NORMAL - The original Normal Community High School is nothing but memories now, but a marker was dedicated Saturday as a reminder.

"This is a very important day for people who walked through that 1927 building," NCHS Principal Jeanette Nuckolls said. "This boulder is a symbol of many treasured memories. The stories and memories that many alumni have from the old NCHS building are priceless."

A 3,000-pound boulder engraved with the school crest and the phrase "Home of the Ironmen" was placed near the corner of Kingsley Street and College Avenue, where the three-story building stood from 1927 to 2003.

The original part of the building was demolished, but later additions to the south were preserved as Kingsley Junior High School. A new NCHS opened in 2003 in northeast Normal.

"I graduated from NCHS at this site, and so did my husband, two children and four grandchildren," said 1929 graduate Dorothy Benjamin. "I'm real glad I got to be a part of this dedication ceremony."

About 30 people gathered for Saturday's ceremony. Among the school officials and alumni were members of the class of 2006, who started as freshmen in the old school.

Dorothy Siebert is an alumna and retired NCHS physical education teacher who spearheaded the historical marker project.

"This serves as a lasting memory of the building and the students who walked through these halls, who have their own treasure of memories," she said. "Hopefully this can help continue to make those links and connections forever, even after we are all gone.

"It's a reminder of the building and all the good times had by many," Siebert said. "It's a tribute to all who have graduated from NCHS."

Unit 5 Superintendent Alan Chapman is an NCHS alumnus who went on to serve as the school's principal for 12 years. He said he still remembers pushing open the doors of the old school on his first day of high school, timidly stepping through into his high school career.

"This is a great commemorative of a fabulous school," Chapman said. "It's the perfect way to keep the memories alive."