All-Year Reunion 2000

Every four years during the same year the Presidential Election occurs, the "All Year Class Reunion" is held. Anyone that attended Lyons High School and their spouses are invited to this reunion. For some classes that don't have regular reunions, it affords the only opportunity to catch up with their classmates. For others, it is a recreation of the fun of recess and other activities when all the classmates mixed and mingled in the grounds about the school or at the games.
Relive the fun of these all year reunions with these pictures.

If you missed the November 25, 2000 Original LHS Class Reunion and don't have a signed excuse, you must stay after school and write 100 times, "I will not miss the next Original LHS Class Reunion!" This must be turned into Mrs. Aaron by Friday.
We will try to recreate the fun for you with pictures that shows the great time we had.

As per usual, Jimmy Alexander did an excellent job of gathering about 80 alumni of the original LHS for a well organized reunion at the Quint Shrine Club in Lyons, Georgia. Pam Griggers and Jackie Patterson Alexander helped manage the food, beverages and decorations. Larry Griggers had a slide show set up featuring pictures of classmates taken from annuals and previous reunions.

Classmates began arriving at 4 PM for the afternoon social and the dance started at 8:30 PM and lasted till Midnight. Even at that late hour, fellow classmates lingered on, they were having such a great time with their friends.

57 photographs · Select a photograph for a closer look.

Alumni from the 50s attending the reunion.

Alumni from the 60s attending the reunion.
Open those eyes. Marijon!!
(Attempt # 2)
"There Larry!
Are you satisfied now??"

50s Groups

With apologies to those alumni that may have come by after we had finished taking group shots and did not get in the group pictures, here are the alumni from the fifties that attended the reunion:

Class of 1955: Martha Nell Gordy, Annette Grimes Thompson

Class of 1956: Jimmy Price, Dorothy Keen, Bobby Hardeman

Class of 1957: Joe Alexander, Lynette Fulford, Vernon Gordon, Jack Pittman

Class of 1958: Gwain Smith, Larry Gossett,
Ray Joiner

Class of 1959: Barbara Stevens, Gloria Grimes, Robbie Keel, Gross Helms

60s Groups

Again, with apologies to those alumni that may have come by after we had finished taking group shots and may not have gotten in the pictures, here are the alumni from the sixties that attended the reunion:

Class of 1960: Kenny Calhoun, Suzanne Higgs, Bill Carter, Linda Hudson, Charles Outler, Mary Alice Stewart, Becky Yarbrough, Thurston Harden

All-Year Reunion 2000, photograph 11 — Class of 1961: Buddy Lindsey, Hugh Lentile, Charles Rustin, Rhett Smith, Zandra Alexander, Joyce Kitchens, Malcolm Poole, Betty Stevens, Richard Thompson, Richard Collins

Class of 1962: Jackie Dismuke, Sandra Edenfield

Class of 1963: Robert Brown, Charles "Spec" Nobles,
Susan Clifton, Robert Alexander

Class of 1964: Larry Rushing, Jim Paul Gordy, Jackie Patterson, Linda Keen, Jimmy Alexander, Larry Williams

Class of 1965: Billy Yarbrough, Sue McCumbers, Evelle Gibbs, Don Carter, Linda Corbin, Grace Collins, Bill Hardin, Marijon Meadows

Class of '66: Eugene Brogdon, Glenda Morris, Dewey Anderson,
Barbara Chancey, Larry Griggers, Roy Rudisil

Class of '67: Judy Dismuke, Dwayne Aaron, Gloria Kavakos

Class of '69: Mary Ellen Gibbs.
Class of '70: Tommy Alexander

Changed or Not

Classmates carefully studied the features of their old friends to imprint a new image of who they now were and how nature had exported them into middle age. It was fascinating to see the men and women they had become. Some changed slightly, some dramatically. However, it was easy to adapt to the new faces on our old school chums.

Afternoon Social

Class reunions present a special challenge. The thrill of seeing old friends is accompanied by the anxiety of knowing that your classmates will be comparing you now to their memory of you 30 to 50 years earlier. What will they think

Larry Griggers ('66), Glenda Morris ('66) and Gene Brogdon ('66)
Mixed emotions flow through your mind. You ask yourself tough questions: Am I wearing the right thing, have I gained/loss too much weight, am I aging gracefully, will my friends recognize me, will I recognize them?

Susan Clifton ('63) & Jackie Patterson ('64)
But as soon as a new friend arrives at the reunion, the joy of rejuvenating old friendships overcomes any feelings of self-consciousness.

Don Carter (65), Sue McCumbers (65) & Billy Yarbrough (65). (Don, why didn't you open your mouth?)
And before you know it the fear disappears and the fun begins anew. Some were so excited that they broke out in song!

Kenneth Calhoun ('60)
From work, to play to politics. The topics of conversation run the gamut. After a while, the remarkable realization comes on you that your friends may be older, but they still have those wonderful traits that endeared them to you years ago.

Charles Rustin ('61)
"What are you doing now?" was a common question. The lives of our chums have taken many directions. Some entered politics, some built businesses, some made a home for their spouses and children. Each carried the imprint of LHS with them as they built their lives and careers.

Dewey Anderson ('66) & Van Page ('66)
The longer you were with your classmates and the longer they talked and laughed, the more the memories of the fun events began to return in abundance. It was good to be among good friends again.

Robert Alexander ('63), Zandra Alexander ('61) and Linda Corbin ('65)
The good times were easily remembered. The bad times, if there were any, seemed far away and not worth recalling.

