West Belton/Harris High School reunion set for this weekend

Monday, 30 July 2012 by Matthew Girard

Willena Funderburke (left) and Hazel Solice Hardy (right) look at pictures during the West Belton/Harris High School reunion at the Harris Community Center in 2010.The Harris Community Center will be full of its former residents this weekend as members of the graduating classes of West Belton/Harris High School for their 15th bi-annual reunion.

The reunion is held every two years and brings together students who attended the predominantly African-American school until 1966.

Class of 1960 and West Belton/Harris High School reunion president Ora Jean Butler the reunion is special for all the former students.

"It is a special time for us because most of us that are attending these reunions are ones that graduated before the schools were integrated," Butler said. "Especially now that he can use the Harris Community Center, which is where we all graduated from, we get to walk the halls and talk about all of our memories and former teachers."

West Belton Colored High School was established in the lat 1880s. The school was destroyed by fire in 1935 and rebuilt in 1936 and renamed Harris High School in honor of a former principal. Belton schools were integrated in 1963 and Harris High was phased out in 1966.

Graduates first starting hosting reunions in 1983 and 2010's reunion brought nearly 200 people back to Belton.

The reunion will kick off at 7 p.m. tonight with a social at the Harris Community Center and a Prayer Breakfast will follow on Friday morning. On Friday evening, a banquet will be held with former teacher Samuel Montgomery giving the keynote speech.

Saturday's events include a golf tournament at Sammons Golf Course in the morning, with an indoor picnic at the center in the afternoon.

Saturday's festivities will conclude with a dance and the reunion will wrap up with a memorial service at Bethel A.M.E. on Sunday.

"This year we are expecting around 125 people," Bulter said.

Graduates as from as far as California, New Mexico and Florida will be in attendance according to Butler.

"We are grateful that we can get together every other year," Butler said. "We always have a good attendance.

For more information about the West Belton/Harris High School bi-annual reunion, contact Ora Jean Butler at (254) 933-0250 or Joan Daniels at (254) 780-2281.

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