MACON, Ga. — The history of Ballard-Hudson Senior High School dates back several years.
The Class of 1967 attended the school during segregation.
Now, in 2022, the class has their class reunion this weekend.
"The school had limited resources, but teachers tried their best to do everything they could to make sure students had what they needed," said Emory Gross, a graduate.
One of his teachers in particular made a lasting impact on him. He still remembers the kindness of his trigonometry teacher and homeroom teacher, Bobby Jones.
"He made sure that we got everything that we needed," Gross said. "Our books were outdated, but Bobby Jones ordered special pamphlets to keep us up to par with society. "
Despite some limitations in the classroom, the school created very successful graduates.
"Some of my books were dated 10 years back, it was hard to keep up with society," he said, "But we did the best we could and we had some outstanding results."
Doctors, teachers, and athletes graduated from the high school.
Gross was a proud member of the band. The band was amazing, he said.
"Oh, man, there were good times, good times," he said. "Especially, when we went to Columbus. That used to be a long band trip, and we just had fun."
Geraldine Thomas, another graduate, was part of the Imperial Debs, a social club she loved.
She said her and her friends would socialize and have fun together during the club.
Thomas graduated and became an electronics technician for the Robins Air Force.
The class considers each other family.
"We had a continuity while we were here at Ballard-Hudson Senior High," she said.
Thomas also considers her teachers at the high school as dedicated and caring.
"Our teachers taught us well and they were pseudo-parents for us."
She said she loved school so much. She said she never missed a day.
The other graduates we spoke to, Charles Peek, Marian Hughes, Beverly Wilson and Rose Miller, expressed gratitude and amazing memories of the school.
They like to get together as often as they can. Gross said they went to a cruise to Jamaica, and had a blast.
45 classmates will be attending the reunion for a weekend of fun activities. The first one is at the Elaine Lucas Senior Center at 7 p.m. There will also be a breakfast, a gala and a worship at a local church.