By Eric Thomas
A commemorative marker was recently placed on the grounds of the first high school for Routt in Jacksonville. What began as an idea 16 years ago came to fruition with the formation of a project committee in 2023.
The idea for this marker started with Tom Murgatroyd, a member of the Routt Class of 1966. He brought this up to his classmates during their 50th class reunion.
Class president Jim Proffit continued, “As we were gearing up towards the 60th reunion, [Tom Murgatroyd] asked me to help make this a reality. … Tom, Dan Walker and I began to work the details in 2023.”
The Routt Class of 1966 was the last graduating class from the first building in Routt’s history. When they were in school, it was referred to as Routt College. The building was located just west of the covenant building, which serves as the Our Saviour Parish’s administration building today. During 1965/1966, the present school was being constructed; however, the summer after their class graduated in 1966, the building was burned down by an arsonist. The arsonist was arrested and sent to prison. Unfortunately, many historical items were lost in the fire. The new Routt Catholic High School opened at its current location of 500 E. College Ave. in the fall of 1966.
The project committee created in 2023 updated the email contacts list with the assistance of RCHS Development/Enrollment Director Maggie Peterson. In addition, the group created an events page on Facebook.
Murgatroyd contacted several area monument companies to get bids. “We selected a winner, asked the class members for donations and the money came in,” said Proffit. “Murgatroyd gave Daws Monuments the green light in the summer of 2024.”
The committee wanted the stone marker to look like the marker on the north side of West State Street identifying the location of the old Our Saviour Church. The marker was to include an etching of the façade of the old school.
On Thursday, October 17, 2024, some members of the Routt Class of 1966 gathered at the monument for a dedication ceremony.
“Considering that our class had a total of 51 that graduated in 1966, I think we had a great turnout,” Proffitt concluded. Peterson also attended as well as Father Zachariah Patibandla, Parochial Vicar, OSP, who said a special blessing for the stone marker and the class. It was placed where the east concrete walkway leads up to the locations of the original school building.
Routt High School was founded in 1902. The current building began construction in 1963 and was dedicated in 1966, with the first graduating class being in 1967.
In 1997, the school officially changed its name to Routt Catholic High School. Their average class size is 12 with a teacher/student ratio of 11 to 1. Around 96% of students go on to attend 2- or 4-year colleges/universities. Routt Catholic High School is located at 500 E. College Ave. in Jacksonville and can be contacted via phone at 217-243-8563, or virtually on Facebook and at routtcatholic.com.
