Bray-Doyle Alumni Ready for 1st All-School Reunion

When Margie Stallons realized the Bray-Doyle Alumni Scholarship funding was in danger of disappearing, she took the initiative. Through the process she has learned new skills and tackled projects she never anticipated.

Stallons, who was president of her Class of 1993 at Bray-Doyle High School, received help in the way of a friend, Helena Goodrich, and a teacher, Amy Pass. Prior to the organization of the trio committee, Stallons visited with others to come up with a solution. An All-School Reunion for all past classes of BDHS, was the answer. Generating funds for the scholarship account is the ultimate goal. While there have been many class reunions over the years, this is the first reunion for all past classes of the small rural school.

“My class of 19, we thought, if we got 50 people to come to a reunion ... right now (as of Tuesday evening), we have more than 100 people registered,” Stallons said. “It’s important for kids to get those scholarships. It’s a great tradition and it helps them with tuition and other expenses.”

The late Pat Bloomer, who was a science teacher at Bray, was one of the original founders behind the scholarship program, she said. Also, Rovena Branum has reunion coordination

experience from 2018. “She’s been a great mentor to me,” Stallons said.

“I love my community and we want to get more donations to cover the cost of the reunion and have money for at least two years of scholarships,” Stallons said.

Stallons has also created a website – www.bdalumnireunion.com – which she said was a big project, but once it was finished, it has helped take a lot of things off her list of “must-do’s.”

Anyone wanting to register for the upcoming All-School Reunion, or make a donation at anytime now or in the long-term future, can do so through the website.

Stallons is president, Goodrich is vice president, and Pass is treasurer. Stallons is also grateful for Sonja Cummings at BancFirst in Marlow for helping her establish a new scholarship account. Stallons believes so much in this venture and in her community that she put in $100 to open the account.

“I’m the one who never wanted to move away from here. I just want everyone to have a good time. It will be casual, plenty of time for visiting, and there will be some old yearbooks for everyone to look at.”

The 2023 Bray-Doyle Alumni Reunion (all school) will be held at Kochendorfer Brewing, 1155 McCurdy Rd, in Duncan (past the Lawton-Duncan Y on the east side near the Industrial Park). The rock band, Von Hawks Rising, will be performing live at the event. There is a ticket cover price that helps cover the cost of the reunion, Stallons noted. The event will be held 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 23.

This article was published in The Marlow Review, June 15, 2023.