Shelby High School updating its Veterans Roll Call Memorial

SHELBY — In 2010, Shelby High School graduates Gary Seals (1966) and Mike Johnson (1963) discussed finding a way to honor veterans from Shelby High School (SHS). The result — a displayed list of anyone who graduated from SHS and joined any branch of the United States military.

After speaking with the school administration, it was determined that the Veterans Roll Call Memorial would be placed on a wall in the main hallway. Funding was secured by donations, and on Aug. 17, 2014, a dedication ceremony was held in the gymnasium. Each attending veteran was escorted to a microphone where he said his name, graduation year and branch of service. Adding to the moving ceremony was a color guard and a 21-gun salute.

The memorial has become a must-see for graduates who come to SHS for any activity or tour of the building on class reunion weekends. The memorial was last updated in 2016 and now shows more than 1,300 names. The time has come to again update the memorial with names of alumni who joined the military and are not displayed. The goal is to have the names updated in time for the 2024 All-Alumni Weekend to be held Oct. 4-6.

A link to the names currently on the memorial can be found at bit.ly/3W4a2mS . If you served in the military, graduated from SHS and your name is not shown, contact SHS Principal John Gies at gies.john@shelbyk12.org for a link to add your name.

Names need to be submitted by Aug. 14.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Shelby High School updating its Veterans Roll Call Memorial