Volume I, Issue 1: Premier Edition

On Friday, May 4th, Godby High School alumni hosted a rally at Beef O'Brady's in Tallahassee for Florida Senator Bill Montford, District 6, Godby's longest serving principal, who is seeking re-election in November. While there, he and Manny Joanos and Roger Day and I were discussing the Christmas and Springtime Tallahassee parades and other alumni events, when Senator Montford said, "Someone really needs to start a Godby alumni newsletter."

I wholeheartedly agreed, and Roger said, "He's looking at you, Mitch."

And so we begin with Volume 1, Issue 1, in time for the conclusion of the 2011/2012 school year. In the future, I will do my best to stay current with major Godby alumni events so I don't have to try to include them all in a single edition at the end of the school year. Please send suggestions, constructive criticism, and submission of alumni news for possible publication to me at MitchGans@comcast.net. 

A summary of the history of the Association of Godby Graduates (AGG) is here. The AGG is an academic booster club founded in 2003 by Godby Graduates to foster, recognize and reward academic excellence and community service. We host fundraisers to raise money for scholarships for Godby seniors. We support Godby students and teachers. We facilitate reunions, and I especially enjoy attending them to talk about the AGG.

Manny Joanos, Class of 1974, is the AGG's Director, and I am President through the remainder of 2012, after which Vice-President Roger Day, Class of 1980, will become President. In March 2012, we elected Coach Darius Jones, Class of 1996, 2012 AGG Hall of Fame inductee, to be Vice-President in 2013. All officers who have ever served are recognized here.

Everything I have published outside of this newsletter regarding Godby High School is at my blog or at Wikipedia.

The AGG's website is at ghsalumni.fsu.edu.

Individual Interaction

Thanks to Robbie Britt Sharp-Core, Class of 1978, the AGG hosts links to all known Godby social networking sites here.

Teresa Deffenbaugh Featherstone, Class of 1978, serves as the AGG's travel agent and cruise director, and has organized and led three international alumni cruises. I have sailed on two of the cruises and they are a lot of fun. A portion of each cabin's fare is contributed to the AGG Scholarship Fund.

Roger Day, Class of 1980, was Godby's Yearbook photographer for five of his four years at Godby and has never stopped photographing Godby faculty, students and alumni. He was taking photos on the football field for the Homecoming game last year as discussed here, and has been known to accept invitations to class reunions to serve as photographer for the events.

Events

On December 16, the AGG attended Godby's Winter Soup Kitchen led by Darius Jones on Brevard and Bainbridge Roads, and reported it here. 

Carol Marchant (1976), Val (Sands) Weeks (1979), Alan Nelson (1973), Howard Jenison (1976), Lynn (Zippay) Barr (1986) and the Godby High Band Boosters held the First Jeff Bradford Memorial concert on May 1 at Godby's Jeff Bradford Auditorium, to raise money for restoration of Godby Band memorabilia and historical photographs. 

On February 22, the AGG held a banquet for Godby's Class of 2012 Top Twenty students and their families, which was reported here. We contribute to Teacher Appreciation Week.

The Association of Godby Graduates hosted its 7th annual alumni Hall of Fame induction banquet on March 30, the day before the 2012 Springtime Tallahassee parade, and all details were reported here.

The Hall of Fame banquet is the AGG's primary fundraiser of the year, and all proceeds benefit the AGG Scholarship Fund. Many Hall of Fame members come back to serve and speak. AGG Hall of Fame photos, citations and nomination form are published here. The nomination period is from October 1 through November 30 each year.

On Tuesday night, May 22, Manny and I attended Godby's Senior Awards Night at the Jeff Bradford Auditorium to award scholarships. This is why the AGG is in business, and I can state from personal experience that the gratefulness of the students makes the time and effort all worthwhile.

Based upon familial ties to Godby High School, extra-curricular activities and academics, the AGG awarded financial college assistance to these Seniors

Photo by Manny Joanos

$500

Victoria Ash, Rachel Keele, Lanie Zimmerman

$250

Onoriode Onokpise

$150

Michelle Griffith, Jasmine Lucas

$50 Book Stipend

Rachel Roberts, Andrew Cayson, Te'Ombre Garcia-Urena, Jakarri Thomas, Sinclaire Wilson, Alexis Lewis, Donielle Frost

Special thanks to AGG Hall of Fame Members Mr. Manny Joanos, Mrs. Daphne Williams McClain and Ms. Sharon McClellan Thomason, for serving on the selection committee.

