Some travel many miles for dinner and conversation
Murphy – Laughter and excitement filled the dining room of the Main Street USA restaurant on Sept. 29, when former classmates gathered from here and far to celebrate the Murphy High School Class of 1958’s 65th reunion.
Sixty-five years ago, students gathered at the school house, where new friendships were being formed. Those friendships have passed the test of time, as the evening invoked fond memories.
About 28 classmates attended the reunion, many bringing their spouses. Lunch was served, and Mayor Tim Radford spoke to the group. He said the school building at that time cost about $23,000, as construction only cost about $6 per square foot.
Radford said about the time they were graduating, the local WKRK and WCVP radio stations were just coming on the air.
Nancy Helms is involved in the community today as an active volunteer. In school, she was on the journalism yearbook staff.
She recalled how much she liked the teachers and her fellow students. Helms didn’t participate in sports because, as she put it, “I weighed 95 pounds.” However, “We were the first class in many years that got to go to Washington on our senior trip.”
Helen Stiles-Jarret of Peachtree was a cheerleader as well as being on the basketball team, though she could have been a better student.
“I could have been a straight-A student,” she said, “but I was too involved with the social life.”
The girls basketball team used to stay at her house overnight so they could get to and from the games easier.
“We were all country people. We all loved each other and had each other’s back, and everywhere we went we were home,” Jarret said. “We were a village and the mothers, whoever’s home we were at, fed us and made sure they had a place for us. It’s a different world today.”
Her advice to young people is to study hard, join things, be involved and bring the little person who doesn’t have many friends in to your ring.
Jim Hendrix of Peachtree is a retired pharmacist. He was the class president back then.
When asked how he was voted in as president, he said, “Probably because no one else wanted to do it.”
Hendrix also played football in school.
“We were the first ones to graduate from that building,” he added.
Martha Palmer was the librarian back then, but had to have a homeroom class and teach English as well. She recalled the kids spilling bowls of soup on library tables, as there wasn’t a cafeteria for them to dine in at the time.
“The worst thing kids did back then was put a firecracker in the trash can,” Palmer said.
The former student coming from the greatest distance away was Robert Schmitt of Texas, who traveled 1,400 miles in order to get to the reunion.
Everyone appeared to really be enjoying their time together with storytelling and laughter emanating throughout the room. Each one leaving with one more memory to store, and all grateful to have been able to attend this year’s reunion.