Old Cheerleading Jacket Makes It Home

By Alex Cameron, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An old cheerleading jacket has finally made it back to the home of a metro woman, just in time for Christmas.

Michelle Breeden didn't know what was going on, only that the principal at Carl Albert High School -- her old high school -- had told her NEWS 9 wanted to meet her there and return a familiar item.

It was a 1994-95 Carl Albert High School ID card, Michelle's -- Michelle Campbell then -- a card she had stored, along with other high school mementos, at her parents house in Choctaw. The house was destroyed in May 8, 2003 tornado.

"It was leveled, it's a two-story house and it completely took it down to the ground," Breeden said.

Michelle's parents survived, but her stored belongings were lost.

"Prom dresses and pageant dresses, and my cheer scrapbooks," Breeden said.

Much of the debris left from the tornado was from Gary Moore's own destroyed home, but not all of it. He found several photos of a young Viking football player, but nothing to indicate who it is. Fortunately, not all the items were left without an owner's identity.

"Kind of tattered and muddy from the tornado, but it's a cheerleading jacket from Carl Albert, and it says ‘Michelle Campbell', and also her high school ID card. It says ‘94-95'," Moore said.

Moore said he saved the jacket with the intent of finding the owner, but just forgot about it, until now.

"I'd been in my back garage working and I came across it. And I said ‘I'm going to do something. It's time, it's the holidays.' I'm going to make sure it gets back," Moore said.

So Gary called NEWS 9, called Carl Albert, and in no time, the former Michelle Campbell was standing by, nervously awaiting whatever this 'something' was that NEWS 9 had for her.

Yearbook photos confirm Michelle was a cheerleader, but there were no pictures of her in the jacket, leaving just one way to be sure it was hers, so she tried it on.

Thirteen and a half years after last wearing it, not only did it still fit, Michelle declared it still quite fashionable.

Breeden said she loved high school, and cheerleading was a big part of it, which is why getting this jacket back meant so much.

"I'm happy. It needs cleaning, but it's something I'll be able to keep it forever," Breeden said.