Thursday, March 28, 2024

Junior High auditorium to be named in honor of Clay Reeves

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In the near future, the Gatesville Independent School Board will vote to approve the dedication of the Junior High auditorium to long-time educator Clay Reeves.

With a career spanning 55 years in Gatesville, Mr. Reeves taught Pre-Algebra and Algebra to generations of students. However, he made another huge contribution to the students of GISD and that was through his theatrical productions. In addition to his math courses, Clay began teaching a speech and drama elective at GJHS.

A class that started with simple sketches quickly evolved into elaborate theatrical productions. In 1976, to commemorate the Bicentennial, Clay wrote his first production, titled, American Hysteria. It is important to note, that every 7th grade student participated in some fashion with the production of that play. With each passing year, the plays would become more elaborate. Mr. Reeves not only wrote the scripts, but he would help with the sound and lighting as well as designing props, scenery, and costumes. Some of his notable plays were: The Legend of Sherwood Forest, Earth Angel, Cat's Whiskers, Bamboozle, Prince's Bride, and Mississippi Smith.

With the help of fellow staff members Terry Hale, Connie Bell, and Anne Eubanks, the GJHS stage would be home to elaborate props, which included such things as a waterfall, a giant spider, a slide, a giant skull, and even glitter rain. The remnants of some of that scenery can still be found on stage. Clay even occasionally performed in his plays, often singing, or acting alongside his students. His final theatrical performance was 1992's Prances with Fools. Each spring, junior high students would work tirelessly through tryouts and practices, after school and on Saturdays.

It was not unusual for the 585-seat auditorium to be completely filled with folks the nights of the performances. Those plays became highly anticipated social events of the year. As he reflected on this time in his life, Clay explained, "my script would initially be 400 to 500 handwritten pages. Then my wife, Kathy, would narrow it to 200 typed pages. I liked to just start writing and see where it took me. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t.” It is GISD's honor to dedicate the GJHS auditorium to Clay Reeves.