Oscar Denton hasn’t changed much since 1971 – maybe a few gray hairs, only a couple of wrinkles. But he still has the same smile and charismatic nature his classmates remember.

&#8220He was always a fun-loving character,” said Eva Hayward. &#8220He always liked to play tricks on everyone.”

Denton, now 52, was one of about 75 members of the Rosa A. Temple High School class of ’71 who gathered at Battlefield Inn Saturday night to celebrate their 35th reunion.

&#8220I think we’re a good-looking group to all be over 50,” he said. &#8220Every reunion just gets bigger and better. We just have more to celebrate.”

The class of ’71 has a special place in local history. It was the last graduating class from all-black Rosa A. Temple High. The school’s name was erased that year, as was that of its white counterpart, H.V. Cooper. While some racial mixing had occurred previously, students were assigned by zone starting in the fall of that year.

&#8220Back then, we were all raised by everybody in the community,” said Diane Thomas, who now lives in Memphis.

Vera Mayfield Lawyer, who now lives in Pensacola, Fla., agreed.

&#8220We walked to school every morning. I think we all did. That’s what you did back then,” she said.

And although they don’t necessarily all keep in touch, they remember what tied them together all the same.

&#8220We don’t really miss anything,” Thomas said. &#8220We pick right back up where we left off.”

Temple, the city’s all-black public high school, was built in 1959, the same year as Cooper. Brown v. The Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court decision of 1954, had decreed that the doctrine of &#8220separate but equal” was unconstitutional, but Mississippi went on a building binge – constructing schools as politicians promised to preserve segregation.

Other all-black public schools in Vicksburg were McIntyre Junior High on Cherry Street, Bowman Elementary and Ken Karyl Elementary.

Until 1971, Temple was open to black students in grades nine through 12. But under Vicksburg’s desegregation plan, senior students living in the city limits could choose Temple or Cooper. All juniors were required to attend Cooper; all sophomores attended Temple.

Debbie Carson Conway, who was student body president and homecoming queen in ’71, said she always recognizes her classmates.

&#8220I always remember their faces. They’ve changed somewhat, but mainly they’ve just matured,” she said.

Former teacher Thelma Watson was the special guest at Saturday’s banquet.

&#8220It’s wonderful seeing them all again. It’s a very rewarding experience,” said Watson, 82. &#8220I’m always proud to hear of accomplishments they’ve made.”

Watson taught in the Vicksburg Warren School District for 40 years until she retired in 1983.

&#8220I loved my students – every one of them. I said what I meant, and I meant what I said,” she said.

Members of the class remember her as an influential part of their high school years.

&#8220Some students were never in her class, but she was everyone’s teacher,” said Mildred Drake Gilliam.

One particular proverb Watson would make students recite really stuck with them.

&#8220Good, better, best, never let it rest until the good gets better and the better gets best,” Gilliam remembered.

Watson said it was an honor to be invited to reunite with the group.

&#8220So many teachers and students I once knew are no longer with us. I’m proud to be here and celebrate what all we’ve accomplished,” she said.

Saturday’s banquet marked the third night of reunion activities for the group. A memorial service and picnic were held Sunday to round out the weekend.