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Dr. Garinger's Namesake
Dr. Garinger's Namesake
When the school board decided to move Central High School to east Charlotte, then a post-war suburb, Elmer Garinger chose prominent architect A.G. Odell Jr. to design a Modernist, comprehensive, 64-acre campus.
This educational trend favored large schools that offered a varied curriculum and specialized classes that would benefit all students. The National Geographic magazine featured a photo of Garinger’s iconic, star-shaped library in February 1962 and dubbed it the “showplace of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System.”
Elmer Garinger enjoyed visiting his namesake and interacting with the students well into his retirement. A program in his honor was held in the auditorium on June 4, 1962.
The Modernist Garinger entrance and star-shaped library as they appeared in the 1963 Snips & Cuts yearbook. A larger library was built in the 1970s and the entrance was remodeled in the 2000s. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission designated portions of the campus in 2007. https://archive.org/details/snipscuts196354garr/page/n7/mode/2up
Garinger High students dedicated their inaugural yearbook in 1960 to then-superintendent Elmer Garinger. They kept the Snips & Cuts name in honor of Central High.
A program from the celebration of Dr. Garinger upon his retirement, which was held June 4, 1962 in the Garinger High School auditorium.
A thank-you letter to Dr. Garinger from the yearbook editor dated June 1, 1976. He had visited Garinger students in 1976 and shared the school's history with them.
A draft of Dr. Garinger's highly complimentary and supportive return thank you letter to yearbook editor Debra Neville, dated June 11, 1976. It includes his handwritten edits. Note the jab to the future president - was he referring to Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford or someone else?
Program and letters are from Elmer H. Garinger Papers, Special Collections, UNC Charlotte
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