Suffolk News-Herald

Graduates from the former East Suffolk High School Class of 1959 recently came together for their 44th class reunion.

The reunion, held Aug. 8-10 in the Elks Lodge No. 685 on West Constance Road, gave class members a packed schedule for the weekend. Activities, all of which revolved around the reunion theme, &uot;Recounting the Memories,&uot; included:

— 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 8 – Class night reception, emceed by Randolph Mitchell. Class members shared their best and worst high school memories. Benford Hunter was the disc jockey and Arthur Copeland, secretary of the reunion committee, served as a dance guide during a line dance session.

— 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 9 – Class picnic on the grounds of their alma mater for a picnic. Special thanks went to Ethel Hart, manager of the Action Center, and Deloise Johnson for helping make the event a success.

— 7 p.m. to midnight Aug. 9 – Festivities continued with the reunion’s premier event, a dinner/dance at the Elks Lodge. Once again, Hunter kept the tunes playing while Mitchell and Melvin Diggs, chaplain, emceed for the evening. Copeland and Margaret W. Walton, class treasurer, served as host and hostess for the event.

Sidney Glee and Archie Elliott were also on the program.

— 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 10 – After attending worship services at the churches of their choice, class members gathered for a farewell luncheon at the Golden Corral at Chesapeake Square Mall.

The class’ guests of honor were teachers Bertha Crocker, Bernice Maloney and Juanita Glover; Vice Mayor Leroy Bennett; Councilman Charles F.

Brown; and H. Ross Boone, president of the East Suffolk Alumni Association.

Class reunion officers and committee members included Theodore Roosevelt Jordan, class president; William H. Goodman, reunion committee chairman; William P. Harrell, reunion committee vice chairman; Louise Waters Tillery, reunion committee; and Copeland, Walton, and Diggs.

Last month’s reunion was the Class of 1959’s third reunion since graduation. The class held its 20th reunion in 1979 and its 42nd in 2000.