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Middleton And Blake Classes Of 1960 Unite For First Joint Class Reunion
unfortunately, because they had passed on. However, fond memories of them were present. Remarks heard in- cluded, ‘Oh I forgot him or her’, ‘She was nice’, or ‘he was funny’. There are those who may have thought that they were in touch with
everyone they needed to have contact with...WRONG! ‘Should old acquaintances be forgot and never brought to mind? NO.
In fact, steps are being taken to provide more op- portunities for the two groups to spend more time
together in the future. The classes are looking forward to future joint events. A spe- cial thanks to Betty Dukes White and her committee for making the arrangements for an unforgettable class re- union. Written by Wilbert Malphus.
WILLIE RUTH HORTON, BETTY WHITE, PAULA GASKINS, LOUISE FAVORS, WANDA WORMACK, BARBARA MANN, VIOLA FITZGERALD, JULIA HALYARD And DELORES HENDERSON.
BARBARA HILLS, ALICE WOODARD, CAROLYN HILL, LUKE WASHINGTON And JACQUELINE PRESTON.
The graduation classes of Middleton Senior High School and Howard W. Blake High School recently joined together to celebrate their 55th year since completing high school by journeying to- gether for a trip to Washing- ton, D. C. on August 4, 2015.
To many of the class- mates, this inaugural joint reunion was the reunion of all reunions.
Many of the 1960 gradu- ates of the Middleton class had attended Blake during their ninth grade year in school. Prior to then, they were together in grades one to six when they attended the schools of West Tampa, in- cluding Dunbar Elementary and Carver Junior High for grades 7-8. Carver closed in 1956, when Blake opened to serve grades 7-12, while Mid- dleton continued to serve class grades 10-12.
After years of buzz, the two class presidents, Chester White of Middle- ton and Wilbert Malphus of Blake discussed the possi- bility of their 1960 classes coming together for a join class reunion. Each took the
idea to their classmates, where it was overwhelmingly received.
The joint classes decided to travel by train to Washing- ton, D. C. for their first ven- ture together. Yes, that’s right--- travel by train. While details of the entire train ride is a story to be told at an- other time, it was a memo- rable trip. Sites visited included the Martin Luther King Monument, the Holo- caust Museum, the Federal Mint, the U.S. Capitol, the Li- brary of Congress, Howard University, Georgetown and may other notable places.
There was very little sleep during then 20-hour ride. But there was lots of laugh- ter, jokes, lies, old memories were brought forth including quips such as ‘sleeping with the enemy’, as there had been such a strong high school rivalry for so many years. In summary, beloved memories were made and just good old fashion cama- raderie filled the time.
As the 50+ so travelers sat around, many realized that some of their best friends were absent; several
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