Before he retired, longtime N.C. High School Athletic Association Executive Director Charlie Adams dreamed of an exhibit hall adjacent to the association’s offices where displays of memorabilia from great high school teams, coaches and athletes could be housed for the public to come view.

That was one dream Adams wasn’t able to accomplish, but it doesn’t mean the various sports items he collected aren’t on display today.

When the NCHSAA remodeled its offices a few years ago, plans were included for display cases and shelves around the building to show off some of the wide assortment of items that have been donated over the years. Now visitors to the offices can see a shirt worn by longtime South View softball coach Eddie Dees, or a cap that adorned the head of Cape Fear softball coaching legend Doris Howard.

Que Tucker, the current commissioner of the NCHSAA, said when the building remodel took place, they wanted a way to try and keep at least part of Adams’ 

dream alive. “We added shelving in the building and more wall space where we could hang jerseys,’’ she said.

The main problem is that Adams and the NCHSAA staff did such a great job getting things donated, there is no room to display all of it at one time.

That’s where Pepper Hines of the current NCHSAA staff and retired associate commissioner Carolyn Shannonhouse come in.

The memorabilia currently not on display is kept in storage. Hines and Shannonhouse are responsible for rotating items on a regular basis, so different things are on display at different times.

In addition to the collection of helmets, jerseys and various kinds of balls, there are also a host of pictures of great coaches and athletes from throughout the NCHSAA’s history.

With the continuing advance of technology, Tucker hopes for a day when the NCHSAA can display all of its memorabilia like some museums do, with touch screens that would allow visitors to punch in the name of a great coach or athlete, then see that person’s picture with a biography of his or her accomplishments.