This information was sent to me by a friend from Welch High School.  Here is an article from the Roanoke (VA) Times, as posted at roanoke.com:

Patrick Henry ribbon cutting set for Monday

Roanoke will formally open the new Patrick Henry High School with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, two weeks before the fully completed school embarks on its maiden academic year.

Following the 9:30 a.m. ceremony, attendees will be able to tour the $54 million high school.

The new 334,000-square-foot facility near the intersection of Brandon Avenue and Grandin Road in Southwest Roanoke replaces a 1961 high school that consisted of multiple buildings in a campus-like setting. Now the school is contained in one main building with a central entrance that will allow school staff to keep an eye on who is entering the school.

The three-year project was completed on time and on budget, school officials said. It also includes a separate $4.1 million stadium, newly named Merrill Gainer Field at Patriot Stadium, that will host its inaugural football game Aug. 31. Before the game, school officials will hold a dedication ceremony to Gainer, the school's late football coach who led the team to a state championship in 1973.

After that, the Patrick Henry Patriots will host the Bassett High School Bengals.

Next month, the school system is scheduled to break ground on an almost identical school building and stadium at the city's other high school, William Fleming. That school project is set to be completed in 2009.

-- David Harrison

For those of us that attended BCHS during the 50's, this honor is long overdue.  Thanks to Patrick Henry HS for recognizing a great coach!