You may have noticed the big, bold shiny letters that now hang on the front of the main gymnasium, visible from the main cafeteria: Ray Reeves Gymnasium. The majority of Liberty students are left with confusion and many questions. Who is Ray Reeves? And why is our gym named after him?
According to George Vanni, Liberty’s Athletic Director from 1996 to 2004, “Ray Reeves’s involvement in Liberty starts at the very beginning, he helped to get Liberty built. He marched, phoned and recruited people to help with this cause. After the school was built, he continued his support in any way he could.”
Vanni wrote to the Issaquah School District in the 2001-2002 school year. In 2004, ASB and the Booster Club named the gym after Ray Reeves, with a banner to show the title.
But if the gym has been named after Reeves for more than 17 years, why did none of us know?
“Because of the remolding of Liberty, the banner had to be taken down and just never got put up again. It sounds bad, but a lot of the staff who remembered him ended up retiring from Liberty. While Reeves’ legacy was never forgotten because of the Ray Reeves award at graduation, the banner just never found its place in the new gym,” ASB advisor Michelle Munson said.
That is, of course, until October of this year, when the sign went back up. Why is he still relevant? According to Vanni, “By naming our gymnasium after Ray Reeves, we are honoring every parent who has sent a child through the south end schools, because Ray Reeves represents each and every one of them.”
The work Reeves has done for Liberty is not only reflected in the gym but in an award as well. Every year, the Booster Club awards a graduating senior with the Ray Reeves Award, a cash award of 700 dollars.
“This award was created to recognize one Liberty student who contributes not only to the Liberty community but to the surrounding community as well,” the Booster Club website said.
To be considered as an applicant, visit the Booster Club website often and visit the College and Career Center often to check for the release of the application.