Class of 1953 reunion
Navasota High School Class of 1953 alumni have been sent their email invitations to attend their 66th NHS class reunion at The Western Club Dancehall on SH6 Bypass in Navasota.
Classmates will return to Rattler Country for their 66th annual reunion at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 4.
Alumni typically gather each year for what generally turns into a laughter-filled return to Rattler Country. This year’s gathering will again host all surviving classmates and their spouses. The 2018 gathering was attended by eight guys and three ladies, plus their spouses and friends.
The 48 original graduate names are stored by officials at the Navasota ISD’s Superintendent’s Records Department. They were also published in the high school annual. In 1953, graduates attended their commencement ceremonies on the stage of the NHS Auditorium on Brosig Street.
Former Rattler students this year will enjoy Dutch treat lunches from the restaurant’s regular menu and take a pleasant three-hour trek down memory lane. A short business meeting will be held during the lunch break with planning for the 2020 reunion as the primary topic of discussion.
One of the event’s organizers, NHS alumni Bill Thane, expects the hall to be filled with plenty of story-telling, semi-truth remembrances and pleasant “catch up” conversations of all kinds. Planning and pre-reunion activities are being prepared by Thane and other returning classmates including Sam Estes, Bill Buchanan, Don Barrett and Pat Craddock.
Recently, former long-time Navasota ISD Superintendent Executive Secretary Emily Key and long-time Navasota High School Librarian Nancy Bouliane verified all 48 Class of 1953 graduates using an original document stored in the high school’s record vaults. The documents confirmed each of the 48 original graduates.
Thane noted that many alumni and their spouses were unable to attend the 2018 event due to medical or travel issues and other circumstances.
A new two by ten-foot Rattler Blue reunion banner was added to the group’s available hall decoration last year. Sam Estes continues to serve as “guardian” of the original banner and Craddock stores the backup. Planners are already working on next year’s 2020 reunion. All graduates are urged to confirm their mailing and email addresses to either Thane or Craddock at 10311 Linden Springs Dr., Houston, TX 77095.