2014 Douglass-Slater Reunion: Loving Memories, Forging Tomorrows

Friends, family and loved ones gathered to enjoy each other's company, at the 2014 edition of the Douglass-Slater Reunion.

The get-together every two years, reunites students from Bristol's two former African-American high schools, Douglass High School in Bristol, Virginia and Slater High School in Bristol, Tennessee.

The two schools held separate reunions for a while.. Douglass' started around 1976, and Slater's began around 1978.

Margo White is the president of the Douglass Alumni association for 2014.. Tommy McDaniel is Slater's alumni president.

"These reunions are special, because they bring back and emphasize our roots and our heritage," McDaniel says. "Friends and families get to come together and have fun, just like we did when we were in school. Those loving memories are important."

Both Douglass and Slater began joint reunions in 2000, and the histories of the two schools are very similar. Though less than a mile apart, the only thing that physically separates them is the Tennessee-Virginia state line. Other than that, students and families from both schools all know each other, and did, back when.

"Times were hard back in the 1940's, 50's and 60's," says McDaniel, himself a 10-year veteran of Slater, starting school there in 1956. "We didn't have much. Some of the students who came to the schools did have food to eat. The biggest meals they had, were at school. That meant a lot to them and it makes their return to these school reunions even more special. Everybody formed a special bond that was never broken."

"Family" was the key word back then, even though McDaniel says, it was never emphasized. It was just always present.

"Teachers at both schools took care of their students, and in many cases, students took care of students," he remembers. "Even past that, parents took care of their kids and then they took care of other parents' kids, too. All we had were families that knew each other and loved each other."

"We are a close-knit group, and that togetherness has lasted for generations."

At the 2014 Reunion picnic held at Steele Creek Park, those former students and families enjoyed bingo, card games, bean toss, and of course, good food. There was plenty of reminiscing and kidding around, but it was with a guarded optimism.

"Our school reunions are not like Dobyns-Bennett or Science Hill or Tennessee High (where McDaniel graduated in '67)," he says. "Unlike them, we, as African-American high school alumni have a finite number of alumni. Every year, those schools get to add to their alumni base with new seniors graduating. We don't have that luxury. Our numbers have been dropping ever since integration in 1965. Every year, we have dozens of black alumni who will not see the next school reunion, and there are no graduating seniors to replenish the alumni numbers."

Therefore, these reunions have a two-fold purpose.

"First and foremost," McDaniel says, "we have to get our descendants, the younger people involved in remembering the heritage of the schools. It's vitally important to pass along the schools' histories to the younger generation. We absolutely have to bring them on board and stress the importance of remembering where they came from. Our history is their history. The sad fact is, we don't have people here today, that were here laughing and joking around back in 2012. It's a challenge to involve young people in something most of them have no interest in, but our challenge is clear.

The Douglass-Slater Banquet is where the next part of the reunion's purpose becomes clear.

"The next thing we have to do is enjoy the time that we as former students have together," says McDaniel. "Nobody knows but if this is the last time we see each other. At the banquet, we get to dress up in theme clothing and have a good time, appreciating each other's company. We want our folks to have a good time at the banquet because we get to honor our alumni members, celebrate those who have achieved above and beyond the goals we set for ourselves, and award our scholarships to the young descendants who we hope, will carry on the banner.

Acknowledging that everybody looks a little different now, McDaniel says the way they were all raised, shaped backgrounds that will never change.

"Although we may live apart, we are still together as alumni," he says. "We still love each other like we did when we went through those school doors for the last time. "That's what binds us together.. keeps us as one."

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