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Created on: 06/21/09 04:57 PM Views: 3507 Replies: 5
Blue and Grey
Posted Sunday, June 21, 2009 11:57 AM

My question for the collected wisdom of the "forum" is....when did we change our colors to Red and Black from Blue and Grey?   I know it had something to do with the Grenadiers, but why didn't we keep the old colors?  Just a passing thought, but one that I never knew the answer to.  Nowadays, you have to justify every change that is made to placate the parents of the students you are teaching, lest we p--- them off.  At any rate, who knows the answer if there is one?

 

 
RE: Blue and Grey
Posted Monday, June 29, 2009 08:37 PM

There was a heavy Lenoir Rhyne influence and the grenadiers as well. The old Boo and Gay made a comeback in the 90's and the band actually got changed as well.

 
RE: Blue and Grey
Posted Monday, June 29, 2009 09:20 PM

 

Thanks Bobby, I didn't know the band was no longer the Grenadiers...oh well.  I'm glad everything is back to "blue and grey".  

 
RE: Blue and Grey
Posted Sunday, August 16, 2009 06:34 AM

I would like to help you both out about our school colors.I do not understand what you mean about a "Lenoir Rhyne" influnence. Our school colors never changed. They were always blue and gray. You are thinking of our 1969 annuals. They were red and black with a Grenadier on the front. If either of you will remember what happened in 1969- our band represented North Carolina in Richard Nixon's Inaugural Parade in January of 1969. Whether our school colors were blue and gray had nothing to do with the color of the annual. Look back at your annuals.They were 3 different colors each year we were in High School.The black and red annual was to honor our school band. Our Grenadier Band and all of its regalia was the brainchild of Mr. Calabrese. He designated our band the Grenadiers when he came on board as band director in the early '60s. Iredell County was settled by a group of Scotch Irish settlers-Fourth Creek Settlement in the 1700's-so the bagpipes, etc. were rather an historical reminder of our heritage here in Statesville. The change came with the band and its chosen uniforms- or the lack of- in the late '80s or early '90s when the band director had the bright idea to sell all of the uniforms, and anything that had  to do with the Grenadiers.Even then the band went to a blue and gray plaid sash pulled through the epaulets of their uniforms. There was no Lenoir Rhyne influence. Mr. Calabrese came from Pennsylvania and was not connected with Lenoir Rhyne in anyway. What do Grenadiers have to do with Lenoir Rhyne anyway? Most people were proud of how the Grenadier Band put our sleepy little town on the map. At one time our 250 strong membership was quite a spectacle-and whether our colors were blue and gray or purple and orange was of no significance compared to what was gained by each of us who were fortunate enough to proudly wear the uniform and march with the Grenadier Band.Even more rewarding was th eopportunity to sit under the leadership of the most extraordinary teacher who ever walked the halls of SHS-who instilled in each of his students a desire to respect ourselves as well as others and our teachers and to give to our community and our world. As I recall there were no parents who were "upset" when Mr. Calabrese decided to change the band uniforms to fit the theme of the band. They gladly welcomed a walk from the afore worn-out band uniforms of mediocrity-to beautiful and outstanding uniforms purchased by the hard work and dedication of each of the band members as well as the members of the Band Fan Club-made up of supportive parents of the band members and many interested people in our community.The support of the Band Fan Club far surpassed that of any other club or parental support club in our school. So to help you both out-no our school colors never changed from blue and gray and are still proudly displayed and appreciated today.

 
RE: Blue and Grey
Posted Sunday, August 16, 2009 02:20 PM

My comments are pertaining to the athletic teams. The football colors were black, white , and red. The wrestling uniforms were also. I believe the basketball home uniforms were black and white as were the baseball. There was very little blue and grey until almost 1990.  I yeild if I am mistaken, but as a student and faculty member I remember the heated debates about this subject. As head soccer coach I made sure the blue and grey was shown in pride.

Bob Grimes

 
RE: Blue and Grey
Posted Wednesday, August 26, 2009 01:14 PM

IIRC.........

The last time Blue & Gray football uniforms on the field during our  "tenure" at SHS was the JV team when we were soph's (......the team disbanded after one game to fill in the varsity roster due to heavy early season injuries).  

We (JV's) wore the old blue and gray uniforms the varsity had discarded (a year before) in favor of black and red ones.  Officially the school colors were never "officially" changed.

The common  perception was that the  the color change was made because of the band's colors.   Who knows ?  I reckon since the band had 250 people in it (roughly 25% of the student body) the tail was wagging the perverbial dog !  :-)

 Anecdotally (is that a word?)....the letter jackets at the time were still blue (albeit dark) with gray outlined "letters".

Wes