little more interesting when class of 1980 started planning their reunion. Although I graduated in 1981, I knew most of the people from class of 1980 and began attending planning meetings with them as well.
It was a busy summer of 2010, with softball and two high school reunions. Both reunions were spectacular for different reasons. Class of 1980 held a surprise wedding at the reunion, between Laura from 1980 and Dennis from 1981. I was one of the few attendees from my class. Class of 1970's reunion was very inclusive, as they insisted on inviting all graduates from Godby's first four classes and any other alumni who wanted to come. There were two or three attendees younger than me at the reunion at Killearn Country Club on the evening of August 14, which was filled to capacity with over 240 graduates, several teachers and a former principal, setting the record for largest attendance by graduates at a Godby High School reunion. It was also especially memorable because we overwhelmed the KCC cooling system. Manny and I both attended.
Godby graduates often ask me what they can do to help support the Association of Godby Graduates. We accept payments in US dollars of $5 or more, payable to Godby High School with "AGG" in the memo line, which is quite convenient for distant graduates. We encourage service and participation by local graduates. Come to our AGG Hall of Fame banquet early and help us set up, or remain afterward and help clean up. Come to the Homecoming game. Join a reunion committee. Tell your class about the AGG and our mission. Manny or I will attend and talk about the AGG if you are willing and we are able. Join our Association of Godby Graduates Facebook group and check it often for local events and reunions, or join our alumni listserv to receive our electronic mailings. Tell us your ideas as to what we can do to improve the AGG.
Godby's class of 1978 has been very active lately. Michele began the Godby Cougar Angels Alumni Facebook group to memorialize Godby graduates who have passed on. Teresa is a travel agent and organized an alumni cruise to the Bahamas last September, and a portion of each of our fares went directly to the AGG scholarship fund. About thirty of us from the 1970's, 80's and 90's attended, and I played with the ship's band in Freeport. Cindy and Stanley host a couple of alumni parties every year and all graduates and their families are invited. A few weeks ago, thanks to valuable ideas and input from Robbie, we positioned our AGG website to become "Reunion Central," with all major Godby-related social networking links hosted on a single web page.
Thanks to special permission from Godby Cougars Football Coach Ronnie Cottrell, we now have a reserved alumni section at the Fall Homecoming Game, and alumni band members are welcome to participate with the band during the game and at Halftime festivities on the field. Roger takes photos.
On Friday, April 1, the 6th annual AGG Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will begin promptly at 6:00 pm in the Godby Media Center at 1717 West Tharpe Street in Tallahassee. Admission is $25 and all proceeds benefit the AGG scholarship fund.
Go Cougars!
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