WEST END HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI: Election for Board of Directors

March 16, 2026
To: All Members

West End High School Alumni Association

Two years ago we had our last Homecoming and it was a grand event. Although we won’t be doing that again this year, the Alumni Association still survives and is operating according to its By-Laws.

An integral part of our Association is a governing Board of Directors, comprised of seven members. There will be an election for those positions that will take place on June 18th of this year. Provision will be made for members of the Association to cast electronic ballots or mail paper ballots prior to that date, if they so choose. The bylaws of the Association indicate that those chosen for service on the Board will elect from their members the officers of the Board.
So, candidates are needed to fill those positions. We encourage any member to offer your services (self-nominations only, if you know someone you would like to run, forward the form to them) to the Association by submitting your own name to run for election to the Board. If you have an interest in helping guide the affairs of the Association, which would include at least four meetings per year, but perhaps more frequently, please respond prior to April 16th by completing the form at the bottom of this page. Candidates, if elected, must commit to attending meetings in person as previous attempts to attend meetings by phone have been unsuccessful. You may respond by e-mailing the completed form to lnwgrandview@msn.com, or via the USPS to Nominating Committee, 3612 Saratoga Drive, Nashville, TN 37205 by the April 16th deadline.
One further note: Several Board members are reaching the age when attendance at the Board meetings and other duties may be more than they can do. So, if you are among the more latter years of our beloved school’s alumni, your offer to serve on the Board would be especially appreciated.
Thanks for considering serving your fellow alumni,
Nominating Committee: Richard Harrison, Carolyn McArthur, and Larry Wilson

Form for Candidates for Election to the Board of Directors:
The following information will be sent to members of the Association:
Name of Candidate: ___________________________________ Class Year: __________________
A brief paragraph about yourself, and, if you wish, why you want to serve on the Board:

The following information will not be sent to members of the Association:
Address: ________________________________________________________________
E-mail:________________________________ Telephone: ______________________

WELCOME TO WEST END HIGH SCHOOL - WHERE THE BLUE JAYS FLEW!

If you are an alumnus of West High, you already value the wonderful education we received, and the warm relationships with our classmates. If you are a visitor to our site, we hope you will enjoy learning about our history, our alumni, and our upcoming events.

“ON THE CITY’S WESTERN BORDER, REARED AGAINST THE SKY, PROUDLY STANDS OUR ALMA MATER AS THE YEARS ROLL BY”

West End High School has proudly stood on West End Avenue since 1937. In 1968, the last senior class graduated, and West End High School became West End Middle School. Here is a brief history of the years in between.

West, which was a Public Works Administration project, opened as a high school in September, 1937, with 823 students in grades 10-12 and a faculty of 30. The addition of grades 7-9 increased enrollment to 1,025. Dr. William Henry Yarbrough was selected as principal.

The building was formally dedicated in November, 1937 at a ceremony attended by many of the city’s most prominent educational and civic leaders. The suggestion that the school be named in honor of the Mayor, Hilary E. Howse, was refused by the Mayor, based on the policy of the federal government through the Public Works Administration that no building in which they cooperated was to be named for any living person. After the mayor died, it was suggested the name be changed to honor Mayor Howse, the students and the PTA protested, and the Board of Education relented. The graduates even threatened to buy their own special diplomas just to show they were graduates of West!

The name, “West High Blue Jays”, was given by a local paper. While not popular at first, it remained, becoming part of the West End High School tradition.

The first year saw the organization of the Men’s Club, the West Wind newspaper, the R.O.T.C, and student government. At the first graduation in 1938, 122 seniors received diplomas. In the second year, the National Honor Society and Quill and Scroll were organized. The third year saw the organization of the Beta Club and the football team became city co-champions.

1944 saw the first state basketball championship, and the 1946 and 1948 teams were also state champions! The 1954 team is legendary since it came from behind in the last minute of play to win the state championship. The principal, “Doc” Yarbrough, attended against the advice of his physician, and the team definitely went “All the Way for Doc.” The trophies in the lobby are a tribute to all who participated in sports at West High.

John Oliver succeeded Doc Yarbrough in 1954 and served for 17 years.

In 1961 the junior high classes were removed and it became a high school for grades 10-12. Then, in 1966, the junior high was returned, and from 1966-1968 the high school was phased out at the rate of a grade a year.

The renovation of the building is fantastic. We could only dream about having air-conditioned class rooms and an elevator! Of course, the “Sunset Club” bench is still in the office.

Your Alumni Association is open to all who graduated or attended West End High School, and you are invited to participate in our monthly Lunch Bunch luncheons at Hillwood Club (the third Thursday of each month except January) and our Homecoming every two years. Please let us know if there is any information you would like to see on our website, and we will try our best to include it.

Our email address is:

alumni@westhighnashville.org

“FORWARD EVER BE OUR WATCHWORD, CONQUER AND PREVAIL.
HAIL TO THEE, OUR ALMA MATER,
WEST END HIGH ALL HAIL.”