Jackson's all-class reunion returns Oct. 15, 16

EDITOR'S NOTE: The time of the reunion ceremony on Saturday has been corrected.

The Super Ball was the latest toy craze, the miniskirt was hot, the Beatles' "Help" was climbing the pop music charts and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was completed.

Despite social turbulence at home and the escalation of the war in Vietnam, Adelaide Parsons will tell you 1965 was a great year to graduate from high school.

This weekend, Parsons will join her fellow Jackson High School class of 1965 alumni and Jackson graduates from many classes for the Jackson School District's All-School Reunion.

"The intent is to draw back anyone who ever had any type of affiliation with the high school, alumni, generations who attended, retired teachers, people who worked in administration. It's for anyone who has had any kind of contact with the school," said Parsons, a member of the event's planning committee. "The purpose is to recognize them with the school and celebrate the start that it gave us all in life."

Parsons said more than 1,000 people are expected to attend the festivities, including a tailgate feast before Friday's football game, a 5K run/walk on Saturday morning and the reunion ceremony at 8 a.m. Saturday in the high school commons. All proceeds from the activities will go to a school improvement fund, Parsons said.

The reunion is back by popular demand. Jackson hosted a similar event a few years ago in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Jackson High School homecoming. That event was held in summer, and Parsons said participants wanted to schedule an all-school reunion for the fall.

The reunion, she said, brings back former Jackson students from all parts of the country and, in some cases, the world.

"It's really exciting as people interact and mix, when they discover what we've done with our lives and where it's gone," Parsons said. "When you do a class reunion like this you get to see everybody, and the energy level is really high."

Participants will have a chance to tour the schools and see all of the changes over the years. Parsons said Jackson's public schools have come a long way from the the three-building district she recalls in 1965.

This weekend, Parsons said, is all about celebrating the schools and the experiences that touched so many lives over the years.

"And we want anyone and everyone there," Parsons said.

For more information, contact Parsons at 651-3546.

mkittle@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

315 S. Missouri St., Jackson, MO