EPISODES

In 1942, with the country fighting wars in Europe and the Pacific, Homewood could no longer ignore the fact that Shades Cahaba was getting a little old in the tooth, and it would have to be replaced in the next decade. Not to mention that it was very crowded. It was...

As soon as the school was built, teams were formed, and Shades Cahaba entered into competition with other Birmingham area high schools, which had already been competing for a number of years. This was no small feat, and you only need to listen to the episode with...

It is the second day that Shades Cahaba and other schools around the state have been shut down due to the state of emergency declared by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. Coronavirus COVID-19 has been quickly spreading around the world and is now in our community. To help...

We talk about Shades Cahaba a lot on this podcast for obvious reasons. With a school that taught grades 1-12 you get a little tunnel vision and start to think this is all there was in Homewood. Not true. There were other schools, and we are going to talk about a few...

This episode is about the Shades Cahaba building, how it grew over the years, what changed, and why. This podcast was originally audio-only, but this version has pictures and an overhead view of the building to illustrate better what I am talking about....

This episode is about the Shades Cahaba Underpass. Some of you may call it the tunnel, but from the time it was conceived in the early 1950s and for the next 40 or 50 years, it was called the underpass. I had forgotten it was called the underpass until a schoolmate...

This is my second conversation episode with former Homewood High School Principal and Superintendent Michael Gross. In the first episode, we talked about the school system's beginning, the opening of the high school, and the unique challenges he faced.  We had a long...

We have talked a lot about the beginnings of Shades Cahaba High School and Shades Valley High School, but now I want to talk more about the beginnings of other schools in Homewood and the beginning of the Homewood School System. The Board of Education was established...

The Shades Cahaba Oral History Project will publish special edition episodes this year to celebrate other Homewood schools, the beginnings of the Homewood Board of Education, and other events. We still have other Shades Cahaba stories to tell. In this episode, we talk...

If you have been a listener to the podcast, then you know this is the 100th Anniversary of Shades Cahaba as a school. The first day of school was September 19, 1920. There was a dedication held a few days before and it was on that day that the two large bronze plaques...

The Shades Cahaba Owl has had a very interesting life. It first appeared when Shades Cahaba High School was built in 1920. It stood watch over the front entrance as “a symbol of learning to all who enter here.” It stayed there until the end of high school in 1949 and...

When I decided to start an oral history of Shades Cahaba, I knew it would be difficult. Luckily, I was able to find people I could interview, and I have others who have become valuable resources for me.  What really turned things around for me and helped me launch a...

In episode 5 of the podcast, I spoke with former Shades Cahaba Principal Sue Grogan. She shared a Thanksgiving story with me that I saved to share with you this Thanksgiving season. https://youtu.be/jH2OWwj9Kjo?si=sdYK2_9igDNOyaut

When Shades Cahaba High School was built, honoring veterans was a high priority. Shades Cahaba was dedicated on Labor Day, Monday, September 6, 1920. That afternoon, after the formal addresses and a picnic dinner on the grounds, Mrs. Floribel Brown Ohme unveiled the...

Herman Maxwell has a special place in the history of Shades Cahaba. He was one of the first children to integrate Shades Cahaba Elementary School during the 1967-1968 school year. This didn't just happen overnight, and Herman tells the story of how his parents...

Today's edition of the podcast is dedicated to the school lunchroom and to everyone who has worked there. I have known my guest, Ken Kirk, for many years. We attended the same church, junior high, and high school, and both were members of Troop 97 in Homewood. We have...

Today’s episode features former Shades Cahaba teacher Laure Estes. She started her career as a first-grade teacher but quickly switched to kindergarten, where she spent the rest of her career. If you went to Shades Cahaba when she taught there, you would know her as...

I have probably known Herb Griffin for most of my life. We attend the same church and I am around the same age as his children. If you have spent any time in Homewood you probably heard about his accident with a streetcar when he was in 8th grade. He was featured in...

Sue Grogan was principal at Shades Cahaba from 2000 until her retirement in 2013. She was the first person I met when my oldest son started Shades Cahaba in 2008, and she made a big impression on me and my family. Sue is probably best known for helping establish the...

Dr. Bill Cleveland is the Superintendent of the Homewood City School system, and he has been in this role since 2008. But more importantly, Bill is a homegrown student and was a Shades Cahaba student before moving on to middle school and high school, where he...

On this episode of the Shades Cahaba Oral History Project, I interview alumnus Don Harbor who attended elementary school at Shades Cahaba starting in 1948 in the second grade. He was in the last 8th-grade class at Shades Cahaba before they moved that grade to Homewood...

On this episode we talk with current Shades Cahaba PTO President Alexa McElroy. We talk about what the PTO is currently doing at Shades Cahaba. We also talk about how Shades Cahaba grew during it’s first decade in existence, the 1920s. Shades Cahaba would not have...

In this inaugural episode, we sit down with Shades Cahaba Elementary School Principal Dr. John Lowry. He lets us know what has been happening at Shade Cahaba. Then we take him to school and learn about the principals who served before him. We also talk about Shades...