Gordon Gregg, a 70-year-old from Bryan, remembers walking into Crockett Elementary School the day it opened to students.
He describes the building, which had just been completed, as a "state-of-the-art facility" complete with fresh paint and new furniture.
"It's hard to believe 60 years passed like that," he said. "I was 10 years old when I started here."
Gregg was one of more than 50 former and current Crockett students gathered at the elementary school Tuesday to celebrate the 60th anniversary.
As part of the celebration, school officials put pictures on display for community members who wandered the cafeteria in search of school memories.
Crockett opened in 1949 as a response to a growing community. At the time, the school was segregated and served students in first through sixth grades.
Mae Holleman, 88, said she was just starting her career when she began teaching fifth grade at Crockett in 1949. Back then, she said, teachers were encouraged not to get married, have children or wear "slacks," she said.
Holleman worked next door to a fourth-grade teacher, Thelma Nolan, who another guest at the celebration said had impacted his life tremendously.
Fred Forsthoff, 69, said he started at Crockett as a fourth-grader in Nolan's class the year it opened.
"We remained close friends for many years," he said. "She passed away in 1995."
For Forsthoff, he said, Crockett will always remind him of the lifelong relationship he had with his teacher.
It's that camaraderie that has stuck with school staff and students through the years, said Judy Joiner, Crockett's principal. She said she attended the third grade at Crockett in 1958.
"The standards have changed, testing is different, but a lot of it is the same," she said. "We're still teaching kids and building positive relationships."
Second-grade teacher Leticia Garcia said she attended Crockett from kindergarten through fourth grade and knew she wanted to come back to the school when she saw a position open. She said she has seen the building go through some changes, but the school spirit remains the same.
"What hasn't changed is the love and the education you get," she said.
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