Red Devil Memories Could Be Preserved With New Museum

By Mike Perleberg Alumni are attempting to start an Aurora High School museum. Photo via Aurora Red Devils Facebook page. (Aurora, Ind.) - There is an effort to document and maintain the history, memories, and stories of the old Aurora High School. The school closed in 1978 when Aurora consolidated with Moores Hill and Dillsboro high schools to form South Dearborn. Today, the remaining portion of the school building serves as the Aurora Recreational Community Center. But there are many memories that former Red Devils would like to preserve. Two of those alumni, Richard Ullrich, Jr. and Tom Lorton, are putting out the idea for an Aurora High School Museum. Lorton, a member of the class of 1971, said the idea was planted in October as AHS alumni gathered for the annual “Devil’s Den” reunion at the Aurora Farmers Fair. “People love this idea. They love the nostalgia,” he says. Aurora High School students gather in the gymnasium, nicknamed "The Cracker Box", for a pep rally in 1966. Photo via Aurora Red Devils Facebook page. The organizers are now soliciting the community to see what amount of interest and support there may be for establishing such a museum. Assuming there is enough interest, the high school museum could open as soon as next spring. Lorton said alumni have already agreed to contribute items ranging from photos and yearbooks to athletic banners and uniforms. “It doesn’t matter how minute it is. A newspaper clipping. A hat. We’ll take all kinds of things,” said Lorton. Time and money are also needed. Call or email Tom Lorton at (775) 379-0298 or t_lorton@yahoo.com, or Richard Ullrich Jr. at (812) 655-1444 or richardullrichjr@gmail.com to make a contribution or donation. A home for the museum has not been identified, but it could be in a government building, an existing museum, or even in somebody’s house. Lorton mentioned the Schuck’s building in downtown Aurora as a potential location.