JCHS Class of 1963 reunites!

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Members and guests of the Jefferson County High School Class of 1963 celebrated a two-night reunion at the Monticello Saint Margaret Catholic Church fellowship hall starting on Friday, Sept. 17. The reunion had been planned for May of 2021, but the reunion committee had postponed the reunion until September, believing that COVID would be less of a problem by the fall. They had no way of knowing, of course, that September would prove worse due to variants of the virus. In the end, the committee voted unanimously to move forward with the reunion in spite of the potential risks, although it was not a decision taken lightly.
The class of 1963 has lost 17 of their 58 classmates, including five members in the last two years alone, at least two having passed away due to COVID. With no end in sight for the pandemic, the committee made the decision not to wait another couple of years and lose more members.
“The vast majority of the remaining classmates have been vaccinated or have survived COVID,” revealed John Cooper, who serves as reunion chairman for the group. “At least for now, we are glad we had the two-night reunion.”
The reunion began with a mingling amongst the classmates, and the long-term friends shared stories, life updates and merriment with one another before dinner. Dinner paved the way for more light hearted conversation and pleasantries as all reminisced about times gone-by. Later in the evening, the conversation turned to those who were unable to attend, and continued with an 'in memoriam' tribute to the members of their class who were no longer living, including veterans from their group. During this tribute, deceased classmate's names were read aloud, followed by the sound of a chime and turning on a candle light. Spouses and some other relatives were invited as guests to attend the reunion and tribute.
While some classmates had decided to cancel their plans to attend due to concerns for COVID risks, the reunion welcomed 13 classmates, and a number of guests, adding up to around 30 people on Friday night and more than 40 on Saturday. There were drawings for gift cards and a gift made especially for the event. Attendees also enjoyed background music that included the number one hit songs of 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1963 that they had enjoyed during their high school years, as well as other hit music of the '60's while they shared dinner.
On Saturday evening, the reunion was treated with live music from a group of talented musicians that usually play in the Big Bend area. One of the classmates regularly “jams” with them, and invited them to come and entertain for the evening. The music was seemingly enjoyed by all, and after the performance was finished, the classmates conducted a business meeting and posed for photos. Some classmates were not able to attend both evenings, so those who are not in Friday's photograph are pictured in Saturday's, and those unable to stay for Saturday's evening reunion were present in Friday's photograph.
“One of the most enjoyed parts of this reunion was the mingling among classmates. One of the most special things about this class is that all seem to really care about each other and just like to be together to talk about the past, present and the future.” Cooper stated, “To have lifelong friends who really know and like each other is a rare privilege.”
The Class of 1963 plans to have another reunion to celebrate the 60 year mark of their graduation anniversary in May of 2023, where they hope to enjoy another event full of delicious food, live music and an abundance of happy conversation.