BTW Alumni Party Draws 300 From All Classes

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

On Aug. 16, about 300 Booker T. Washington High School graduates gathered around candlelit tables in the crowded banquet hall located inside of the Elks Lodge No. 38 and enjoyed an event called the Alumni Day Party.

There was something for everyone at this class reunion which was held on Saturday from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., and welcomed graduates from all classes.  After the former classmates warmly embraced each other at the door, they sat around tables and reminisced about the good old days over heaping plates of food. Some participated in the electric slide and other line dances. Others twirled about doing the two-step. Some of the graduates said they had not seen each other in decades.

These local graduates were actually participating in an age-old ritual that is still wildly popular nationwide, according to a study conducted by Eventbrite. Ninety-three percent of those surveyed said they do not regret attending while 74 percent they they’d like to attend their next class reunion. While some believe social media has made class reunions a thing of the past, 54 percent of the respondents said their social media contacts actually inspired them to attend more in-person gatherings.

“We came to socialize,” one of the Booker T. Washington graduates said pointing to her former classmates who sat around the table vigorously shaking their heads in agreement.

Milton Pierce, a 1964 BTW graduate who is a retired educator, said,” I was proud to be there with my friend Tyrone Nobles and Cameron Dailey. I was elated when I ran into my friend T-Bone of Norfolk who I hadn’t seen in years. We took a few pictures and just enjoyed the camaraderie.”

Tyrone Nobles, a 1965 graduate who is a retired FedEx employee, and was also the high-stepping drum major in Mr. Clark’s and Mr. Walker’s band, said, “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Booker T. Washington. Asked what he enjoyed most, he said he enjoyed seeing his former classmates. “I think many of us are amazed that we are still here.”

Earnest (T-Bone) Bright, a 1967 graduate, a retired United States Postal Service employee, and a Vietnam veteran, said, “I enjoyed it because it was the first time that I had been to an event in a long time that was not a funeral.”

Eventbrite researchers said respondents said no amount of social media contact can replace the impact of reuniting in person.