It was 1973.
As graduation closed in, both fear and excitement were on my mind thinking
about what I would do next. The next minute I was walking across the stage in
cap and gown being handed a piece of paper that proved I made it. I am now a
Carroll High School Class of 1973 graduate along with 650+ others that became
alumni that day. Here we are now, sliding into 50 years later.
Since the
very first reunion in 1983, I have been on the planning team. Our first 10-year
reunion was in Corpus Christi at the Holiday Inn Emerald Beach. The 20-year
reunion was in Corpus at the Omni hotel downtown. The 30-year reunion was a big
milestone for us again in Corpus at the Omni Hotel. Then the 40-year arrived
and we celebrated in Port A at the Sandcastle Resort. That was one of the best
for me! We figured out we were not getting younger so we planned a 5-year
reunion that led us to Reunion45 in Port A at the Seashell Village Resort. It
is hard to grasp but we are planning Reunion50 in 2023 now. Our goal for all
reunions has been to get as many alumni together as possible. It
takes a ton of work and a lot of hours but with the team we have, we have
pulled off some amazing events.
Other goals
include making it affordable for all, fun, with a time to rekindle those old
friendships. The events in Corpus were great and the events in Port A were
great. After the 45th reunion, the team all agreed that the 50th
should be big, something new and different, like never before.
Would you
agree that 50 years later, it is all about re-connecting, remembering high
school days, catching up, making a vacation out of it, and having a good time
together as a class? We can do all that at any location. We did the days of
going back to the high school, driving by our old house, and seeing how Corpus
has changed!
We are
currently looking for reunion locations in CC, and Port A. Port A by far has the best venues and the most affordable but
we are considering all options.
If you
remember, for the 45th reunion, we had a difficult time getting
alumni to register. We even threatened to cancel all our hard work preparing
because not enough people had registered and we were not going to be able to cover
the cost. We pleaded and at the last minute, we made it. Here we are 5 years
later with 200+ on our Facebook group and in the planning process. We have lost
some over the years and our group is not getting any younger. Knowing that with
a possible location change we may lose some but will gain some too.We feel the
best overall time of year is the fall; the weather is better, costs are lower,
and the crowds are less.
Reunion50, October 20,21, 2023
Class
of 73 Reunion Team
Bob Church
Nancy Cantu
Jeff Watson
Rick Cadden
Debbie Arnold
Vicki Maxwell Houston