Class of ‘72 gathers for 50-year reunion
Robbinsville – The same year that Graham County celebrated its 100th birthday, the Robbinsville High School Class of 1972 received its diplomas.
On Saturday, much of the student body from the centennial year convened inside the “new” high school – which opened in 1993 – for its 50-year reunion, an evening filled with both happy and somber memories.
“Chances are, all of us will never be able to gather like this again,” emphatically stated graduate Ernest Campbell, who – along with Joe Long – helped host the bulk of the program.
The class milled about the commons area, cheerfully greeting one another and catching up on the latest news in everyone’s lives.
Several members of the faculty and staff that taught the students were also in attendance, including former Graham County Schools superintendent Lowell Crisp.
Lynn’s Place catered a barbecue meal for those on-hand and later in the evening, the alums grouped together inside the gymnasium for a class photo, to further commemorate the occasion.
Proper time was also given to remember those from the class who have since passed away. Names were read, as individual tea candles were lit in tribute to the losses. Debbie Sheffey Cable passed away Jan. 30 and was noted as the most recent member of the class to be lost.
After the touching memorial, Barry Millsaps joined his wife, Susan, to play three songs for the attendees – ending the impromptu performance with a rendition of The Carter Family’s “Keep on the Sunny Side.”
The mood now lightened, Glenda George Bradley began awarding gifts for specific distinctions – who has the most great-grandchildren and who has changed the least since graduation were just a couple that were pointed out – but the quip of the evening came when Bradley polled the audience on who had traveled the farthest to attend the reunion.
“It seems like the older we get, the harder it is to make it from one rest area … to the next,” Bradley said.
In response, the room howled with laughter at the harsh reality.
Editor’s note: If you attended Saturday’s reunion and would like to purchase a CD containing photos from the evening, they are for sale at The Graham Star office. Call (828) 479-3383 for details, or stop by our office on Tallulah Road.