BA ’63 alumni socialize year-round

By Shari Goldstein Stern

East Dallas may not have beautiful vineyards, but it is home to some top, would-be wine caves. Bryan Adams (BA) ’63 alumni have designated Ozona Grill & Bar on upper Greenville as the class’ own wine cave — not to be confused with a “man cave,” an entirely different phenomenon. Every Monday after work and after retirees’ naps, some BA ’63 alumni transform Ozona into their own hangout. This location doesn’t serve $900 bottles of wine under crystal chandeliers, but the neon signs are bright and the affordable beer sure is cold.

Clark Willingham recently invited me to drop by Ozona any Monday afternoon. After all, my sister, Evie, also graduated with the BA class of ’63. What an opportunity it was to find out what your older sister was really like in high school! Most impressive, though, is how much beyond camaraderie these friends share for one another. Many didn’t even know each other in high school. Now, there’s a genuine bond and love between all of them.

Willingham is one of the leaders of the gang (not to be confused with the Jets’ and Sharks’ gang leaders). He has also dubbed himself, “Self-appointed Head Honcho of the BA 1963 Reunion Planning Committee.” While their 40th class reunion was in 2003, they got off to an early start. “We didn’t want to wait another five years to get together. You never know how many classmates will still be around from one year to the next,” Willingham quipped. 

The “Head Honcho,” along with Spike Hall, Butch Meador, Tom Stephens and Colby Jones originated the weekly “reunion planning meetings” in the spring of 2003, and they haven’t skipped a beat. The group was all men in the beginning.

While they held their early reunions at Lakewood Country Club a couple of times, they tried changing their event to a more casual venue. Each place shut down afterward, including The Enclave and Gershwin’s. They agree they are not taking it personally. According to Meador, “As long as an establishment serves Chardonnay, Scotch and imported beer we’re good.”

“We went to several different places and finally settled on Ozona because of the cheap margaritas and free chips and salsa,” Willingham said. They’ve been meeting at Ozona for six years. They send Joan, their server at Ozona, accolades. She’s part of the group.

The Honcho is an attorney specializing in estate planning. He and his wife, Jane, have two grown children, both Ivy League University graduates, and seven grandchildren, ranging from nine to 16, all in Dallas.

Jane Willingham, who is an area stage and film actress, didn’t attend BA, but she joins her husband, Clark, at enough BA events that everyone has bonded with her throughout the years as one of the alumni.

The only times they’ve canceled have been for inclement weather. A core group of about six to 16 get together each week, including some spouses. The tradition started when Willingham ran into his old BA friend, Butch Meador, at the Enclave near Presbyterian Hospital. As they came across other alumni, they invited them to join the tradition at the Enclave, which came to include Colby Jones, Tommy Stephens and Spike Hall. 

A few women from the class stepped in and have met with the ’63 alumni “reunion planning committee” weekly. Deleyne Garten True is a group regular and said, “I am there because I have grown to love these friends and need their conversation.” She continued, “I want to check on their well-being every week. I have gone to visit them in hospitals, nursing homes, I go to funerals and to parties, all out of friendship, which is vitally important to me.”

True is the mother of three, with six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She is a veteran entrepreneur, having had a cleaning service for new construction for 37 years. She added, “I started a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan service in 2008 for construction projects that disturb dirt of over one acre.”

In addition to the friends who initiated the group, Stan Spitler, Tommy Stephens and Brenda Veaach Burden have joined. Patty Cresswell Nicholson, Lana Ohde Perry and Pam Panos Pendleton (BA ’65) are also among the “merry makers.” As the class’s Alumni Association representative, Beverly Martin Snow has been able to access alumni lists and records. Willingham refers to Veach Burden as his “right hand man.”

The alumni have other get togethers throughout the year, like sporting events. An activity the group enjoys together is a brainchild of Butch Meador and his wife, Lynn. Their home off Mockingbird near Hillside Village has a lake behind it. Every year they host a get together at their home when they launch a sailboat with Santa at the helm. It’s become another BA ’63 tradition. BA graduating classes in the 1960s were enormous, with as many as 1,000 graduates. Despite their size, a number of those classes have remained tight-knit, with the class of ’63 being among the tightest.

  Featured