Bobby James ('64) & Becky Yarbrough ('60)
Some of the classmates seem to have not changed at all. But whether the change was slight or dramatic, they all had that same twinkle in their eyes that endeared them to you in days gone by.

Linda Oliver ('68)
Each new face arriving at the reunion conjured up a thousand memories.

Robert Brown ('63) & wife Martha
Some continued to display the great thinking that distinguished them during their high school days.

Johnny Collins ('61), Hugh Lentile ('61) & Jim Braziel ('68)
Some found great interest in talking about how Lyons had changed in the intervening decades.

Mike Tippett ('70) & wife, Pat
Some came to see the product of their hard work on the new LHS Alumni Website.

Billy Harden ('65) & wife Ann
Some spent their time trying to figure out who everybody was!

Barbara Chancey ('66)
Some let the cameraman know that their picture better be good or he would have to eat the camera!

Linda Keen & Zandra Alexander
"Ok, enough of this small talk, lets fire up the music and get the party started!"
After everyone had gotten reacquainted, it was time to start the music and dance to the sounds of 50's and 60's music (with a little disco from the 70's thrown in every now and then). This was a time for fun!

Evening Dance

Linda Corbin ('65) & Chris McRae ('65)
"Chris, it didn't used to hurt so much when you stepped on my foot at those high school dances!"

Bob Randall , Marilyn Westberry ('69), Billy Yarbrough ('65), ???,
Patsy Wilds ('67), Larry Griggers ('66), Robert Garrett ('67)
"Left - 2 - 3, kick, turn. Who said you couldn't do the Electric Slide to the Beach Boys?"

Mrs. Larry Griggers (Debbie)
"You go dance, Larry, I'll continue with the scanning of the Lyons' Roar."
Debbie helped scan the many documents from their school days brought by classmates to the reunion.

Linda Corbin & Grace Collins
"We need some new dance partners. All the guys we have danced with so far are all tuckered out!"

Joyce Kitchens & husband Kenneth Enfinger
"You guys move back and let us show you how it is done!"

Spec Nobles & wife Sara
"If you don't mind Sarah, I think I will just sit here and rest a spell."

Tommy Youmans ('62) & Peyton Stanley ('62)
"Yes, by gosh, I do look better than when I graduated 38 years ago!"

Robert Culberson ('62) & wife
"This is great fun. Where do I sign up for a membership to the LHS Alumni Website?"

Jackie Wilson ('64)
"You promised me a dance! Let's get with the program."

Linda Oliver & Betty Carol Mimbs
"Ah, ha! Two more foxes looking for dance partners." The dance brought back memories of the National Guard Armory and the Red Barn. Put on some Swinging Medallions!"

Mr. & Mrs. Earl Collins ('60)
"Just as soon as I catch Earl not looking, I'm hitting the dance floor!"

Van Page ('66) & Roddy Clifton ('71)
"You want to borrow my handkerchief to get that?", says Roddy.

Beth Osborn ('66) & Betty Poole ('66)
"Boy, these guys need to exercise more. One dance and we have to administer mouth to mouth to resuscitate them!" Funny, there sure is a long line of guys waiting for their turn to dance!

Willard Partin ('39) & Dan Miot ('62)
Everybody sing now:
"Show me the way to go home .... I'm tired and I want to go to bed ... I had me a drink about an hour ago and its gone right to my head ...."

After Hours

For some, the evening had passed too fast. After the music stopped, classmates lingered till 2 AM swapping stories and telling tales.

The Late Night Gang
"Heck, it's early and there is still plenty of beer left! Let's party!"

Buddy Dismuke ('64), Johnny Griggers ('65),
Larry Williams ('64), & Patsy Wilds ('67)
"It's a good thing ya'wl didn't leave till I got here!", said Johnny Griggers, who arrived around midnight,
fresh back from Greenville, South Carolina, where he witnessed his son Peyton getting married to Sara Bennett.

Larry Williams ('64), Patsy Wilds ('67) & Don Carter ('65)
"... and this doctor promises that if I put this ointment on my head twice a day for 30 days,
every bit of my hair will grow back!" says Don. Larry listens intently while trying to act cool and disinterested.
Marijon, look at the camera!
(Attempt # 1)
Susan, tell Marijon to open her eyes!!
(Attempt # 3)

One of the most difficult tasks this webmaster had over the course of the evening was trying to take a picture of Marijon Meadows with her eyes open. It took four attempts in a row to get the shot!

Marijon, look at the camera!
(Attempt # 1)

Open those eyes. Marijon!!
(Attempt # 2)

Susan, tell Marijon to open her eyes!!
(Attempt # 3)

“There Larry!
Are you satisfied now??”
Marijon Meadows ('65) and Susan Clifton ('63)
The Quint Shrine Club is located in a very remote part of town,
so we thought we were home free to make this an all-nighter, but .....

Chris McRae ('65), Police Chief Jim Reid, Marijon Meadows ('65)
Busted! Looks like the party's over. Jim Reid, the Chief of Police from Lyons arrived on the scene at 2 AM and picked up the only two desperados left in their seats (everybody else scattered when they heard the sirens). They were dragged kicking and screaming from the building, where, according to a reliable source, Marijon overpowered the officer and held him down while Chris, a veterinarian by trade, injected him with a dose of some medicine he uses to make animals come into heat.
When last we heard, the police chief was running on all fours headed for a heard of cattle nearby. All classmates made a quick getaway after that.
A wonderful Original LHS Class reunion of 2000 had finally come to an end. Many new memories were formed and everyone had a great time. Y'all come back, ya' hear?

This print view includes the reunion account and selected group photographs. The complete gallery is available on this website at /reunions/all-years-2000.html.