Recent Grads Maintain Decades-old Marietta High Traditions

For Eirik Kviten, James Tyson and Rosser Southerland, graduation from is more than a family tradition, it's downright ancestral. Each of these young men—all members of the school’s Class of 2011—can claim a direct family link through Marietta High School to the turn of the previous century.

That's four generations for Eirik and James; five for Rosser.

From the moment Marietta High School was established in 1893 to the present day, there is probably a rare year in which one of their family or extended family was not attending the school. 

With such a connection to the school, the three latest graduates said they were ingrained with the sense of community and Blue Devil spirit.

“I was basically taught to get involved in all aspects of Blue Devil life,” Eirik said.

That not only meant being a part of the swimming, cross country and track teams, but showing spirit at a pep rally and truly "acting like you’re at a pep rally." And, yes, Eirik admits to using whistles, dressing up and painting his face.

Eirik’s mother, Meg, encapsulates the spirit when she summarized the Kviten’s  Marietta High lineage: “The son of Eirik Sigurd Kviten and Meg Glover Kviten, he embodies the meaning of Blue Devil born and Blue Devil bred. MHS is a longstanding tradition in his family, to them it is an honor and a privilege to attend MHS, there is no other choice.”

For the Kvitens, the Marietta High heritage includes Eirik’s great-grandfather James Bolan Glover III, his grandfather J.W. Glover and his mother, Margaret (Meg) Glover Kviten graduated from Marietta High School in 1926, 1956, and 1980 respectively. His grandmother, Judge Irma B. Glover, attended MHS until her junior year but graduated from Osborne High School.  

Eirik can trace his heritage to one of the founding families of Marietta since he is a direct descendant of John Heyward Glover Jr., the first mayor after the city was charted in 1852.  Both Glover Park in the Marietta Square and the land for Marietta Confederate Cemetery were donated to the City of Marietta by his great-great-great-great grandparents, John Heyward Glover and Jane Bolan Glover during the 19th century. 

Eirik’s great-great grandfather John Wilder Glover and great-grandfather James Bolan Glover III, ran the oldest family owned and operated manufacturing business, Glover Machine Works in the state and it was Marietta's largest employer at the turn of the century. 

James’ lineage runs almost as long. Several of his great-grandparents attended Marietta in the early part of last century as did his grandfather, Fred Tyson of Class of 1941, and his grandmother, Phyllis Tyson of Class of 1948. His father, David Tyson, graduated in 1974, and his mother, Patricia Conner, followed in 1980. James’ sister, Tiffany, graduated in 2003.

From that, he developed and experience a strong sense of community “where everyone knows your name and lineage.”

Rosser can relate.

“My family has been around, so everyone knows my name,” said Rosser, noting that his grandmother, Ansley Meaders of Class of 1963, served as Marietta’s mayor from 1993 to 2002.

The Marietta High roster from his family also include: great-great-grandmother Irma Neal, 1905; great-grandfather Rosser Little, 1932; grandfather Frank Meaders, 1963; father James Southerland, 1978; mother Mary Ansley Southerland, 1984; and several uncles and cousins. His sister, Georgia, recently finished eighth grade at Marietta Middle School.

Folks in Marietta also know Rosser because of his enthusiasm for all sports Blue Devil.

“I don’t play sports, but I’m the biggest fan,” he said.

“You are Marietta sports,” Eirik adds with a laugh.

From Marietta High, each of the new graduates has college in mind. James plans to study music at the University of West Georgia. Eirik will attend Georgia Southern as a pre-med student.  Rosser, for now, will now study nursing at Chattahoochee Technical College but hopes to eventually study law and medical ethics at the University of Georgia.

But for a moment before graduation, the students enjoyed talking about their families' extensive connection to Marietta and its high school.

“You know, we are distantly related somehow,” Rosser says to Eirik.

“This is what happens when you live in Marietta a long time,” Eirik replied. “People just seem to get related to each other.”