The Silver Lake High School Class of 1966 was the last to ever graduate from the school.

Among the 26 students on graduation day was Alan “Skip” Mumford, who, 46 years later, decided to create a memorial to all of the students who went through Silver Lake High School.

Mumford, who still lives in Silver Lake, along with the help of his step-daughter, Amber Graves, created a mural of the school’s mascot, the Rambler. The school earned the name, rumor has it, because they didn’t have a gymnasium so they had to use other school’s property to play on therefore “rambling” around the county.

The school was open for 66 years before the corporation consolidated with Warsaw Community Schools in 1966. Years later, Mumford wanted to do something to remember his old school so he decided to paint the mural on the garage door to his shed and have people from his graduating class sign it.

He ended up with more than that he ever planned for.

So far, Mumford has acquired signatures dating back to the graduating class of 1941. He hopes to gather even more signatures for his mural.

“Maybe in 20 or 25 years someone will see it and be like ‘Hey! My grandfather signed this!” He explained. “It’s just kind of something to remember people who graduated from Silver Lake.”

“We’re not getting any younger and there will never be another Silver Lake graduate,” he added.

Graduates who are deceased are added to the panelled section of the door as Mumford discovers their information. Mumford still holds his 1966 yearbook, which names every graduate since the school opened in 1900, with only four students. He hopes one day to have all the members of his graduating class sign the door, and any other Rambler who wants to remember their days at Silver Lake High School.