CCHS class of 1983 celebrates 35th reunion

By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press 

For many, graduating high school marks a major milestone in their lives, and the people that graduate alongside them played a part in many special memories. However, as adults with busy lives and other obligations, it can be hard to stay in touch and keep up with people with whom we were once quite close to.
The Copperas Cove High School class of 1983 took the opportunity to rekindle old friendships and catch up with classmates with a two-day celebration of their 35th year reunion this past weekend. 
Friday night, more than 100 class of 1983 alumni met and reunited with old friends at Joker’s Ice House. They held a Golf Scramble at the Hills of Cove Golf Course Saturday morning, and the weekend culminated with a dinner followed by a mix and mingle at Shilo Inn Saturday night.
“It’s awesome. We’ve had a lot more than expected,” said Nancy Nelson who helped organize the event alongside Wendy Lawrence. “It was really neat to get together because we were talking about how, ‘Wow, 35 years!’ You don’t feel old. We don’t feel like we’ve been out of high school for 35 years.”
Nelson added that it’s good to hear about what the others have been up to and what they’ve been doing. She said that although some have moved far away, many still live in the area, but she never sees them. 
Facebook has helped with keeping up connections, but Nelson said that many of them never see each other or talk with each other except for during the reunions.
“I think we were a close class,” said Nelson. “A lot of us grew up together and we were close. We’re like family.”
In addition to rekindling, many had fun checking out old yearbook photos and seeing how much they’ve changed or stayed the same as well as how silly their hair and clothing looked. Many chatted about old times and shared stories. Wendy Lawrence talked about how hard she’d worked to make sure she had the most photos in the old yearbook. 
As a class of Bulldogs, they talked about the change to Bulldawgs. Others chatted about how much the city has changed and how areas are unrecognizable. Overall, they generally had a great time among friends.
The event wasn’t exclusive to the class of ’83, attendees also included those from the classes of ’82 and ’84. Some have attended every reunion. For some, though, the 35th reunion was their first time seeing their classmates since graduating.
“I figured if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it all,” said James Steel who attended all three reunion events this weekend. This reunion was Steel’s first time attending a high school reunion. “It’s great. It’s fun reconnecting.”