High School Reunion XXX Part 2

(Continued from High School Reunion XXX)

It began 8:00 pm Friday evening at Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille, and the weather was foreboding.

Marty and Roger had been talking about meeting at Barnaby's Pizza on Apalachee Parkway for dinner before Harry's for a few days and I joined them about 6:15 pm. I was driving 45 miles per hour heading east on the Parkway towards Barnaby's and wondering how best to return the pictures Debbie had given me to scan months earlier, when I saw Debbie driving a truck in the lane next to me. We both arrived at Barnaby's at the same time and I returned her photos.

Barnaby's Pizza on North Monroe Street, Highway 27, was a popular hang-out after high school football games when we were younger and before it closed years ago, so the one on the Parkway was a good place to meet. I had not been to Barnaby's in over twenty years. I caught up with Marty, Roger, Tina, Mary, Debbie and several others for about an hour and ate one slice of pepperoni pizza, which tasted exactly as I remembered it.

I drove back west to Harry's on South Bronough Street downtown. We were expecting eighty guests and we weren't disappointed. It was rainy and occasionally drizzling at times, so Harry's moved our outdoor party indoors and we caroused in the main lounge area for the next few hours drinking and consuming creole shrimp, fondue, chicken wings and fried green tomatoes. Several people from our class didn't show that night, but several from other class years we didn't expect to see came to our reunion at Harry's Friday night. Joey at Harry's did an excellent job keeping our comestibles supplied and they dedicated servers Brittney and Sarah to our group. Everyone had a great time and Harry's closed for the evening shortly after we all left.

I rose at 6:30 am Saturday and first went to work before returning home and picking up my grandsons Dylan and Gabriel to go to the 11 am - 2 pm picnic in the Godby High School courtyard. We brought Fruit Punch Gatorade and went to Publix on Ocala Road for chicken and potatoes for lunch, and after we arrived to Godby, I was able to convince the boys to hold off on other activities until after lunch.

Chris from Godby's custodial services opened up the school gates, guidance office and the Jeff Bradford auditorium for us. As rain was expected all Saturday, he also graciously opened the cafeteria building for us. Fifteen minutes after we arrived it really began to rain, and we had a decent though diminished turnout for lunch. David, Cindy, Karen, Marian, Carol, Danny, Maureen and others brought their spouses and children. My grandsons and several other children delighted in hunting lizards on the school's grounds, and Gabriel later declared it to have been the "best picnic ever."

Photo of Dylan by Geralyn

I brought Dylan and Gabriel home and went back to work in the afternoon, and then went to the Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center an hour before the banquet started at 7:00 pm.

As we held our reunion, the final flight of the United States' Space Shuttle program was in progress. Atlantis landed safely this morning, heralding an end to US-led manned space flight, forty-two years to the day after Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin walked on the moon. Rest in peace, Gramps.

I watched the first space shuttle, Enterprise (named by President Gerald Ford after the starship, thanks to a letter-writing campaign by Star Trek fans), land in Tulsa Oklahoma live on television in 1977, and vividly recall being amazed that its landing gear didn't even open until the Orbiter was almost at ground level. I thought they would have at least tested the landing gear early on its first landing. I remembered this during the final moments of preparation before the banquet began Saturday, because 1) it had been at least three weeks since the reunion planning committee last met, and 2) some of the evening's planned events were sight unseen and unrehearsed. Just like the shuttle's landing, all came together as expected right near show time and went superbly well.

Alvin registered for the reunion on Friday and agreed to do Saturday night's invocation.

Marty and Roger prepared several slide shows over many months which incorporated highlights from our senior yearbook and events of the time with then and now photos of classmates, set to music provided by and with input from Paul, John and Troy, and Gary brought his sound system and played their music.

Our banquet's program keepsake had only been finalized in draft form as many details came together a week before the reunion. Maureen worked tirelessly on it into more than a few early mornings and the final product was very highly regarded. Glenn and Maureen checked in our guests on Saturday night, handing out name tags, collecting money from late registrants, giving out drink and door prize tickets, and soliciting signatures for Bill Montford's card from the Class of 1981.

Danny and Susan transcribed the stack of our classmates' submitted biographical information for publication. Gary's wife Michelle taped together the photos that Roger had produced from input from everyone to make table centerpieces. Karen brought balloons for decoration and did the evening's opening welcome and introduction. Renita was with us since the beginning and attended the first committee meeting, and supplied all the contact information we had from our reunion ten years ago, and brought the Godby banner we've been displaying at previous reunions. Phyllis handled the service encounter and planning for Friday night at Harry's, and on Saturday night followed a solemn recitation of the names of all our deceased classmates with a moment of silence and a candle lighting ceremony in their honor. The candle remained lit throughout the entire evening on a table with a list of our departed friends' names.

I gave an update from the Association of Godby Graduates and recognized how well the AGG was represented at the reunion, with both Class of 1981 AGG Hall of Fame inductees present, and two-thirds of the executive committee including both Roger and myself were in attendance. Roger had only recently been elected vice president of the AGG for 2012, and will procedurally become president of the AGG in 2013.

We feasted on chicken and roast beast, garden salad including cheese and fresh strawberries, scalloped potatoes, fried rice and vegetables, and assorted desserts and ice cream. We had a dance floor and cash bar, and every guest received a ticket for a domestic beer or house wine upon arrival. We all signed a card that we produced for our principal while we were there, now Florida Senator Bill Montford, but he wasn't able to come. We invited numerous teachers, but only Michele was able to attend, and we presented her with the gift of a "juicy apple" candle set.

Dave came to the reunion, who I hadn't seen in thirty-one years.

Photo by Roger

My original camping buddy Rodney, now a firefighter in Atlanta, came to the reunion and reminded me that I don't see him often enough.

Photo by Roger

When the banquet at the Civic Center ended, we announced that the party was moving to the Level 8 lounge at Hotel Duval downtown, and most of us went there after the banquet, where Rodney and I stayed until 2 am before leaving, ending my twenty-hour day. After an 11 am Sunday church service at the Family Worship and Praise Center at 1609 Branch Street, our 1981 classmates dispersed again out into the world until a later date, after a weekend to be much remembered by all.

 

Photo by Roger