The Varsity by Marshall Harris

The Varsity Varsity, located across from Central, was where you wanted to be.  It was the first place to go every morning before school, to meet your friends and listen to the latest jukebox hits of the day.  It was also the perfect place to end the school day before heading home.  You could drink a Coke, make new friends and of course, enjoy the music while learning the latest dance steps.  Bill Hay the owner, always made you feel welcome.  He allowed us to bring in new records for the jukebox and if it proved popular, it remained.  He provided great selections of gifts and Valentine’s candy and was kind enough to let us charge it, if we spent more than we had in our pocket.  I usually bought 5 or 6 heart shaped boxes for my best girl friends.  However, the center of attention was always the jukebox, because it attracted the girls who wanted to dance.  That’s how I managed to get free dance lesson’s in those days.  Sometime, during the year of ’62, Bill bought a new 1963 Corvette.  From my fading memory, I think it was silver. We joked with Bill about how we actually helped pay for his new car with all the money we put in that Jukebox over the years. At the time, he said the salesman told him it would be a classic.  With it’s split back rear window, it proved to be a classic indeed.  However, that design was never used again because of complaints about visibility through the rear view mirror.  Good thing it had side mirrors!  Bill Hay often was invited to attend some school functions like parties and proms.  I remember him getting up and singing at one of our proms.  He loved to sing, “That Old Black Magic,” especially if we goaded him enough.  Historically, as I understand it, the Varsity originally opened on the corner of the Central property around 1956.  It later moved across Dodds Avenue when Central bought the property to make the school’s baseball field.  Bill later opened a place in East Ridge, near Kingwood Pharmacy some time in 1967 or 68.  This probably means the Varsity closed in 1966 or 67.  This seems to coincide with the demolition of our Central.  The Varsity was an important social addition during our time at Central.  A time that gave us all some wonderful memories.  Good friends, beautiful girls and happy times.  Marshall Harris, Class of ‘62