Reliving memories through reunions

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another Cecil’s World in Print.
How many of you love class reunions? I think they are great because it gives you the opportunity to see people you have not seen in a long time.
Well, if you graduated from St. John’s High School in Darlington, it is time for “our” annual reunion. It is set for March 7-9 at Fat Harold’s Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach. So, drag out those old madras shirts, khakis and Weejuns, because it’s time to meet and greet some old schoolmates. What do you mean, the shirts and pants won’t fit? Well, buy some new ones, it’s party time for all of you Blue Devils.
I can already hear some of you saying, “I can’t go because I have changed so much.” Well, maybe you are not as pretty or as handsome as you used to be, but you are still that same person inside. Maybe your hair has turned gray and you’ve put on a few pounds, or maybe even 50 pounds.
Who cares? We just want to see everybody so we can reminisce about the good old days.
Believe me, it’s OK — everyone changes with time. Now, it’s true you may not know some of the people in attendance, but before the weekend is over, you will remember who they are. If you think you are too fat to come to the reunion, get some lipo; for those wrinkles, get a facelift; and you can color your gray hair. I promise I will be nice and not say anything or make fun of how old and ugly you are (well, maybe just to my close friends).
This reunion is for all St. John’s graduates, no matter when you finished school. In the past, we have had people who graduated in the ’40s, so come on down.
You are never too old to get together with old friends. Most class reunions have only their graduating class and along with another one, this one brings everyone together. And don’t say you can’t afford it. It’s free, unless you decide to spend the night at the beach. What really gets me at class reunions is when someone comes up to you and says, “Remember me?” Come on people, give me a break. It’s been 20 or 30 years since I have see some of these people and, boy, have they changed.
I’m sure there will be many old high school sweethearts at this reunion. Most of us are married now and I am sure we can’t be influenced by an old flame. I know I can’t, because they are a lot older now and I was digging them when they were younger, you know what I mean. Those memories will always be a part of our school days.
There will also be a couple of special guests at this year’s reunion. Coach Bruce Lynch —who came to St. John’s High School in 1954 as the JV football coach and also started the track team — is coming from Greenville for the event.
Football Coach Les Everett will also be at the reunion. He came to St. John’s in the summer of 1958 as varsity line coach for the Blue Devils of St. John’s and he also coached basketball and baseball.
There will also be a lot of great pictures from our high school days. This will be a good time to bring your old high school annual and read some of the corny stuff we used to write in our friends’ annuals. If you would like to see some pictures from past reunions at the beach, you can go to www.geocities.com/sjhsatb.
That’s it for another Cecil’s World in Print. It’s time for me to shine my Weejuns and get ready for the big reunion. I will see you Friday night at Fat Harold’s Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach for the annual St. John’s reunion. See you next week, right here in the Morning News and on the tube.

— Cecil Chandler is a veteran reporter at WBTW News13. His column appears Mondays in the Morning News.