Remember cruising U.S. 31, parking for a movie at the Hatfield Drive-In or dancing to Motown at a friend’s house? Athens High School Class of 1967 does.

After nearly three years in the making, former class members will travel back in time to remember high school sweethearts and school gym dances at their 50^th class reunion.

Event organizing

Reunion co-coordinator Linda Williams Nelson said one of the most challenging parts of planning the event was getting in touch with long-lost class members.

“We didn’t have email or Facebook then,” she said. “It’s like being private investigators. We wrote letters, looked for people in the phone book, made phone calls — we even thought back to where families lived and checked property records to see if they were still there.”

Nelson said when she saw someone on the street who may have been related to a classmate or was a mutual friend, she would ask them if they knew how to get in touch with the person.

Her time and skills did not go to waste — she and the group managed to locate all but three of the remaining 133-member class. Nineteen classmates are deceased.

Classmates began meeting with each other at lunch in 2014 to organize the event, and Nelson said some were people she hadn’t seen since graduation.

“It’s been so much fun — it’s interesting to find out about their lives,” she said, adding about 25 to 30 people came to the luncheons. “It’s been extremely surprising how well it’s gone and how much fun we’ve had after all these years. You can pick up those relationships — we’re best friends again.”

Blast from the past

Coordinator Bonnie Bumgardner White moved back to Athens last year after living around the country since she left high school. This past year, she’s reconnected with childhood friends through organizing the reunion.

Even though it’s been 50 years since she’s seen some of them, she said she still recognizes them.

“Even though we’re heavier and we have gray hair now, they have the same smile and eyes,” she said, adding reuniongoers will have senior pictures on their name tags.

Since coming home, White said the biggest change in Athens is the amount of development and growth.

“Close to I-65 and east of there, where Publix is now, that used to just be cotton fields,” she said. “I think one of the good things is how our downtown area has thrived — I’m so pleased to see we have activity on The Square.”

When White and Nelson attended AHS, it was in the building that’s now Athens Middle School. White said she remembers walking up Clinton Street to The Square to go to the soda fountain at Gilbert Drugs.

The biggest difference White notices in the Class of 1967 and the Class of 2017 is the use of technology.

“When we left home, if we needed to talk to our parents or anyone else, we had to find a phone booth,” she said.

While most kids send a text or post on social media to communicate with each other, White’s friends went to each other’s homes.

“I wouldn’t dream of dropping in on someone now like we used to — people were more hospitable then but it was probably because we didn’t have the technology we have today,” she said. “There was a lot of front porch visiting.”

Nelson said she remembers if a couple went on a “big” date, they were most likely going out of town to Huntsville for dinner and a movie.

The reunion

The Class of 1967 will meet 7-10 p.m. Friday at Loft 1880 over Village Pizza, formerly Cluxton’s Jewelry.

Beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, classmates will tour Athens Elementary School, then at 11:30 a.m. will bring their lunch for a picnic at Athens Middle School on the Clinton Street side. Afternoon activities will conclude at 12:30 p.m. with a tour of Athens Middle School.

Festivities pick back up at 6 p.m. at Yesterdays Event Center, 15631 Brownsferry Road in Athens, where classmates will have dinner and a program giving awards to classmates and honoring former teacher Howard Jaggers. There will also be a memorial service for deceased classmates.