Article captured glorious legacy of Brookhaven

I thank The Dispatch and in particular reporter Steve Blackledge, for the moving Sunday article “Glorious legacy,” concerning the upcoming closure of Brookhaven High School. I retired 10 years ago after teaching for 30 years for Columbus City Schools. The final 22 years of my career were spent at Brookhaven.

The story brought back many happy memories. I had the pleasure of having Helen Darling, Maurice Hall and Marlon Kerner in the classroom. All three were high-quality students and individuals. There were numerous others just like them.

I enjoyed my association with girls’ basketball coach Reggie Lee, boys’ basketball coach Bruce Howard and boys’ track coach Marv Whiting. They all expected their athletes to work hard and perform well, both in the classroom and in their athletic endeavors. The article also brought back some very sad memories.

Foremost of these were the deaths of Jimmy Greggs, Jayson Gwinn and Howard.

As teachers at Brookhaven, our staff had to be willing to perform more than just teaching duties. We often had to counsel students, teach them some of life’s lessons and prepare them for obstacles that life would throw in their way. To this day, whenever I see a former student, it is always a happy experience. Thank you for a high-quality story. I felt a lump in my throat as I read it. WAYNE BRANFIELD

Columbus