History

The first committee meeting to explore the possibilities of organizing an alumni association was held on Sunday, November 4, 1973 at the home of John and Evelyn Elder. The first organizational meeting of the Bexley High School Alumni Association (BHSAA) was held on December 2, 1973 at the “Old Bexley High School” now known as Montrose Elementary School. Officers elected were: President, Evelyn Cremeans Elder; Secretary, Don Callander; Treasurer, Carl Phalor; Assistant Secretary, Ruth Phalor Weaver.

BHSAA founding officers (Senior year photos) from left to right: Evelyn Cremeans Elder ’25, Ruth Phalor Weaver ’28, Carl Phalor ’24 , and Don Callander ’30.

The organization was started with a ten year span to include the classes of 1923 through 1932. The first ten years had a total of 499 graduates. In 1978, the BHSAA drew up by-laws adapted from the Ohio State University Alumni Association. In accordance with the by-laws, annual meetings of the BHSAA were held at the “Old High School” until 1980 when the association extended an invitation to the balance of graduates, through the class of 1979, to join in an all-inclusive Bexley High School Alumni Association.

Beginning in 1985 the annual luncheon meetings included the presentation of Distinguished Alumni Awards and, in 1990, the Honorary Alumni Awards for non-alumni were added. On July 9, 1987 the BHSAA became incorporated as a non-profit organization and re-wrote the by-laws. In 1988, the BHSAA applied for and was granted recognition from the Internal Revenue Service as an exempt organization under IRS Code Section 501 (c) (3).

The BHSAA continued to operate independently with volunteer officers and trustees until 2015 when talks began between the leadership of the BHSAA and the Bexley Education Foundation (BEF) about merging the organizations in recognition of their similar missions. On June 26, 2015 documents were filed with the State of Ohio merging the organizations under the BEF umbrella thereby providing the BHSAA with the operational support needed to sustain its mission and purpose well into the future.