'Not just a reunion'

For one night, they relived their youth.

Port St. Joe High School alumni returned home, reunited with lost friends and danced until midnight in the Centennial Building.

Some things had changed -George Boyer no longer resembled a Beatle.

Others had not – Boyer could still play the guitar and the Centennial building still had lousy acoustics.

The 2009 Classless Reunion brought over 700 people to the Centennial Building on Oct. 24 in a memorable gathering of generations.

Attendees arrived from 23 states and Borneo, including several entire families.

The reunion embraced all graduating classes, with Betty Lewis, the oldest attendee, representing the Class of 1939.

Hotels from Port St. Joe to Mexico Beach were booked solid throughout the weekend, with out-of-town alumni enjoying their time at home.

The Classless Reunion began in 2001 as the brain child of 1967 graduates Jimmy Cox and Clark Downs.

The classmates had envisioned a small affair, but word of mouth made the reunion a can't miss event.

"It turned out to be a huge success," said Cox, who lives in Sopchoppy.

Though Cox and Downs had initially planned a one-time event, attendees demanded a repeat.

"Every time you'd see them, that was the first thing out of their mouth, 'When's there going to be another one?'" said Cox, recounting one 2 a.m. phone call from Port St. Joe grad Jim Norton.

In lining up this year's musical entertainment, Downs reunited several local bands that were the hit-makers of their day, including his own, the 13th Hourglass.

Downs joined original members, brother Robin Downs and Larry Parker for the performance, filling in slots vacated by former members "Chick" Mathis and "Pook" Prosothongosuth, a Thailand foreign exchange student.

1970s era Southern Satisfaction reunited for the first time since disbanding decades ago. Original members included Bobby Kennedy, Wayne Neel, Paula Tankersly, Billy Blackman and Charles Gaskin.

Boyer, whose band The Villagers was smash in the 1960s, also performed.

Though Downs noted the Centennial Building's less than stellar acoustics, Cox liked what he heard.

"They were all so good. The old people were out dancing on the floor 'til after 11. I told George (Boyer), I can't believe these old people are still here."

 The event held several highlights for Cox.

He recalled Lewis walking around holding a group photo of the Class of 1939. "You see this, that's me," she said, pointing to her younger self.

When Ann Comforter saluted the gathering's veterans with a rendition of "God Bless America," Cox said "there wasn't a dry eye in the building," his included.

"Everybody thinks, 'Well, it's just a reunion, but it's not just a reunion," said Cox. "It touched a lot of people."

Proceeds from the event in the form of donations, T-shirt and DVD sales, will enable organizers to establish a scholarship in honor of the late Port St. Joe High School football coach and Gulf County Superintendent of Schools R. Marion Craig.

The Classless Reunion has also endowed two other scholarships, in honor of the late coach Lamar Faison and late band director Herman Dean.

Though many classmates were unable to attend – the flu changed several plans – Cox was thrilled with the turnout.

The day after the event, he received 144 emails from attendees. As before, most inquired about the next Classless Reunion.

After attending a "debriefing" meeting of event organizers, Cox has set his sights on 2015.

The next go-round will probably feature fewer bands and allow people more time to "visit with one another," Cox said.

Cox, who manages the Classless Reunion Web site, www.classless2009.com, invites everyone to view the photos from the event.

The website also contains historical photos of Port St. Joe and a tribute to deceased classmates, organized by graduating class.