Auction to feature odds, ends of old Arlington High School

David Bergquist is one of the best non-alums Arlington High School ever had.

Bergquist treasures every scrap of memorabilia that still pokes out from behind lockers or heat ducts in the 210,000-square-foot building that hasn't been Arlington High since 1984.

And of course, loyal alumni of the Arlington Heights school still visit Christian Liberty Academy, where Bergquist is in charge of security and rentals, for tours and reunions.

Starting Thursday, Aug. 12, the academy will hold a three-day rummage sale, featuring furniture and equipment from the Arlington High days.

Shoppers who still bleed Cardinal red will find red and orange (orange?) lockers that the Christian Liberty staff has cleaned up and reinforced. They are priced at $25 for one locker, $40 for a double and $50 a triple.

A pricier addition for a home office or maybe even the right kitchen is a bank of the mailboxes once used by Arlington High teachers. There are only a few of these, and they are $500 each. Each little mailbox has a combination lock that has been reset so the doors open and close, said Bergquist.

In addition, there is a large selection of desks, especially those awkward ones with the attached arms and some from the typing lab where half of the desktop cranks up and down. Would these work with computers?

Bergquist's favorites are the lockers that still have something from the Arlington days pasted inside. No matter how much the years have degraded that name tag from an old football coach, he loves it.

Arlington grads who shared their passion with Bergquist converted this lover of all things historic.

"It's Christian Liberty Academy now, but Arlington High had an incredible imprint on an entire community of people," he said.

There are two hallways at the school that Bergquist, also an artist, particularly likes to show off.

One - named the Art Hall and former home to lockers that are for sale - is part of a wing Bergquist and Athletic Director Steve Rowland think was built in 1951. When lockers were removed to make more display space for artwork, walls of Chicago common brick were uncovered. That inspired the school staff to remove plaster and concrete from the entire hallway to create a gallery.

This messy task revealed another Arlington High treasure - an exterior doorway from the original 1922 building. It's framed in stone, and while the whole hall will get more cleaning and decorating, the doorway won't ever be pristine because some of the stone was scraped off when the wing was added.

This brings us to the Arlington High Hall near Grace Gym, where the school displays the Arlington memorabilia either donated or found that is NOT for sale.

Genuine treasures in two glass display cases include Arlington letter jackets and uniforms worn by school wrestlers and gymnasts, and a blazer - Cardinal red with a white A stitched on-that Bergquist has been told signified membership in a club.

It's also easy to appreciate recent finds from behind the salvaged lockers, like a pair of women's glasses in the vintage cat's eye shape.

But Bergquist is not very discriminating. He also loves the library cards, thinking alum will be thrilled to see their own signatures. And even an empty box of Good 'n' Fruity sparks his appreciation because he remembers that he and his friends each had signature brands of candy in high school.

Then his eye catches a tiny black and white ad for an appearance by Canned Heat in 1973 at Wheeling High School.

"Canned Heat," says Bergquist, also a music lover. "They played at Woodstock."

Bergquist does have his favorites among the artifacts.

"This one I absolutely fell in love with," he said, unfolding a large survey of the property from 1949-before Grace Gym was built.

And of course there are notes passed in school and even a class paper or two.

Above one of the cases that hold these memory joggers is a large framed sign with Arlington High School Track and Field records from the 1950s and '60s. Carpenters looking for scrap wood found this in a storage room, said Bergquist.

One of Bergquist's favorite tales is of a young woman's wallet that might have been stolen because it was found not long ago tucked behind an air duct. It obviously dated from 1957 or 1958 and included a love letter and a picture of her boyfriend.

With the help of Arlington alumni Bergquist returned the wallet - after photocopying items like a Loop to Harvard bus schedule.

The woman told him that young romance did indeed blossom into marriage, but she didn't want to talk publicly about the relationship because the couple later divorced and each remarried.

If you goRummage sale of furniture and equipment from old Arlington High School.bull; When: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 12-13; 8 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Aug. 14.bull; Where: In the cafeteria of Christian Liberty Academy, 502 Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights.bull; Money raised: Will be put toward Christian Liberty Academy's scholarship fund.False19361291Visitors to the sale can gaze upon artifacts from Arlington's glory days - like a letter jacket and a pie tin that says "Arlington High School No. 3."Bob Chwedyk | Staff PhotographerFalse