Jefferson County Public Library receives donation of Wrens High School yearbooks

After giving multiple decades of service to the Wrens community as the principal of Wrens High School and later Wrens Middle, the children of Henry “Mickey” Mauney have donated his collection of yearbooks to McCollum Public Library so that they can be available to his former students for years to come.

Donated by Stephen Mauney and April Standard, in honor of their father who passed away in October of 2023, the collection includes 23 Wrens High School yearbooks, containing the school’s grades sixth through twelfth from the early 1970s through mid 1990s.

First hired as a history teacher, Mickey Mauney served as an assistant varsity football coach and head baseball coach, and later as principal of the school that served grades sixth through 12th for more than 20 years.

“Dad believed in that school, he always did,” Mickey’s son said. “It hurt him to see Wrens High go, but he was glad to carry on as principal of the middle school it became. He would have wanted to make sure that everyone got to share this. I knew they would mean a lot to a lot of people.”

Library Director Christina Shepherd said that she was thrilled to receive the donation, as the library system has had numerous requests from patrons for this type of local resource.

“The yearbooks provide a fascinating glimpse into the lives of students and the community during this time period,” Shepherd said. “They are a valuable resource for anyone interested in local history, genealogy, or education. The library is committed to preserving these yearbooks and making them available to the public. These yearbooks are a treasure trove of information about our community's past. We are grateful to Steve Mauney for their generosity in sharing these with us."

The yearbooks are available for viewing in the genealogical section at the McCollum Branch of the Jefferson County Public Library, located at 405 N. Main Street in Wrens.

“I honestly don’t know where any of my own old yearbooks are, and I was tempted to keep his 1993 book,” Mauney said, referencing his own senior year. “But I thought, no, if I want to look at it, it will be over there at the library.”