By H.M. Cauley

As printed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Remember the name of your high school prom date? Marvalene Taylor hasn't forgotten hers, though it’s been 52 years since she attended her prom at Cobb Avenue High School in Anniston, Ala.

Her date more than a half century ago was Booker Taylor, the same man with whom she’s marking her 50th wedding anniversary this September.

Before the couple reached that fall milestone, they shared a flashback to the past by going together as a couple to the “senior” prom.

The 67-year-old Taylor and her husband relived their teenage years at a prom staged by Senior Connections, an organization that runs six senior centers and several programs around metro Atlanta. Taylor, an assistant manager at the group’s south DeKalb center on Candler Road, had another memorable night at this gala event, held at Agnes Scott College on May 22.

“I did some things for myself that day; I got my hair done, my nails, the works,” she said. “I wanted to look very special for the event.”

Taylor’s husband, a retired truck driver, 73, is confined to a wheelchair, but that didn’t damper the couple’s enthusiasm to attend another prom.

“He’s always ready to go,” Taylor said. “He didn’t have to be talked into going. He kept telling everyone we met, ‘I’m going to the prom with my wife.'"

The Taylors had a chauffeured ride, courtesy of the MARTA van that collected them from their home in Lithonia and returned them after the party. While at the event, they were treated to a three-course dinner and a live band that played a variety of music from rock to waltzes.

“One of the highlights was when they asked how many people had been together for 50 years,” Taylor said. “Surprisingly, there were quite a few of us there.”

Hazel Gonzalez, who manages Senior Connections’ south DeKalb senior center, said more than 300 retirees attended this year’s prom. It was the third year an event was held. This one was different, organized as a fundraiser that netted $58,000 for the group’s programs.The latest event was memorable for several reasons.

“It was a fabulous event, very elegant with a seated dinner, dancing, a silent auction and several elected officials as speakers,” Gonzalez said. “The seniors here are still talking about it.”

The Taylors’ three grown children shared in the nostalgic moment with their parents. “They were so excited that they came over and took a lot of pictures,” said Taylor with a laugh.

The outing also gave Taylor a chance to reflect on her first prom.

“It was a big night,” she recalled. “It was exciting for both of us and I remember we really looked forward to it. We were really good friends then and we cared for each other. But we were young and didn’t realize it would lead to what it’s become.”

Taylor came away from the evening with a notable insight that no amount of time could alter.

“It reminded me that proms are still pretty much the same," Taylor said. "They don’t change very much.”