When 19 former high-school classmates met recently for their 56th reunion, it was as if they’d never missed a beat.

  Perhaps one reason for this is because, in many cases, they hadn’t.

  That sense of togetherness was a recurring theme when the Henry County Training School class of 1963 reunited at Golden Corral in Stockbridge on April 24.

  Christine Burns of Locust Grove organizes gatherings for the class on a monthly basis, in addition to the annual reunion. Over the years, her classmates have dubbed her “Momma Christine” due to her efforts in preserving the group’s bond.

  Burns said her classmates’ interactions with each other are, by no means, limited to once a year.

  “We meet at least once a month, and that’s in order to stay together,” said Burns. “We also have a picnic in October. We’ve been doing that for seven years. That’s how we’ve been together for the last 56 years. We go on trips, too. We go to Macon at least three times a year.”

  Burns said the class of 1963 was a close-knit group in their school days, and that they get together as often as possible to stay that way.

   “We are in this together,” said Burns. “We’re just like a big family. We get along as classmates, we get along as family, and we get along as friends.”

  The connections among members of the class of 1963 extend well beyond the walls of Henry County Training School. In fact, three sets of classmates are married to each other, including Robert and Mildred Byrd, Jimmy and Shirley Goggins, and John and Gurlene Turner.

  Gurlene Turner of Stockbridge has attended reunions with the class of 1963 for the last several years. Doing so, she said, has taken on an increasingly deeper level of importance to her with the passage of time.

  “I enjoy coming mainly because it’s a nice feeling to know that all the classmates are sticking together — even though, during school time, everybody wasn’t exactly together,” said Turner. “Now that we’ve gotten older, we realize what can happen in life. We’re beginning to participate and be more together with each other than we did in school because when you’re in school, you’re acting only in a group. Now that you’ve gotten out, you’ve aged and gotten wiser, you find it more necessary to participate with people that you grew up with.”

  Henry County Training School educated black students in the area prior to integration. For Jimmy Goggins of Decatur, reunions with his former classmates serve as a reminder of their lifelong bond.

  “We were all in it together, so that made it easier,” said Goggins. “I think this is one of the closest-knit classes that ever came out of Henry County Training School. I guess it’s because when we were in school, we cared for each other, and we still care for each other. We try to support one another.”

  Ralph Wise of Jackson comes to the reunion every year, to see his former classmates once again and to reminisce about days gone by. He said although some members of the group have since passed away, others enjoy coming together to share tales of their children and grandchildren.

  Wise said the class of 1963 is like family to him.

  “Whenever one of them is sick or something, somebody will call and let us know,” said Wise. “It’s just good fellowship together, like family. It’s just something that you enjoy because you remember growing up and everything.”

  Patricia Stafford of Riverdale also graduated from the school in 1963, before working as an educator in Henry County. She then lived in North Carolina for 15 years, before coming back to the area in 2003.

  The reunion marked Stafford’s third time seeing her former classmates since returning to Henry County.

  “It means a whole lot to me,” said Stafford. “I haven’t seen them for many years, and it just brings back memories when I see them. Everybody has gone and been in different professions, and some have retired.   “When we organized this group, I was the first president of the group,” continued Stafford. “They’ve been carrying it on, and I’m just so happy that Christine has been the one to lead and carry the group on over the years that I was away. She’s very good at that. So, I’m just thankful to be back with them.”