"There's no hope for him now, Travis, he's sufferin'. You know we've got to do it."
"I know, mama."-Disney's Old Yeller
Demolition began Saturday on the second-oldest high school in the city: Salt Lake High School, East Campus, better-known as East High.
For those who grew up at the ancient and ailing school, there will soon only be memories.
East High has become like the dog from the Disney classic "Old Yeller." The old dog has to be put to death after he gets rabies and endangers the children he once protected.
According to seismology reports, the aged East structures would be nearly obliterated in a major earthquake. In the event of such a quake, which seismologists say is inevitable, the damage and casualties in the present buildings would be catastrophic. So the building must be destroyed.
"I just want to die, it's so sad," said East senior Camille Johnson, watching construction equipment tear down the school's science building. Johnson will graduate before the replacement school is completed.
"It's really a grand old building," said Joan Creer, the East Building Committee chairman. "We wish there was some way to preserve it, but ultimately, it was a safety issue."
The school has survived one major disaster, a 1972 fire that virtually gutted the building. Then, the decision was made to rebuild within the concrete-and-brick shell.
Now, the cost of retrofitting the building to match seismology standards would simply be too high. Instead, a new structure will be built on the same site.
For East High alumni, the event evokes mixed feelings.
"Always, you need to upgrade the old to become new, beautiful and clean. But the new school is sure to lack some of the atmosphere of the old building," said Shirley Ririe, an East alum and co-founder of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company.
"It's sad to see East go because it's such a tradition, and such an interesting feature of the community," said Dick Paul, student body president of East in 1955. "My wife and I still have close friends that we went to East with. Those memories stay with you forever. But the new generation will make its own memories at the new school, and I'm excited for them."It's sad to see East go because it's such a tradition, and such an interesting feature of the community. My wife and I still have close friends that we went to East with. Those memories stay with you forever. But the new generation will make its own memories at the new school, and I'm excited for them.
Paul tells of the first attempt to demolish the school, an attempt that was easily shrugged off.
"When I was a senior there was a huge flagpole on the east side of the football field. In the middle of the night one day, somebody from West High, we think, slowly sawed through it at the base," said Paul.
"The flagpole fell on the old stone bleachers and left an imprint from bottom to top. That pole was part of those bleachers after that."
East has graduated many notable alumni, including former U.S. Sen. Jake Garn, his replacement Sen. Robert Bennett, actress Roseanne Arnold (then Roseanne Barr), artists Ririe and Grant Johannnsen and author Wallace Stegner. The thousands of East alumni are sure to be sad as the demolition progresses, but just as Travis had a puppy to replace Old Yeller, current and future East students have a lot to look forward to.
Paul's son, Joey, is now a sophomore at East. Two of Joey's sisters graduated there, as well as one brother. He and two other sisters will attend commencements in a new building - and he couldn't be more excited.
"We're sad to see the old East go, but we'll be keeping the traditions alive," said Paul as he, too, watched the demolition on Saturday. "It's the greatest school ever, but we'll make the new one even greater."
Travis couldn't have said it better.