 The DuPont High School Alumni Association was formed in 1978 to foster fellowship and mutual benefits among its members, and to award scholarships to high school graduates entering a college or university. Our members include individuals who attended DuPont High in Old Hickory and DuPont Senior High in Hermitage from its beginning in 1928 until its closing in 1986.
Each year, the Association holds an annual meeting and reunion, and awards scholarships on the first Saturday in August. If your class is planning an individual reunion, class mailing lists and address labels are available at no charge.
We maintain a mailing list of over 9,000 DuPont High alumni and faculty. Keep us informed of your current postal and e-mail address, home phone number, and spouse name (include class year if he or she is a DuPont alumnus). This will insure that you will receive The Bulldog Gazette, our annual newsletter, plus be notified of individual class reunion plans.
Be sure to post your message on our Message Board and read what other alumni have posted. And, if you're a former DuPont High teacher, we would love to hear from you, too!
Our e-mail address list contains over 2,900 entries. Use our feedback form or e-mail us to add your name to the list. Then you can e-mail your classmates and friends. We welcome your comments. Send us an e-mail to or fill out our feedback form.
In March 2000, the Association was incorporated in the State of Tennessee as a not-for-profit corporation. New bylaws were adopted and an application was filed with the IRS for recognition of exemption under Section 501(c)(3). On November 30, 2001, the Association was determined to be a publicly supported organization by the IRS. This designation allows all contributions to the Association and Scholarship Fund to be tax deductible by the donor.
"The Spirit of DuPont High Will Never Burn Out"  DuPont High School was organized in Old Hickory in 1926 as a two-year high school with three teachers and sixty-three pupils. A third year was added in 1927 and a senior year was added in 1928. Classes were held at the DuPont Grammar School building on Hadley Avenue for two years with S. H. Binkley as Principal. In 1930, a new high school building was constructed and, by 1932, it housed grades nine through twelve. This building was located at 2001 Hadley Avenue. By 1937 the first addition to the building was constructed. A football field with lights for night games was the first such facility in Davidson County. A gymnasium was constructed in the early 1940s and, in the early 1950s, five classrooms, the industrial arts and band buildings were added. The school principals serving at that location included C. P. Ferguson, S. H. Binkley, Jimmy Edwards, Raymond Huffman and Buford Jewell.
Disaster struck in November 1967 when the high school building was completely destroyed by fire. School continued on a split-shift schedule at DuPont Elementary on Hadley Avenue. Four months later, in March 1968, that building, too was destroyed by fire. Classes continued at Madison High School on a similar split-shift schedule through the completion of the 1968-1969 school year.
It was a sad time for many DuPont graduates; for both schools that held so many memories were destroyed. Many graduates had attended classes for twelve years with the same classmates in those two fine old institutions of learning.
"A New Beginning"
 In the fall of 1969 a Senior High School, retaining the DuPont High name, was completed on Tyler Drive in Hermitage. Mr. James Bridgeman was the first principal assigned to the new school. He served until 1971 when Mr. Buford Jewell returned to the school as principal, but died suddenly in 1973. Mr. Albert (Abby) Williams was named principal in 1974 and served until 1983. He was succeeded by Dr. Jerry Mack Hargis who served until the school was closed in 1986. "Rekindle The Spirit"
In 1978, a group of former graduates, teachers, coaches and other interested persons met with Abby Williams to make plans to mark the 50-year anniversary of the beginning of DuPont High. Abby, a DuPont High 1948 graduate, had a dream of forming a DuPont High Alumni Association. He had written in his 1948 Leaves of Hickory that his ambition was to be the principal of DuPont High. With that dream fulfilled, he was ready to go on to other dreams.
A steering committee was chosen: - Chairman: Abby Williams (1948),
- Vice Chairman: Robert McCauley (1950),
- Secretary: Mildred Kimbro Swinea (1953), and
- Treasurer: Ava Leda Smith Millard (1944).
Class coordinators were chosen for the classes of the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Their role was to represent those classes and to select a class chairman for each of the graduating classes.
It was decided to hold an annual alumni banquet. The first banquet was planned for Saturday, August 5, 1978 at the Woman's Building at the State Fairgrounds. The Class Chairmen began their search for fellow classmates. Relatives and neighbors were contacted in search for locations and addresses of their classmates. Other committees were formed including program, publicity, nominating, decorating, and a committee to plan an open house at the school. One of the busiest was the decorating committee. They designed and constructed decorations to be used each year along with a class banner for each class to mark their seating area.
At long last, that August 1978 evening of the first Annual Alumni Banquet arrived, and some 1,700 alumni, spouses and teachers gathered for the first reunion. It was an evening to be remembered for many years to come. Second Year
Plans began immediately for the second Annual Alumni Banquet. The steering committee from the previous year was elected as officers. The date was set for the banquet to be held Saturday, June 9, 1979. The location was moved to the Agriculture Center because it would hold more people and was air conditioned. Plans were discussed to present a scholarship awards program to the alumni at a later date. A class coordinator for 1970-1973 was added. Again, class chairmen began their job of locating classmates and mailing letters. Approximately 1,200 attended the second Annual Banquet. Third Year
The third Annual Alumni Banquet was held on Saturday, August 2, 1980 at the Agriculture Center. Officers serving this year were: Chairman Henrietta Woods Chandley ('46), Vice Chairman James Everette, Jr. ('61), Secretary Mildred Kimbro Swinea ('53), and Treasurer Betty Jean Pugh ('49). The class of 1974 was added and a chairman was selected to begin locating classmates.
It was decided to establish the first Saturday in August as a permanent date for the Alumni Banquet. Now out-of-town alumni could schedule vacation trips to coincide with the annual event.  Fourth Year
The fourth Annual Alumni Banquet was held on Saturday, August 1, 1981 at the Agriculture Center. Officers from the previous year were re-elected. The class of 1975 was added and a chairman was selected to begin locating classmates.
Bylaws were written and a Scholarship Committee was established. The first scholarship was presented at the banquet to Brian Alan Tatum, a 1981 graduate.
The Association has sponsored the annual reunion each year -- the current ones are being held at the DuPont Hadley School Cafeteria on the first Saturday in August.
The Association was incorporated as not-for-profit in March 2000 and determined to be an exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service in November 2001. |
