Great news! David Webb confirmed to me today that the Save Grove Tower Association has now been accepted as a 501(c)(3) Public Charity!
Currently, donations must be sent by mail. We hope that an automatic means may be provided in the future. For now, their information is:
EIN: 41-4747371
Address:
166 Edmonds Pl
Paris, TN 38242
We have already arranged for a donation due to the success of the sales of our Grove ornaments. Hopefully others will follow suit!
The new Grove ornament is now shipping, and orders are already coming in. I am no Etsy expert, so it took a bit of time to get things set up correctly, but all seems to be working well. The designer, Ben Cordsen, is shipping from his location to be sure your orders arrive on a timely basis in case we are traveling, as we will be again soon.
Once again, the price is $25 plus $4.95 postage. There is a reduced postage rate for any orders 2. Should anyone want more than 2, please contact me directly and we will create a special order.
Here is the order link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/savvytravlr
I have ordered 50 to be produced based upon the numbers of you who responded positively. More can be made! 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions.
Just a quick note to say thanks to everyone who expressed interest in the ornament. It is quite popular, however we had a few comments about the “6” in 1969 which looked a bit like an “8.” I have spoken with Ben and this will be fixed.
We had well over 25 interested, so the project will move forward! It will take some time for the final mold and to set up the shop. I will get back with you as soon as a timeframe has been established.
Thanks, everyone!
A few months ago, a photo of a Grove Christmas Ornament was posted on our Facebook page. There were a lot of comments about it and guesses regarding where it could be purchased. With the help of Jim Jimerson and Gary Odom, we were able to locate the creator of the original ornament.
I have been in touch with Ben Cordsen at Cordsen Design, who has provided me with an overview of what could be done today should we have enough demand. Please visit this link to learn more and let me know if you may be interested in purchasing one of these iconic ornaments.
Our 1969 classmate, Dr. Thomas Edward “Tommy” Townsend, passed away in Paris on Thursday, July 2, 2026. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends. A memorial has been created for him on the FindaGrave website and linked to the Class of 1969 Virtual Cemetery.
Ridgeway Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Full details and his obituary can be found on their website.
We were saddened to learn that our fellow 1962 classmate, Margaret Hunter Cherry, passed away in Paris on  Sunday, June 21, 2026. Our condolences to her family and friends. A memorial has been created for her on the FindaGrave website and linked to the Virtual Cemetery of the Class of 1962.
A memorial graveside service to be held at Sulphur Well Cemetery on Friday, June 26, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Ridgeway Funeral Home, of Paris, is handling the arrangements, and her full obituary can be found on their website.
Thanks to Brenda Stewart who let us know that her sister, Shirley Reynolds Riedel, passed away on May 23, 2026 in Vancouver, Washington. Our condolences to Brenda and the rest of Shirley’s family and friends. A memorial has been created for her on the FindaGrave website and linked to the Virtual Cemetery for the Class of 1955.
Shirley was the daughter of Clarence and Ruth Reynolds (deceased), sisters Brenda Stewart Jerald and Wanda Hughes (deceased). She leaves behind her husband, Ron Riedel, and three children Mike Riedel, Perry Riedel and Christy Riedel.
Funeral services were held at The Proto-Cathedral of St. James the Greater and arrangements were handled by Hamilton-Mylan Funeral Home, both of in Vancouver, Washington. Her full obituary is pending the Hamilton-Mylan website.
I lived through all this and was in the first class to use the “new” school, the Junior High. But when I was asked about the transitions of the school over the years, I thought it would be good to get it right. I used Gemini A.I. (which sourced some information from this site!) to create the timeline for me:
That shift in Paris and Henry County school history is a classic piece of local education lore. Here is exactly how those puzzle pieces fit together, from Grove Hill down to the Atkins-Porter neighborhood.
1969 (The Full Campus Transition): The official, full-campus transition occurred when E.W. Grove ceased operating as a traditional senior high school. The final high school class graduated in 1969, and the building transitioned entirely into Grove Junior High School for grades 7 through 9.
Before the massive countywide consolidation in 1969 changed the landscape, the local schools were organized quite differently than they are today:
Atkins-Porter Elementary: By the mid-20th century and leading up to the district realignments, Atkins-Porter functioned as a K–6 (Kindergarten through 6th grade) neighborhood school. While very early in its history (the 1920s and 30s) it went up to the 8th grade, it shifted down to a standard elementary profile once the junior high system consolidated the older kids.
The ultimate shakeup happened because the county needed to consolidate several smaller, rural high schools—including Buchanan, Central, Cottage Grove, and E.W. Grove—into a single, unified system.
When the newly constructed Henry County High School opened its doors on August 29, 1969, all the area’s sophomores, juniors, and seniors moved to the new campus on Volunteer Drive. This left the historic Grove campus open to absorb the area’s junior high schoolers full-time.
The shuffle didn’t stop there, which might be why it’s tricky to map out from memory:
In 1979: The school transitioned into Grove Middle School, dropping the 9th grade to focus exclusively on grades 7 and 8.
In 1996: The district pivoted again, establishing E.W. Grove as a stand-alone 9th Grade Academy (the first of its kind in the country), bringing the freshmen back to the hill while sending the 7th and 8th graders to Inman.
Our 1952 classmate, Mary Amanda Hailey, passed away on June 4, 2026 in Collierville, TN. Our sympathy to her family and friends. A memorial has been created for her on the FindaGrave website and linked to the Class of 1952 Virtual Cemetery.
Ridgeway Funeral Home is handling the arrangements, and her obituary can be found on their website. Visitation and services will be held Tuesday, June 9, 2026.
Memorials may be made to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105.
Our 1969 classmate, Dr. Lynn Ford Paschall, passed away on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Paris. Our condolences to his family and friends. A memorial has been completed for him on the FindaGrave website and linked to the 1969 class Virtual Cemetery.
Ridgeway Funeral Home is handling the arrangements, and his obituary can be found on their website. Visitation and his service will be held on Friday, June 5, 2026, at the funeral home.