Written by Charlie Palmer, CHS 2024
Over the course of WWI to the present, over 100 students from Central High School lost their lives while fighting to defend our nation. While some of these brave individuals were laid to rest in military cemeteries abroad, many of them were buried locally. With the aim of finding a meaningful project for Central’s Alumni Veterans group, history teacher Scott Wilson proposed a plan to honor the locally buried Eagles for Memorial Day. This would draw on the work his AP US History students had done over the last 15 years.
Alongside his uncle Army veteran Ken Stephan (’64), Wilson spent several months investing significant effort in identifying, locating, and meticulously documenting the graves and relevant details of each individual in a spreadsheet. Stephan and Wilson took the initiative to contact the local cemeteries, seeking permission, and personally visited numerous graves in advance. They then created maps for the volunteers to follow on Memorial Day.
This recent Memorial Day, a group of Central graduates, parents, teachers, and students volunteered their time to pay tribute to the fallen Eagles. They placed commemorative Central flags alongside American flags at more than 60 graves in 15 local cemeteries. The group divided the list among themselves and visited all the designated graves, ensuring that each one was honored with the specially designed Central flag.
There isn’t another high school community quite like ours at Central. I can’t imagine this project being done somewhere else with the same reverence and enthusiasm. This project pulled together our graduates, teachers, families, and students all to honor our fallen Eagles and their stories. The Central community really cares. As a teacher, that is so inspiring.
Scott Wilson, CHS History Teacher
The flags were created by librarian Beth Wilson and sponsored by Merle Rambo, a CHS graduate from the class of 1969. The JROTC core staff, led by instructors Ret. Major Ryan Cripps and SFC Andrew Amberg, also joined the group.
Volunteers:
Dan Katskee – ’64/ USMC
Harold Pharoah – ’66/ US Navy
Ken Stephan – ’64/ US Army
Charlie Stephan – Lincoln
Gary Stephan – ’69
Dr. Alvin Samuels – ’06/ US Navy
Dick Zacharia – ’61/ US Army
Roy Katskee – ’60
Merilee M. Miller – ’66
Merle Rambo – ’69
Emma (Phillips) Bonacci – ’08/ OPS Elementary Teacher
Dr. Ed Walsh & Dr. JoAnn McGee – CHS Parents
Maj. Ryan Cripps – ROTC Department Chair
SFC Andrew Amberg – ROTC Instructor
Belle Bohnert – Cadet Major
Alex Krasnoslobotsev – Cadet Major
Fernando Rodriguez Serrano – Cadet Major
Zander Miller – Cadet SGM
Dina Mabu – Cadet 2LT
Braylon Fox – Cadet 2LT
Isabel Vela – Cadet 2LT
Meh Mo – Cadet 1SGT
Jimmie Foster – Social Studies Department Chair
Beth Wilson – CHS Librarian
Scott Wilson – Social Studies Teacher
