Class of ‘72 celebrates 50th reunion

By Melinda L. Lucas

About two dozen members of the Albany High School Class of 1972 celebrated their 50th reunion with a couple of activities over the weekend, meeting at the Whitney Theatre after Friday night’s game, then getting together again on Saturday.

They also rode in the homecoming parade on Friday.

Betsy Black Parsons, who hosted the events, said that four other classmates had planned to attend but weren’t able to come because of COVID and other illnesses.

She also mentioned that 18 of the Class of 1972 still live in the Albany school district, with a few others in surrounding towns.

David Priest, who lives outside Nashville, Tennessee, traveled the farthest to be at the reunion.

The Class of ‘72 was this year’s “Honor Class” for the 2022 AHS Homecoming, and Priest was selected to be the group’s Coming Home King, with Donna Freudiger Parker of Albany named Coming Home Queen.

Several class members went to the Albany Ex-Students Association meeting Saturday morning, then during a get-together that evening, they visited with former teachers Ken and Carolyn Hill and Betty and Art Viertel. They also played Albany school trivia and 1972 trivia, and remembered the nine classmates they have lost.