Floyd County High School’s Class of 1963 — the first graduates of what was back then the county’s new consolidated high school — celebrated its 50th class reunion at the school Sunday with a gathering to see old friends and remember.

Although FCHS opened in 1962, the first graduation was in the spring of ’63 — a time of sock hops, drive-in movies and cruisin’ the steets.

The class invited Ruth Hallman, the English and journalism teacher from those days, to attend and add to the festivities.  Although I didn’t graduate from the school until ’65 — a year early because I skipped my junior hear — reunion organizer Don Williams was kind enough to invite me to attend so I could see Mrs. Hallman — a mentor who, along with her husband Pete who ran The Floyd Press back then — encouraged me to go into newspapers and a reporter and photographer.

By chance, I ran into Mrs. Hallman and daughters Sherry and Kathleen the day before at The Floyd Country Store.  Kathleen was a member of the Class of ’63.  It didn’t get a chance to see them at the reunion itself but attending for a short time gave me a chance to reconnect with other old friends and shoot for photos of the event.