Guide to the Belmont Bison High School Alumni Collection

History of Belmont High School Alumni

In the early 1950s, rapid population growth in Dayton created the need for additional schools to accommodate the increasing numbers of students. The construction of Belmont High School commenced in 1953 as part of Dayton Public Schools to meet this need. Plans were drawn up and land purchased for the site in 1953, with the laying of the building cornerstone occurring in 1955.

The school hosted its first classes in September 1956, with the formal dedication of the school occurring on October 31, 1956. No seniors attended the school during the first two years of its operation, so the first senior class did not graduate from the school until 1958. The Belmont Bison Alumni Association was created by class of 1959 member Donald Clouse and officially incorporated in 1995.

Scope and Content

This collection is composed of material assembled by members of Belmont Bison Alumni Association, containing artifacts relating to daily student activities at the high school from 1956 to 2006, along with some material relating to alumni activities. It is divided into five series:

Series I, School Administration & Activities, contains a variety of documents, awards and other memorabilia. Highlights include general information about the school itself along with a number of commendations and proclamations related to the 50th anniversary of Belmont High School. There is also a "Hall of Fame" section describing achievements of Belmont High School Alumni.

Series II, Newsletters & Newspapers, contains issues from the Belmont High School newsletter, the "Belmont Hilltopper", from 1958 to 1990, along with a small selection from the "Belmont Connection" community newsletter and various Dayton Public Schools publications. Also included are clippings from the local newspaper the "Dayton Daily News" relating to Belmont High School.

Series III, Photographs/Slides, contains miscellaneous photographs and slides documenting student activities and organizations, primarily from the mid to late 1990s. This series also includes several class and reunion photos, some of which are located in the oversize material.

Series IV, Scrapbooks, contains photographic scrapbooks assembled by various graduating classes and school organizations including the "Belle-Ettes" cheerleading squad and OWE work program.

Series V, Memorabilia, is predominantly composed of awards plaques, but also includes a variety of other artifacts such as pennants and patches.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions on accessing materials in this collection.

MS-238, Grace A. Greene Normal School Alumni Records; SC-167, Roosevelt High School Collection

Subject Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

[Box #, Folder #], MS-448, Belmont Bison High School Alumni Collection, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated to Wright State University Special Collections and Archives in August 2011 by Jane Gengler, the current head of the Belmont Bison Alumni Association.

Other Finding Aid

The finding aid is available on the Special Collections & Archives, Wright State University Libraries web site a
https://wright.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/151.

Collection Inventory