Ahmad, a community activist who lives in the FROC area and worked for the city for 40 years, says “I came to Wogaman in 1950, when my family moved from East Dayton to West Dayton. The school used to be all white; then it became integrated, and it was all black by the time I got there. My classmates said it all started changing in the 1940s.”
Originally, it was Harrison School, but became Wogaman in 1926, renamed for former principal, George A. Wogaman. The first building, which had stood on Germantown Street, was rebuilt on the school’s present site just after it was re-named.
Located at 920 McArthur Ave., Wogaman was one of the district’s first new Dayton buildings completed under the Ohio School Facilities Commission School Construction Project. The 1926 building was razed in 2004, and the new building opened in 2006.
The alumni committee started meeting at the new Wogaman School, but then moved their meetings to members’ homes.
Sept. 26 is the date for the reunion, to be held at the Avon Hotel — formerly the Holiday Inn on Dryden Road. “We’ll start at 4 p.m. and have a re-acquainting social hour, where we’ll talk about the old school and old mentality,” said Ahmad. “We’ll have a dinner and recognize some VIPs, including some of our former teachers and Saundra Collie, the current principal of Wogaman. And, we’ll have a dance with the Kenny G band.”
That should bring back memories for Ahmad, who sang with bands in high school, later with the Ohio Players, and wrote and sang for other groups.
“Right now, we have 52 alumni coming from all over, and are hoping for 100,” he said.
Following the reunion, the group has further plans. “We’ve been meeting with Wogaman’s principal, and want to help with the students and school,” he said. “Our theme is ‘Old School, New School,’ and she’ll let us know what we can do to help.”
Alumni interested in attending the reunion should contact Wilma Reeves Blackman at 268-2980. Tickets are $30, “which covers the whole affair,” said Blackman.
Alumni on the reunion committee are Ahmad, Blackman, Jo Anne and Conrad Goode (who met at Wogaman), Rauland Pollard, Carol Ragland, Lena Strange, and James Price.
Contact this columnist at (937) 276-4441 or vburroughs@woh.rr.com.
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