They graduated in 1972. Most turn 72 this year. And they were the last graduating class from the original Melrose High School building at 743 Dallas St. in Orange Mound.
About 150 of the high school cohort’s 410 graduates reunited Saturday, Oct. 3, at La’Sherrelle Event Center in Hickory Hill for a night of music, dancing, games and memories. The theme called for denim, diamonds and decades of memories. Classmates answered with bedazzled jeans, sparkling sneakers and glittering accessories. Others wore Melrose apparel. No matter how they arrived, they came to reconnect, reminisce and celebrate milestones.
DJ Kelvin Greer played hits from the 1970s while classmates danced, played games and won door prizes, pausing to grab a plate of food prepared by a familiar caterer.
“Bear’s Catering has been with us for a long time. There’s been times when we have told him about something we wanted and he would go somewhere to taste it and then recreate it for us,” said Angela Hudson, one of the event planners.
The strong sense of pride felt by the members of the class of 1972 is as much about Orange Mound, where Melrose is located, as it is about the school itself. Developed in the 1890s, the community became a thriving neighborhood of Black homeowners, businesses, churches and schools during an era when segregation restricted where African Americans could live and own property.
“Back when we grew up, you really did not have to leave Orange Mound for anything. Orange Mound had it all,” said Michael Oysten, steering committee chair. “We not only went to the same school, many of us went to the same churches and we knew each other’s families.”
That pride was apparent in everything from questions asked during quiz games to the lapel buttons handed to classmates when they arrived. Former cheerleaders led a pep rally on the dance floor, shaking gold pom-poms and beckoning the crowd to join.
“Who’s everybody?” the cheerleaders asked.
“Melrose!” classmates yelled in response.
The cheerleaders called out, “Sixteen rahs for the team. Let’s go!”
The Golden Wildcats alumni responded in syncopation, “Hooray! Rah, rah, rah, rah, …” then followed the 16th “rah” with “Team, team, team — a little louder!”
Long before high school, many Melrose graduates at the event also shared another milestone: They all entered first grade when Hanley Elementary opened in 1961. Later, they attended Melrose Junior High before graduating together from high school.
“There are friends here that I have known since I was 5 or 6 years old,” said Gail Strong-Gant, crowned Miss Melrose 1972 alongside Earnest Tunstall who was crowned Mr. Melrose. “It’s a blessing to be with the friends that are here and to know that we are all doing okay right now.”
Strong-Gant’s family is considered Melrose royalty. Her sister, Gwendolyn Patsy Strong, was Miss Melrose 1964. Her brother, Gregory Strong, was Mr. Melrose 1965.
“Today has been so much fun! We are laughing, we are having a ball,” she said. “I looked around and one of us even got out of the wheelchair and started dancing.”
The class of 1972 has remained active, continuing to show support for Melrose and developing plans for its 55th reunion in 2027. But Erma Oliver, class treasurer, said another reunion almost didn’t happen.
“We had first said that after the 50th reunion we weren’t going to have any more,” Oliver said. “But then we started losing too many members. So, we decided that we needed to think of ways to get together more. We didn’t have to have anything big, just a party.”
For Saturday’s party, the classmates figured out how to have fun on a modest budget. They developed a plan, posted announcements on Facebook and began calling one another, Oliver said.
After receiving positive responses, the steering committee planned the Denim and Diamond celebration and agreed to move forward with a reunion next year.
“Our community is proud and we are proud to be graduates of Melrose High,” Strong-Gant said. “The class of ’72 — the best class!”
