Graduates of Dreher High School’s Class of 1955 started school with friends from their neighborhoods. Now they’re hoping those schoolmates from their early school years will join them as they celebrate their 50th Class Reunion September 30 at Leaside.

“Harden Street was the cut off,” recalled Lathan Rhame Lane, corresponding secretary of the reunion committee. “Many of our friends from Schneider and A.C. Moore Elementary Schools were zoned for Columbia High School, but we would love for them to come to our reunion since we all started out together.”

Lane said so far a few friends of the class who were in early grades with later Dreher High School graduates have responded, saying they’d be pleased to join the fun. “But we want more of them to come. We have a lot to catch up on.”

The distinguished Class of ’55 was undefeated in football that year, was beaten in basketball by only one opponent, including the USC Basketball freshman team. The accomplishments of some class members is of pride to all.

“We have a retired female colonel in the military, the captain of our basketball team became an ophthalmologist, we’ve had people working with NASA.” Lane said one class member married a man who became NC’s governor, and the class’ beauty queens are still beautiful,

“Rock Hudson chose our Miss Blue Devil, Mary Alva Ruff, and Janie Lee Robinson was our homecoming queen. Sherry Clark was Miss Senior.”

Ronnie Melvin, class president and head cheerleader, led a spirited group; many have become cheerleaders for Columbia throughout their lives.

Julie Petosky (Smoak), Nancy Hiller (Crawford), Mary Lou Strasser, and Alex Vaughn were joined in those cheers by Robinson, Joe Padgett (now retired from banking) and Joe Brantley (a retired dentist.)

Gone from the Millwood and Devine Street landscape are the Cotton Patch and Bee Hive drive–ins where class–skipping seniors slipped off to, but those haunts are still very much present in the Blue Devils’ collective memories.

“There was a drugstore across the street, too.” Lane recalled that seniors much preferred the drug store counter to the school lunchroom.

If the reunion committee hasn’t found you, or if you started school with this class at another school, please contact Lane at 256-3077.