The Greatest of the Great, A Golden Reunion

Thursday, November 2nd, 2017     by Debra DuPree Williams     One Comment
by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Two weeks ago, I attended my fiftieth high school reunion. Like everyone else there, I wondered where on earth the years had gone. It had been fifty years since I had seen some of my classmates. Others, I’ve seen fairly recently. Facebook and Instagram have proven valuable instruments in keeping us connected to one another.

The festivities began on Thursday and concluded with a breakfast on Sunday morning at the Andalusia Country Club. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend all of the events, but I did make it for the Saturday evening gathering at Springdale, an old estate in Andalusia, purchased by the city, and now used for purposes such as our class reunion.


Aging Gracefully
I’d say that by and large, we had all aged gracefully. At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. While I remembered faces, names escaped me. The names of some people with whom I had fairly close relationships just wouldn’t come to mind. The nice thing about that? Everybody else was in that boat with me.

We laughed, we sang, we cheered, we reminisced. We ate, we shared champagne toasts. Some brought old photos either never seen or rarely seen by the rest of us. A few brought copies of our old yearbooks, the Memolusia.

The committee who planned the events outdid themselves. Even though I didn’t attend all of the events, the comments made about each one let me know that I missed some really good times and the making of some precious memories.

Memorial Room
One of the most touching things to me was the memorial room. Andalusia, Alabama is a small town. It is idyllic. Class sizes aren’t like those in big cities the likes of Birmingham or Mobile, or even Plant City or Valrico, Florida, where my own sons graduated. Andalusia was and is a town of around nine thousand citizens. Everyone knows everyone else. Our class had only one-hundred-thirty members. Over twenty of us have gone on to Glory.

The memorial room had to one side, a framed display of all those who have left us. A nearby table glowed with soft light from tiny battery-operated tealights. Each in his own time and way stopped by this room to remember and speak to our classmates who left us far too soon. This was just a reminder of how fragile this life is, how deep is the need to give a hug or share a memory with a fellow classmate. This was a time to tell that person you rarely spoke to during our school days, “I always admired you.” “You were always so beautiful.” “You have no idea what a positive influence you had upon my life.” “I appreciate that you were always there for me.” “I’m sorry I haven’t kept in touch. I’ll do better.”

Class of 1968

To my classmates, the Class of 1968, Andalusia High School, Andalusia, Alabama, it was so good to see you all again. It is an honor and a privilege to have been just a small part of such a wonderful group of human beings. You all are a part of who I am today. I am so proud to have known you then and to become reacquainted with you now. I wish each and every one of you all the blessings God can give. I wish you happiness, I wish you peace, I wish you love.


We’re the Greatest of the Great . . . We’re the Class of ’68! 

Have you attended your reunions? Tell us about your experience. 

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The Greatest of the Great, A Golden Reunion @DDuPreeWilliams 

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