View a 2 minute video of AMA and it's history ...
A 3 minute version of the video is also available here
The History of Augusta Military Academy
AMA has a long and storied history. It’s roots begin during the War Between The States, and continues through today. While the school closed in 1984, a very active alumni association continues to impact young people today through scholarships given to descendants of AMA Alumni.
This photo is of Augusta Male Academy Corps of Cadets in 1880. In the background are the school's buildings. The larger building in the center was the home of the school's founder, Charles Summerville Roller. Today, it has been renovated and houses the AMA Museum.
The figure at the far right is believed to be Professor Roller. The handwriting is that of General Charles S. Roller, Jr., who identified his 2 older brothers in the foreground.
A Loving History of Augusta Military Academy
Bob Bradford, AMA Class of 1950, compiled an extensively researched history of the school titled “The Roller School. A loving history of Augusta Military Academy.”
In it, he chronicles the complete history of Augusta Military Academy, from 1865 when it was known simply as Roller's School through 1983 when it closed its doors.
There had been a Roller’s School for 119 years, and an Augusta Military Academy for 94 of them.
In The Beginning
For an exhaustive look at the life of AMA’s founder Charles Summerville Roller. Duke Fancher, AMA Class of 1958, researched and wrote “In the Beginning”. It chronicles the life of Professor Roller from his birth in 1839 through his death in 1907, and the lasting legacy he and his family had on the future of AMA.
Timeline of AMA's History
A timeline of AMA's history is presented for our more visually oriented visitors. Take your time to go through the school's history from its formation through the opening of our museum.
The AMA Way
The AMA Way is an award winning video featuring interviews with alumni describing life at AMA.
The DVD features everything from old 8mm movies shot in the 40's to heartfelt comments from alumni who graduated from 1935 to the 1970s. It highlights cadet life and salutes those special faculty members we all revere. It depicts how boys were turned into men at Augusta and emphasizes the special bond AMA men feel for the school and each other.
Says Karl Haleamau, '71, "We have a special bond that is not experienced by others. We all left something in Fort Defiance when we left school for good." Julian Quarles, '35, says that in the last formation of his senior year, "18 year old men were crying because we had been so close and we didn't know if we would ever see each other again." Roger Messick, '52, said that by year's end "you knew 90 percent of the first names of all of the cadets in the corps."
In all, 18 alumni and faculty appear on the DVD: Bob "Homer" Anderson, '38, Rutland Beard, '42, Ed Chauncey, '49, Ed Click, '50, Roger Messick, '52, Larry Nicholson, '75, Julian Quarles, '35, Goodloe Saunders, '57, Rick Smail, '67, Frank Spencer, '49, Luke Stephenson, '49, and Don Studer, faculty.
Nothing can tell the story of AMA better than the memories and sometimes hilarious stories of the cadets themselves.
In June 1947, Emmett Eugene Rhodes, wrote a 168 page comprehensive detailed History of Augusta Military Academy, in fulfillment of his degree of Master of Science, with a major in Education at the University of Tennessee.
He and his wife were members of the faculty of AMA in 1948 where he taught Aeronautics and Eighth Grade. His wife taught Fifth Grade.
