{"id":230071,"date":"2026-04-13T18:03:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/230071\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T18:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:03:14","slug":"st-petersburg-high-school-celebrates-milestone-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/230071\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg High School celebrates milestone anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Petersburg High School is home to generations of Green Devils. These students often came from the same families.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the educational institution dates back to 1898, its longtime facility at 2501 5th Avenue N. was constructed in 1926. The building has been called Florida\u2019s first million dollar high school. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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St. Petersburg High School, 1927. Photo: Burgert Bros.\/Hillsborough County Library System.<\/p>\n

School leaders, students and alumni came together Saturday to celebrate the property\u2019s centennial anniversary. For a majority of the attendees, it was an opportunity to walk the halls again after so many years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don McMullen, Dave Foster and Elizabeth MacDonald Johnson attended St. Petersburg High School together. They were members of the Class of 1950. All in their 90s, the event was a rare reunion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McMullen, 94, is a former St. Petersburg Police Department officer. His career would eventually bring him back to the campus as an investigator for the Pinellas County School Board.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was one of the few kids that had an automobile,\u201d McMullen said. \u201cI had a 1934 Ford and there were probably less than a dozen kids who had a car.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of his most prominent memories was not a pleasant one. McMullen broke his arm in physical education class. <\/p>\n

However, there was one teacher who never left his mind. Virginia Davis taught History and McMullen remembers her \u201cbright red hair.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything\u2019s changed,\u201d he added. \u201cWe had streetcars. It was a different world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

McMullen\u2019s daughter Cynthia McMullen, who graduated in 1972, is also an alumni. \u201cI was the oldest of three girls,\u201d she said, \u201cand we were all in school together at the same time. We did a lot of things together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dave Foster\u2019s passion in high school was music. He never forgot his time in the Green Devils band. Foster, who would eventually serve in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1954 to 1958, played the trumpet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With a smile on his face, Foster discussed the camaraderie he enjoyed with fellow band members. The group would take trips together to perform. \u201cIt\u2019s a thrill to see the school,\u201d he said. \u201cI haven\u2019t really been here in a long time, maybe once since 1950.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Foster would start his own law firm in St. Petersburg in 1962 and still practices to this day. His son Bill Foster served as mayor of St. Petersburg from 2010 to 2014.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Elizabeth MacDonald Johnson, the Saturday event was truly a homecoming. Prior to being a student at St. Petersburg High School, she lived on the property with her family during the Great Depression era.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 3 years old and my dad was hired to take care of the place,\u201d she explained. \u201cOften, the family moved in. Back then, it was not that unusual.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

MacDonald Johnson and her brother would \u201cclimb up on the roof\u201d and watch cars as they drove past the school. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t tell anybody,\u201d she added. \u201cWe would skate in the halls during the summer time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Former Florida governor and congressman Charlie Crist (Class of 1974) with Tom Sawyer (Class of 1959).<\/p>\n

One of St. Petersburg High School\u2019s most notable alumni is former Florida governor and congressman Charlie Crist. A member of the Class of 1974, Crist made an appearance at the Saturday event and wore his original letter jacket.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI played quarterback on the football team and was lucky to be my senior class president,\u201d he said. \u201cI had so many wonderful friends and experiences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Crist explained that the St. Petersburg High School building underwent an approximately $44 million renovation<\/a> project in 2021. \u201cI\u2019m very pleased that it has endured as well as it has,\u201d he said. \u201cPinellas County and the School Board have invested so much in the property. I\u2019m very grateful for that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mary Anne (York) Futch, Class of 1970, remembered the \u201cgreat school spirit.\u201d She was a student at the educational institution during a transformative period in the state\u2019s history.\u00a0\u201cIt was the first time the school was integrated,\u201d Futch explained, \u201cand we got along beautifully.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Class of 1954 graduate Ed Parrotte, athletics were everything. He was a member of St. Petersburg High School\u2019s football and basketball teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always got out of trouble because we played sports,\u201d Parrotte said. \u201cI was very lucky to graduate because I was not a good student. I never studied or took a book home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Art was one of Parrotte\u2019s favorite classes. He would eventually pursue a career as a designer in the golf business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parrotte, 89, would also serve in the U.S Marine Corps from 1954 to 1958 during the Korean War. \u201cI didn\u2019t know I was going to come to this event. My daughter surprised me,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, I\u2019m happy to be back in the halls that I grew up in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don Bogue, 90, was one of Parrotte\u2019s classmates and also graduated in 1954. He reminisced about a fountain that used to be on the property.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used to make it pretty by putting dye in it when nobody was looking,\u201d Bogue explained. \u201cThis would make the water pretty colors like red and blue.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Education was different during his high school era, he added. Teachers were more likely to \u201ctake their own personal time to help you do things if you were having trouble.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Walking around the campus Saturday was a profound experience for Bogue. \u201cI just took the place for granted,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m lucky to be here because a lot of my classmates have gone by the wayside.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bogue\u2019s daughter-in-law Sarah Michaud graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1996. She was a member of the marching band. \u201cI can still recite the alma mater today,\u201d Michaud explained. \u201cIt sticks with you. The school is deeply embedded in tradition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot has changed in the city,\u201d she added. \u201cThis is preserved in time. Sure, things have been upgraded and modernized a bit, but the historical integrity has stayed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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