Smith’s book, “Closing the Show: The Story of the Amazing 1969-70 East Highland High School Indians,” is a tribute to Coach Haywood Scissum and the mighty East Highland Indians.
Smith was in elementary school when East Highland High School was shut down and closed forever as a high school in an act that was brought on by mass integration of Alabama’s schools in 1970.
In the introduction to his book, “Closing the Show: The Story of the Amazing 1969-70 East Highland High School Indians,” Smith describes East Highland High School as “a black school located in Sylacauga, founded in the late 1930’s to educate the colored children of Sylacauga’s population located in southern Talladega County.”
Smith felt the call to “tell the story” of the remarkable football season that East Highland had in 1969-70 which was the final year before the total integration of the state of Alabama.
As an added bonus, he could tell about Haywood Scissum, a man who belongs to a small group of coaches who qualify for consideration as the greatest of all times.
In 2008, the author heard a voice and thought that he was having a dream, but he soon realized that the powerful voice that had awakened him wanted a “buried story” brought to light so generations would know of achievement and of injustice.
Smith questioned why he, rather than a graduate of East Highland, was chosen to bring to light the story of the hall of fame coach, Haywood Scissum, and the remarkable 1969-70 football season.
But the author came to believe that the torch that he carried for the team and for the school targeted him to be the person to tell the story.
The author spent almost two years researching the topic and talking with others about the project.
Smith and others had worked to get an athletic field at the new junior high school named after Coach Scissum, but he still felt called to look at that final year 1969-70 school year so the story could be told of one of the most remarkable football seasons in Alabama prep sports history.
The author invites those who loved the Indians and even those who played against them to come out and “show some love.”
He also invites those who are interested in learning about their history to come out for the book signing.
Smith said he believes that his book is the first to tell the story of any of the old black high schools in the state.
The cost of the book will be $17.
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