The East Tennessee History Center has a remarkable collection of yearbooks from across the region.

Just a few weeks ago, I went to my high school reunion. I may be in the minority, but I love catching up with the people who walked with me through those awkward teenage years.

Of course, we pulled out the ol’ yearbooks. Every time we gather, we pore over those pages laid out with analog tools — graph paper, rubber cement, typesetting. Yes, kids, there was a time before computers when layouts were more like craft projects. And yet, somehow, they captured the full spirit of adolescence.

Oh, the cringey hairstyles and truly terrible senior quotes! But mostly, what shines through those perfectly posed portraits are the hopeful smiles and the promise of bright futures.

There’s something charming about a trip down memory lane through a high school yearbook. Deep in the archives of the East Tennessee History Center, you’ll find thousands of them — representing dozens of schools and spanning more than a century. The earliest editions, dating back to the 1890s, were little more than pamphlets. Later versions are hardback, full-color tomes covering middle school through UT, with representation from several surrounding counties.

Eric Dawson, manager of the McClung Historical Collection, and I recently flipped through a few to see who we might find. Sure enough, we stumbled across some familiar faces:

  • Bill Haslam’s grin hasn’t changed — though the hairline has a little — pictured in the Webb School class of 1975.
  • Dale Dickey was a beloved member of the drama club at Bearden High, class of 1979. Just a few pages away was classmate Todd Steed, who you can hear most days on WUOT.
  • And in the 1971 Centralite, we found a wistful portrait of Bill Baxter, who is gone far too soon.
  • Going back even further, Knoxville High’s 1904 Voice included a dapper Clarence Brown, active in art, drama and music clubs — a clear sign he was destined for a stellar directing career in Hollywood’s golden age. He’s the small fellow in the middle of the front row holding a stringed instrument of some kind.

We weren’t able to find everyone we hoped for. There are gaps in the collection. We searched for Bob Booker in Austin High’s class of 1953 —no luck. Same for Patricia Neal, who graduated from Knoxville High in the early 1940s. Those years are missing too. But maybe you can help!

The Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection is always happy to accept donations of old yearbooks that may be gathering dust in someone’s attic. You never know who you’ll find tucked in those pages of yore. Contact McClung at 865-215-8801.

Learn more about the McClung’s yearbook collection. YouTube.

Mary Pom Claiborne is assistant director for marketing, communications and development for Knox County Public Library.

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