Grady grads of all generations share reunion

GRADY - Public school discipline has changed through the years.

Ask Kit Pettigrew, Grady High school class of 1947.

"They'd make us bend over and hold our ankles," he said. Next came 10 licks with a paddle.

Did Pettigrew deserve the whippings? Well ... Pettigrew recalled a Halloween night in which he and friends went to a teacher's house. "We knocked on her door and threw a bucket of water on her," he said.

About 100 people gathered at Grady's Allen Hall on Sunday for an annual all-class reunion that, of course, included the sharing of memories.

Karla Malone, from the class of 1975, said she comes from a long line of Grady High grads who've been getting together for at least 50 years. "It's always been a great time," she said of the gathering that takes place the Sunday before Memorial Day.

LaNell Leatherwood, class of 1972, described Sunday as "a day of celebration for those who have gone on before us, and those who are still with us."

While the day was filled with food, hugs and handshakes, the stories took center stage.

Remember when girls couldn't wear pants to school or participate in agriculture classes? Or the time Eddie Stanfield rode his motorcycle through the hallways?

Members of the class of 1967 said Stanfield, now deceased, had some help. Stan Fury and Allen Summerall were among those who told the tale from their perspective, perhaps with a few embellishments.

Willard Wright, they said, a teacher with a no-nonsense reputation, was credited with motivating Stanfield to end his ride.

The pranks seldom got out of hand, alumni remembered, thanks in part to guidance from earlier generations of Grady High residents.

"We knew how much they loved us," Leatherwood said. "That kept us from getting in a lot of trouble."

Avery Lee said, "The older generations leave this legacy of being involved."

Skylar Saul said, "Everyone knows everyone, so it makes it easier for them to push us and support us."