Front Row: Braxine Truelove Sasser, Margaret Ellis
Flowers, Grace Crabtree Bailey, Hazel Harrison
Poole, Ann Duncan Earp and Genevive Holder Johnson.
Back Row: Roy Coats, Lynwood
Hobbs, Clifton Bagley, Herman Vinson, Audrey Bledsoe
Norris, Bobby Poole, Cherrie Beddingfield Baskette,
Belle Byrd Allen and Rudolph Allen.
The Clayton High School
Class of 1950 held its 60th reunion at 10 a.m.
on Thursday, July 22, 2010, at McCall’s Barbecue and
Seafood Restaurant. Twenty-nine persons were
present, including Aileen Reel Parrish, their 12th
grade teacher and sponsor, and her husband, Bill of
Wendell. A special program had been planned by Bob
Poole, class president, and Belle Allen, secretary.
A picture board of classmates
as babies or as young children created great
interest, much speculation, and merriment. Ann
Duncan Earp identified the largest number.
Yearbooks from 1948, 1949, and
1950 were on display as were some copies of the
high school newspaper. Steve Canady, a special
guest, showed a video of the 50th class reunion and
videoed the 60th event for posterity. The video and
annuals were brought by Berneice Jones, widow of
class “comedian” Blanton Jones. Other photographs
and memorabilia were on display as well.
Members had the opportunity to
share memorable events from their early school days
and laughter was the order of the day. Bob Poole
presented a number of gag gifts and gave a report of
one member’s historic flight which had Clifton
Bagley, seated in a “cockpit” with wings,
goggles and “hot air balloons” getting shot down by
the Air Force over the Atlantic Ocean.
Cherrie Beddingfield Baskette,
from Atlanta, lighted nine candles and led the
memoriam for deceased class members: Marie
Bridges, Bobby Chatham, Faye Gulley, Blanton Jones,
Laura Jones, Julia Ann Knott, Ray Parker and Charles
Stevens, and one of the class mascots, Sue Clark.
The group signed a
card for Annette Garris Barbour, who resides in an
assisted living facility in Candor, NC, and was
unable to attend.
Following the
invocation by the Rev. Bob Poole, the group enjoyed
a delicious buffet meal. Each member received a
monogrammed cup with the school name and dates
1950-2010, compliments of Bob. A special
contribution was collected to help defray costs of
the event and to make a donation to the Scholarship
Fund of the Clayton High School Alumni Association.
Poole asked for
volunteers to plan the 70th reunion but there were
no “takers.” Plans were made for the group to
assemble for lunch at McCalls again in three months.
==============================================================================