Congratulations to Rachel Roberts, daughter of Patty Stewart Roberts, Class of 1973, for initiating contact with us this year and landing the AGG's very first advertisement in the Cougar Yearbook.

It is reunion season.

The Class of 1972 is celebrating its fortieth anniversary on Saturday evening, August 18th, with Godby's three other original classes, from 1970, '71 and '73. Like Godby's first 40th reunion in 2010, all class year graduates and teachers and their families are welcome to share in the festivities, held at Golden Eagle Country Club in Tallahassee. The reunion planning committee chaired by Patricia Lee Teague and Marsha Wilson Long has been meeting since February, and all details are here. 

The Class of 1977's 35th reunion is on Memorial Day weekend, beginning with a Meet-n-Greet event Friday night May 25 at the Holiday Inn at Graves Drive, then on Saturday, a picnic lunch at J. Lee Vause Park and luau dinner at the FSU University Center, with a brunch Sunday morning at the Holiday Inn. Registration and more information is here.

The Class of 1982 is making a weekend of their thirtieth reunion, July 20-22, with a Friday night social gathering at the Tallahassee Center downtown, then a walkabout at Godby on Saturday and buffet banquet that evening at the FSU University Club. Babs Bascom Barton is leading the committee and details are here.

The Class of 1992's 20th reunion is October 5-6. Contact Mia (Thomas) Harden for further details.

The Class of 2002 is holding their first ten-year reunion July 20-22. Festivities begin Friday at Noon at the Dogwood House and continue on Saturday at Barrington Park, and in the evening at the Antique Car Museum with a Sunday Farewell Brunch at Godby. Contact Kimberly Knight for more information. 

These Godby alumni now teach at Godby

Ms. Sharon McClellan Thomason, Class of 1970, 2007 Hall of Fame inductee 

Mrs. Daphne Williams McClain, Class of 1980, 2008 Hall of Fame inductee  

Ms. Robin Speed Oliveri, Class of 1987

Ms. Heather Dieter, Class of 1996
Coach Darius Jones, Class of 1996, 2012 Hall of Fame inductee

Ms. Monica Crew Leimer, Class of 1997 

2011/2012 Godby Alumni Accolades

Carla Masters Nolan, Class of 1983, Reading teacher at Sunlake High School, Land O'Lakes, Florida, is Pasco County's 2012 Teacher of the Year. 

2012 AGG Hall of Fame Inductees 

Civic-Philanthropic: Mrs. Mary Jean Curles Yon, Class of 1974

Education: Ms. Kathy Miller Corder, Class of 1976
Business: Mr. Todd Sperry, Class of 1978

Professional: Dr. Shantanu Basu, Class of 1982

Medical/Health: Mrs. Debbie Orth Shearer, Class of 1982

Sports/Athletics: Coach Darius Jones, Class of 1996 

Looking ahead to 2012/2013...

We are organizing an inclusive class reunion event for the evening of the 2012 Godby Homecoming football game, and will publish more details when the game date becomes available. Alumni band members are welcome to participate and march with the Godby Band during Halftime activities. 

Our fourth alumni cruise sets sail January 12, 2013 from Tampa, Florida, to Grand Caymon, Caymon Islands, and Cozumel, Mexico. Reduced rate reservations have already been booked, but alumni and family are still welcome to book passage at regular rates and join us as cruise availability dictates.

Our eighth annual AGG Hall of Fame Banquet will be held next Spring. The past two years, we have held the event on the Friday evening before the Springtime Tallahassee Parade. Godby alumni are welcome to march in the parade directly behind Godby's band.

Support the Association of Godby Graduates 

Please join us on Facebook and donate to the AGG Scholarship Fund.
Send checks or money orders to Godby High School, 1717 West Tharpe Street, Tallahassee, Florida, 32303. Write "AGG" in the memo line. All proceeds benefit the AGG Scholarship Fund.

The AGG gratefully recognizes contributions of $250 or more in perpetuity at our website.

Help a Godby Senior go to college.

Mitch

Class of 1981 

MitchGans@comcast.net