Each year, the end of summer brings about a plethora of emotions for parents and children alike — the joy and anxiety of a new school year. For those of us who are empty nesters we have to depart home just a little bit earlier to leave time for the school bus stops and long lines at the drive-through coffee stores. It also brings back all the memories we had as students: anticipating what our teachers will really be like, practicing for the many upcoming sporting events and planning all of the school activities to give us some relief from all of the studying that we should be doing.
It also is a time of the long tradition of class reunions! As the youngest of five siblings, I used to think, “Wow, they are so old … they are having their __ high school reunion!” Well, my friends, that day has arrived. The senior class of 1974 is just one year away from the big 4-0. With that in mind, some of my fellow classmates and I of Dora High School in Dora, Ala., decided to do something different. We asked ourselves, “Why wait until the 40th? And why call it a 40th reunion?” That just conjures up connotations of old age. So we are having a “gathering of the class of ‘74” to celebrate the 39th anniversary of our graduation.
As I think back on 12 years of school, some memories are not so great, but I also have a whole lot of wonderful ones. I remember our school colors of blue and gold (the Home of the Bulldogs); the award-winning marching band (known as the “Pride of Walker County”); the school choir; class rings and yearbooks; the prom; and the senior-class play. The homecoming parade of my junior year brings back vivid memories. I attached a toilet with a mannequin’s arm protruding from the bowl onto the roof of my 1972 Pinto with the caption, “Flush the Vikings!”
As I think about all of these activities, I realize now how grateful I am for the great teachers and parents who guided my classmates and me through these formative years.
Oh, and I am also grateful for social media so that I can view recent snapshots of how kind (or unkind) the aging process has been to my fellow classmates and not have to worry about a case of mistaken identity when the actual gathering takes place! And when asked to bring a dessert to the gathering, I thought the perfect thing would be a chocolate cake “bulldog” sculpture accented with blue and gold bonbons created by our friends at Dream Day Cakes. Now the challenge is to ensure they don’t become a snack on the drive up to North Alabama.
“When it comes to spirit, we have more — We are the class of ‘74”!
Keith Watson, owner and president of Keith Watson Events, a leading full-service special events and design production company, specializes in adding the “wow” factor to events big and small. When designing and producing events, Watson draws not only from his fine arts background but also from his many years of corporate experience in Special Event management at Callaway Gardens in Georgia, Bankers Trust (Deutsche Bank) on Wall Street, Swiss Re Insurance, the Guggenheim Museum, The Cloisters and The Metroplitan Museum of Art in New York City. Watson is known throughout the industry for his customer satisfaction, attention to detail and his ability to put the most nervous host at ease.
Photography by Allison Durham