In 1972,  East St Louis School District 189, began the phase out of one of only two High Schools in the 189 school district. East St Louis Sr.High School,  Flyers And the East St Louis Lincoln High School, Tigers.

All Tenth Graders (Sophomores 😊) ,were to attend East St Louis Sr. High School, Flyers, at the start of the 1972 school year.  Although many citizens opposed this decision, greatness actually evolved from such sad situation.  This was the largest graduating class to graduate from School District 189 history, The Class Of 1975.

Memories of new friendships, overcrowded 10th grade classrooms, overcrowded cafeteria and hallways became the norm that school year in 1972-73.  Afro’s, Bell Bottoms and Platform Shoes was the fashion flow. Boys meeting girls and girls meeting boys added more excitement and fun to attend school😊. However, we were there to learn.  The unity and bonding of this class was very special.  So much so that when the school district overturned the decision to phase Lincoln out and allowing any 10th grader to attend Lincoln the following school year to start their 11th grade (Junior) year, only 115 student went to Lincoln creating the smallest yearly graduating class, of The Lincoln Sr. High School history, approximately 75 graduates from this Class of 1975.

East Side High School 10th grade experience was an awesome experience for me but my fondest memories of our 1975 graduating class began in 1969.  Yes, 1969.  This is the year that we began 7th grade or as we would say “Jr. High School”.  I will always refer to 7-3, 8-10 and 9-1 ( seventh, eighth & ninth grade) years as the start of a friendship with classmates that became so close that even the closing of a high school could not separate our bond. When the mentioning of dropping Lincoln’s 1975 class from the East Side Class of 1975 freunion activities, the Late Hubert Hoosman took a stand and said “No we will not drop Lincoln”.  Hoosman went on to say that if The school district  had not decided to close Lincoln, He would have been a Tiger along with many others.  Thank you Hoosman for keeping us connected.

For three consecutive years of Jr. High School, we attended every class together with the exception of the boys going to a Workshop class and the girls going to a Home Economics class.  Our class included classmates, Eugene Byrd, Conrad Ford, Hubert Hoosman, Jr., Victor MacIntosh, Mark Tibbs, Eric “Catnam” Wayne, Fred Williamson, Stormy Bean, Jacqueline Coleman, La Doris Duncan, Faye Enge, Anita Johnson, Joann Johnson, Phyllis Leggs and others. Memories of getting to our homeroom 7-3, we had to walk through our neighboring classroom daily,  7-4.  This class consisted of classmates, David Bozeman, Terry Hines, Sylvester”Sly” Manuel, Adelbert “ Smitty” Smith, Reginald Wince, Caryl Minervia Henson and others.

Those years 1969 to 1972 are the beginning of memories of an exceptional class, THE EAST ST. LOUIS SR. HIGH SCHOOL FLYERS CLASS OF 1975 & THE LINCOLN SR. HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS, CLASS OF 1975.
I am representing the small number of 1975 Lincoln graduates.  We are connected❤️