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Seems as if everyone in my community starts to reflect on old high school days after they hit the magic age of 50.

This reflection is usually brought on by the sudden realization many of your high school classmates and friends are dying; many them are suffering from various health problems that have altered their lives.

The thought of growing old without old friends makes you want to get it on the good foot one more time before they depart this life.

When one or more of these things happens, it usually triggers a cry for a class reunion. After a few well-intended phone calls to various classmates and friends, the word starts to spread and the interest starts to snowball as one person after another realizes they had better start tripping down memory lane before time runs out.

Grant you, many classes realized these facts years ago and have had many awe-inspiring class reunions. These people have reconnected and reaffirmed those life long bonds of friendship.

Folk that live here in High Point don't seem to get as excited about reunions as those who moved away. We can add moving away from High Point as another dimension that prompts the need to organize and attend reunions.

It is so sad that folk pass up the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and relatives. Maybe they had a bad experience as a student; maybe they think they look old; smell old, think old, put on a few pounds, or feel they may be put down or looked down on my classmates.

I am sure there are members of every class who think they are God's gift, but based on the reunions I have attended or heard about, these folks are few in number and have been this way all of their lives.

When folks get older, friendships become much more important than accomplishments and self-importance.

Based on my research and writing, most folk assume that I graduated from William Penn High. I wish I did. However, I got married the beginning of my senior year, and I had to leave Penn. I finished my senior year at Lutheran Junior College in Greensboro.

Even though I didn't graduate with the Class of 1959, they still consider me part of the class and extend invitations to attend their reunion every two years.

I say this hoping it will help others to re-evaluate their reason for not joining in reunions.

These not only help keep memories of our black icon William Penn alive but help us reconnect with our black roots - roots that need more nourishment.

During Memorial Day w eekend, there were two William Penn class reunions in High Point - the classes of ' 66 and ' 58. My brother, Bruce, was in the class of ' 58 and recalls a call from Charles Gripper regarding getting a reunion together. Then I heard classmates Paul McAdoo and Nora Garlington were going full steam ahead with a 50th anniversary reunion.

Both classes did something that made me proud. They decided to have their picnics at Washington Terrace Park, affectionately referred to by us old timers as "The Park." Both classes had their picnics May 25, and the turnout was great. With the age difference between these two groups, you can imagine how the stories regarding their time spent at Penn varied.

I have saved the best for last because that was the theme of the class of '68, the last class to graduate from William Penn.

I attended the various functions put on by this class, and it didn't take me long to figure out they had put together something that will be remembered and cherished by all in attendance.

This class decided to have all of their meaningful events on the campus of the old William Penn High - our most famous black icon.

From the picnic beneath the old oak trees July 4 to the formal dinner program and dance in the old gym July 5, this group put together a reunion that would make everyone who has entered and exited the doors of Penn extremely proud ... and maybe just a tad envious.

Their T-shirts were embroidered; each table setting at the dinner had a cloth napkin embroidered with the name William Penn, a colorful souvenir booklet, and an 8-by-5-inch card with the school alma mater on top of a black and white picture of the front entrance to the Penn auditorium.

I feel honored not only to have been part of this outstanding reunion celebration but to have been the guest speaker. I was even given a trophy, not for speaking that night, but for what I am doing to help uplift my community. What an honor!

As I left the gym that evening I looked back and watched the class members doing the "Cupid Shuffle." At that moment, I knew the ghosts of our ancestors had truly blessed this historic reunion.

Remember, when we have family reunions at "The Park" or on the campus of William Penn, we are not only supporting our famous black icons, we are helping to preserve icons that I believe have been on a list for closure ever since the '60s.

The less you know about something, the more inclined you are to find reasons to close it down.

We must support and defend all threats to those black icons that our ancestors begged for, so generations to come might look back and say, "There once was an all black high school" or "There was once an all black community park."

Jerry Camp has seen the expression on kids' faces when these facts are muttered. Diversity is great, but never at the expense of giving up your identity.

By the way, your last shot at enjoying a reunion this year will be the Pointers reunion which will be held in High Point during Labor Day weekend.

This reunion is for anyone who considers themselves a Pointer. If nothing else, come on out and hear me speak on the subject of our local black history. Y'all come and get it on the good foot. This is a good opportunity to put diversity into action!

Glenn Chavis researches and writes about High Point's black history. Contact him at Storytime40@aol.com