McAllister, Class of 1984, spent her time at Lakeside participating in gymnastics, cheerleading and various student government positions during her five years as a Viking. She fell in love with gymnastics at the age of eight and had the value of team traditions instilled in her by head coach Shirley McDaniel. McAllister earned several individual County and State awards during her time as a gymnast and led the Vikings to victory at the 1984 DeKalb County Championship while placing atop the podium in the all-around portion. She also received the Coach’s Award, Most Dedicated Award and three Viking Awards. She was named Prep All-American Girl Athlete and an Academic All-American by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. She attended the University of Georgia and was a Gym Dawg beginning in 1985, leading the Bulldogs to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships. McAllister also earned the Spirit Award in memory of Coach Mike Castronis in 1988 during her two-year cheerleading career. McAllister has been a flight attendant with Delta Airlines for 35 years and enjoys traveling the world with family and friends. She loves interacting with her passengers including high-profile people like President Jimmy Carter and Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton. She met her husband Patrick McGuire, a Class of 1983 Lakeside graduate, on a flight after briefly getting to know each other in high school. They have two sons, Peyton and J.P.
Watson-Collins, Class of 1978, lettered in gymnastics from 1976 -1978 and is remembered as one of the top gymnasts in Lakeside history. She helped lead the Vikings to three consecutive state championships, was undefeated during her junior (1977) and senior (1978) seasons, won back-to-back State, Area, and County championships on the uneven parallel bars, and was a Viking Award recipient. Watson-Collins graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Georgia with a Finance degree and became a Certified Public Accountant. She worked in the industry for 10 years before becoming a partner with her husband in their Atlanta-based CPA firm specializing in tax and technology consulting and then established a national technology training organization. She remains active in athletics, winning multiple AA level City Final tennis championships, and competes in sprint triathlons, and 5K events. She has volunteered for five-plus years at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island where she leads summer beach turtle walks, and cares for turtles. Today, Watson-Collins remains close friends with her former teammates Laura Deadwyler and Mary Morton Nelson, and she is forever grateful for her gymnastics Coaches Lou Norwood and Shirley McDaniel, teammates, and experiences. She says she is most proud of her amazing family - husband, Carlton Collins, children James Austin and Stephanie, their spouses Rachel and Sam, and her grandchildren.
Morrison, Class of 1974, earned three varsity letters for the Lakeside gymnastics team under head coach Dan Key. He was paramount in helping lead the boys’ program to its first state team championship his junior year and took the podium for state-runner up performances in the Parallel Bars and Rings, while earning a third-place finish in All Around. After graduating from Lakeside in 1974, Morrison attended Georgia Tech until 1979. There, he competed on the Yellow Jackets gymnastics team for four years and also served as team co-captain. In 1986, Morrison was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame. Jerry competed with his identical twin brother Jeff (made inaugural HOF Class) during his time at Lakeside, and also throughout their college years. Their coach at Georgia Tech, Bill Beavers, saw the Morrison brothers lead what he considered to be the strongest team in the program’s 31-year history. In 1979, Georgia Tech placed third in the prestigious Peachtree Invitational. The Morrison brothers and their younger teammates Richard and George Suero gave Tech two sets of twins at the time. Interestingly enough, Jerry’s older brother Art also went to Lakeside where he got both Jeff and Jerry interested in gymnastics due to a gymnastics PE class he took there. Morrison likes weightlifting, traveling, reading novels, and bowling. He is married with one son, Bradley.
The Lakeside High School Sports Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring the rich history and achievements of high school athletes who graduated from Lakeside High School in Atlanta, Georgia.
.png){kind=small}