I absolutely love the fact that we live in a community that cares about preserving its history. Thomasville and Thomas County do just about as good a job of that as any community I know of.

One of the richest traditions we have here involves our athletics, with particular emphasis on Thomasville High and Thomas County Central. When you start talking about the body of work and accomplishments made through both of those schools it is literally and figuratively mind-blowing.

My friend Lu Nunnally has spearheaded a fantastic effort downtown to create a THS football museum. He has acquired an impressive array of items that go back literally over 100 years up to the current day and document much of the rich history of the Bulldogs. Lu has put in many hours not only compiling these items but documenting them, and then putting them on display for all Bulldogs to see and learn from.

With the new multipurpose building being constructed on the Thomas County Central campus, an opportunity for people out in “the county” to do something similar is now at hand.

Today, I am officially putting the word out that we are seeking items related to Thomas County Central High School, including Central and Magnolia High Schools before integration. We hope to create displays inside that new multipurpose building on the high school campus that will reflect the rich history and heritage of athletics from Thomas County.

There are all kinds of ‘things’ out there stuck in closets or gathering dust in storage. And too often, people just don’t see those things as being important.

Not too many weeks ago, a friend who knew about this effort notified me that they found a blue and gold Central basketball bag from the 1970s at the county dump. Another friend contacted me to let me know they found a 1990s tennis letterman jacket sitting beside a dumpster.

I’m sure these examples are not isolated. There’s no telling how much has been lost over the years – but there’s also no telling what else is ‘out there’ waiting to be discovered.

If you have items that relate to Thomas County sports, including uniforms, helmets, jackets, or whatever it might be, I’m asking you today to consider loaning them for this effort. These items will be placed so that every student who comes through that building, as well as visitors, will see them (along with a recognition of you) and subsequently learn from them.

The Thomas County schools have been experiencing one of the most successful eras in its history. At least in my mind, it is vitally important that the young people inside the system – and particularly inside that high school – have a tangible link to all those who came before them and helped pave the road they are now enjoying. There are many sets of shoulders that our current generations are standing on from the past, and it is up to us long-in-the-tooth folks to make sure the faces and names associated with those shoulders aren’t forgotten and lost to the sands of time.

I have always firmly believed it is impossible to have any real appreciation for where you are unless you have some real appreciation for how you got there. This effort is a reflection of that philosophy and can be yet another in a long line of important local historical and heritage-related efforts here in our community.

But, we need help to make it happen.

The main thing here is preserving these important items along with the history associated with them, and then getting them in front of these young people so that they can be exposed to that history and learn more about the place they call home. Hopefully, in the process they will have a deeper appreciation for the history they will now be making and how it has arrived where it is today – and where it will go tomorrow.

In a day and age where we already know that too many young people are woefully lacking any sense of foundation and connection to the history and heritage reflected by them, to me this is a win-win-win proposition. The families offering these items get an opportunity for their efforts to be honored and remembered, the community gets an opportunity to celebrate and show off that rich history and heritage that is a common thread through every one of us, and those young people learn some valuable lessons about themselves in the process.

If you have items/memorabilia that you feel might be appropriate for inclusion in this important effort, send me an email at ryoung@tcjackets.net or Ron Dillard at rdillard@tcjackets.net. Or if you prefer, find me on social media and reach out to me that way. Either way, let’s make this happen.

I don’t know about you, but to me, it sounds like an opportunity too good – and important – to pass up.