Alumni and community members will be asked to search their closets to stock the museum planned for the new Gibbs High School campus.
By JON WILSON
Published May 12, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - A new, multimillion-dollar Gibbs High School is being built, but plans are under way to assure the legacy of the original school is not forgotten.
A Gibbs history committee has organized a two-part project, officially kicking off today with distribution of brochures announcing it.
"We're hoping people will come forward and let us know who they are. The alumni say a lot of people want to get involved, so here's their opportunity," said Barbara Shorter, the history committee chair.
She was Gibbs' principal from 1991 until her retirement last year.
Alumni and other community members are invited to donate memorabilia that will be part of a permanently displayed museum on campus.
The committee is also commissioning a miniature architect to build a scale model of the original Gibbs school, which opened in 1927 to serve African-Americans.
Items may be brought to Ralph Nurmela at the Gibbs' Pinellas County Center for Arts, 850 34th St. S, after May 25.
The second element of the project is developing a walkway and patio made of inscribed bricks. A 4-inch by 8-inch brick is $100; an 8-by-8 brick is $150. Purchasers can have their names or a message put on the bricks.
Customized artwork, symbols or logos can be added for an additional fee.
The first 100 purchases will receive a commemorative brick from the original building.
For information, call Nurmela at 893-5452, ext. 107; Shorter at 867-1777; or Minson Rubin, 866-2651.
