History of Lauderdale County School District | Page 262

Some of the Clarkdale basketball players were: Janis Pogue, Linda Anderson, Janis
Reynolds and Minette Anderson. Some of the players from teams we played against were:
Kathy Harper SE and Linda Carney NE.
Some of my teachers in high school were: Gerald Wayne Thompson, Andy Smith and
Mrs. Ruth Hudson. Mrs. Hudson was my business teacher. Principals that I remember were:
Jackie Roberson, Herman Pruitt, Willie Neal and Mr. W.C. Norris.
After high school I went to Meridian Junior College for one semester, but then I got
married and went to work. After high school I did play a lot of city league basketball with a lot
of player from all the county schools. In 1976 I started to work for the Lauderdale County
School District in the media center and then in the county office. I have worked for the school
district for forty years.
Name: Bobbie Nell Wilson Gibson
High School and College: Frisco City High School/Livingston University (UWA) both in
Alabama
Years Graduated: 1957/1961
As a part of my scholarship at Livingston University I worked as the band director at
Livingston High School. After college I went to work at Calhoun High School and Soso High
School in Jones County, Mississippi. I was part time at each high school. In 1962 I moved to
Southeast Lauderdale High School as the band director and chorus director. I found a place to
live in Meridian on 26th Ave and 17th St. To start with I worked at the old Vimville School
getting ready for my first year at SE. I had 12 students in the band. We practiced on the stage at
Vimville School until the band hall at SE was ready. I replaced Otis Upton; he had been
teaching at Vimville and Clarkdale when he decided to stay full time at Clarkdale. Some of the
principals and teachers I remember being at SE when I got there were: Doug Little, James
Stoddard, Edna Linton, Merle Walker, Eula Miller and Mildred Johnson.
I ordered the first SE band uniforms in 1962. The colors for the Lauderdale County
schools were: Clarkdale – Maroon and White, Northeast – Red and Gray, Southeast – Blue and
White and West – Black and White. Southeast’s official colors were Columbia Blue and White.
I thought that Columbia Blue was too light so I change the color of the band uniforms to Royal
Blue. We needed a sample uniform made, so we had one made to fit Judy Sluder.
The school owned several instruments like the percussion instruments (drums) and
bigger horns (baritone, French and Tubas). The students always