Petersburg High School 60s Mega Reunion IV: 'Great music, food, margaritas on the beach'

PETERSBURG ­— The Petersburg High School 60s Mega Reunion IV beach weekend reboot took place September 7-10 at the Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach.

“'Wow! The best reunion ever!' was the overwhelming consensus of the 300-plus Petersburg High School alumni and guests who attended the reunion festivities," Jimmy Jacobs, Class of '65, said. "The weather gods were kind to us all weekend and made for a spectacular event."

Ranging in ages 67 to 82, the oldest alumni in attendance was 88-year-old Charlotte Harrison Zeb, ‘52, of The Villages, Fla. and older sister Joyce Archer Wallace, ’61, of Chester, Va.

The senior alumni gathered from throughout the country as former neighbors and several families reconnected. The Kutsher sisters Judy “Jinx” Kutsher Daniels, ’67, of Chattanooga, Tenn., Jann Kutsher Young, ’72, of Newton, N.J. and Kathe Kutsher Scripture, ’69, of Harrisonburg, Va. and the VanLandingham brothers Jimbo VanLandingham, ’68, John VanLandingham, ’64, from Eugene, Ore. and Kevan VanLandingham, ’70, of Durham, N.C. were some of the several siblings in attendance.

Highlights included the Connexion Zone featuring Morgan Davis, former CEO and Chairman of Towne Bank in Norfolk, on the piano orchestrating singalongs from his 60s and 70s songbook.

Local musicians John Holt, Hugh Gates, Marvin Faison, ’70, and Mike Packer, ’66, “The Burwell’s Bay Blues Boys,” entertained beachside revelers Friday afternoon. Friday night opened with a high-energy Pep Rally which featured eight former cheerleaders, four majorettes, a drum roll, cheers and a PHS Alma Mater singalong. Joanne Hartman Beck, ’66, organized the cheerleading squad, and Mike Packer, ’66, Marvin Faison, ’70, and Mitch Bassman, ’65, provided drum accompaniment.

Friday evening closed with the high school students of the 60s favorite beach band, the Original Rhondels. Saturday morning opened with a Jazz Brunch and class photos accompanied by the Derby Day Dixieland Jazz Band, the house band from Colonial Downs Racetrack.

The Party Fins, a high-energy Jimmy Buffet tribute band played for three hours Saturday afternoon on the back patio of the hotel which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Eight-dollar margaritas were featured at the adjacent Surf Club Ocean Grill’s bar.

Saturday night’s wrap-up included recognizing 28 couples in attendance married 50 years or more to the same person. Three couples had reached 58 years of marriage: Larry and Mildred Williams, ’65, of Wellington, Fla., Billy and Brenda Pope, ’65, of Kitty Hawk, N.C. and Bill and Carolyn Reede, ’61, of The Villages, Fla. Roberta Javaris Stavredes, ’62, and her husband Pete from Raleigh, N.C. are going strong with 55 years, and Ruby Butcher Lewis, ’63, and her husband Vincent from Dinwiddie, Va. have been married the longest with 60 years.

The evening closed with the Fabulous Hubcaps, a costumed show band from Baltimore, Md., which features top hits and performers from the 50s, 60s and 70s. The band has toured the country for 50 years and this performance was part of their farewell tour.

Sunday morning closed with a short memorial service led by Ken Pritchett, ’60, a performance by Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums and a riveting 60-minute presentation by Kurt Smith who portrayed young Thomas Jefferson as Governor of Virginia.

"This Mega Reunion weekend, the fourth over 20 years, was the best. It returned to Virginia Beach and being there brought back many memories from our youth and many great moments with some of the classmates who attended this reunion," Ken Pritchett, ’60, said. "We had lots of great music, food and margaritas on the beach in memory of Jimmy Buffet who passed away a couple days before the weekend. Always great when this generation of PHS graduates get together."

Petersburg High School 60s Mega Reunion IV organizers:

• Chair: Jimmy Jacobs, ’65

• Vice Chair: Jimbo VanLandingham, ’68

• Entertainment: Mike Packer, ’66

• Secretary: Judy Berry Russell, ’65

• Treasurer: Joyce Archer Wallace, ’61

• Registration and Class Search: Alfred Elmore, ’65

• Hospitality: Jerry Tatum, ’65

• In Memorium: Janet Fisher Callis, ’68

Other class chairs and members included the following: Ken Pritchett, ’60, Van Robertson, ’61, Tommy McGeever, ’62, Linda Mills Cairns, ’65, Bob Walker, ’66, Margaret Schulze Worley, ’67, Wanda Mayes Whitney, ’68, Frances Branzelle Morgan, ’70, Michael Bristow, ’70 and Susan Berberich, ‘72.

"Three hundred-plus from the Petersburg High School classes of 1960-1970 with guests from 1958, 1959, 1971-1976 descended on 'VA Beach' wondering if it was possible to have as good a time as we had at Mega I, Mega II and Mega III," Janet Fisher Callis, '68, said. "We left agreeing this was the best Mega yet and asking who is planning Mega V."

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— Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.

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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia Beach: Petersburg High School 60s Mega Reunion IV big hit