THE HISTORY OF THE FAMILY REUNIONS

Background - Written by Barbara Pryor and sent out with correspondence for the 1st PFR in 1980.
THE HISTORY OF THE FAMILY REUNIONS

Background - Written by Barbara Pryor and sent out with correspondence for the 1st PFR in 1980.

About the latter part of 1978 or early 1979, Papa Pryor (Julius Pryor, Sr.) talked to Julius Pryor, Jr. about the family coming together for a reunion or some sort of get together.  Julius Jr. kept thinking about this conversation and began to envision this as a definite possibility. When he attended the funeral services for Uncle Jim Simmons in Detroit, he discussed the idea before returning to Montgomery with Uncle Estimo Pryor, William “Pete” Pryor, Jamesetta Mason, Frank Cook and other family members in Detroit.  They were very interested and expressed a desire to continue to work towards this goal.  Upon returning home, Julius Jr. approached Althea Chisholm and other family members in Brundidge and Montgomery.  Also, in November 1979, C.B.Pryor and some family members were in Montgomery for the annual Thanksgiving “Turkey Day Classic” Homecoming Football Game between Alabama State and Tuskegee.  They came to visit Julius Jr and Barbara following the game.  While having dinner at the home of Julius Jr. and Barbara Pryor, the conversation again turned to the possibility of a family reunion.  C.B. and his sons were enthused about the idea.

Thus began the “Saga of the Pryor Family Reunion”

  • 1980 – Our first planned reunion was in Montgomery, AL with Sunday services at the Brundidge, AL family’s church, County Line Baptist Church.  The 1st banquet was at the Holiday Inn in Troy, AL.
  • 1981 – We met in Detroit, MI where The Family Song was presented.
  • 1982 – The reunion was to be planned by a committee to be held somewhere other than a family member’s home city.  Somehow those plans did not workout.
  • 1983 – The Chicago, IL chapter hosted the reunion and t-shirts were introduced.  Here we decided to reunite every two years.
  • 1985 – We went to New Jersey and saw a play off-Broadway and went to the casino in Atlantic City.
  • 1987 – found us in Atlanta, GA enjoying southern hospitality with the first group picture.
  • 1989 – we returned to Montgomery and this time the banquet was video taped.
  • 1991 – Detroit had us again and this time we had sweatshirts as well as t-shirts
  • 1993 – This reunion found us living on the strip in Las Vegas, NV where Carrie Belle Fleming was living and hosted us. This was the smallest group, just 18, but we had a good time.
  • 1995 – Alfred and Wilma Pryor came to Las Vegas and invited us to Minneapolis, MN
  • 1997 – We went to St. Louis, MO and feasted on some good ol’ southern cooking at our picnic.
  • 1999 – The Julius Calvin Trimbles hosted the 1999 reunion in Cleveland, OH as we ushered in the new millennium
  • 2001 – we went back to Montgomery, where on Sunday we went to Dexter Ave King Memorial Church for worship service.
  • 2003 – Pam & Chip Grace hosted in Winston-Salem, NC.  We had a short race for those of us who really needed to run.
  • 2005 – 35 of us went on a Caribbean Cruise to Cozumel as our Port of Call
  • 2007 – we returned to Chicago where the Pryor Family Fashion Show resurfaced after originally debuting there in 1983.  We also enjoyed the contributions made to the first Pryor Family Cookbook
  • 2009 – We shared brotherly love in Philadelphia, PA
  • 2011 – Orlando, FL welcomed us.  The “Traveling Torch” was introduced here.
  • 2013 – We returned to Detroit for a record-tying 3rd time.  We were reminded, “Love Endures Through All Generations”.  The Pryor Family Historical Video also made its debut here.
  • 2015 – The Pryor Family went farther west than ever before to “Relax, Rejoice, and Reunion” with our hosts Loan & Jonathan Pryor and Jendayi & Vincent Smith.
  • 2017 – We visited a new city and created new memories “Goin’ Coastal” with hosts Jasmine Trimble and Dana Elmore in Charleston, SC.
  • 2019 – The Pryor Family went “Back to ‘Bama” and experienced the “new” Montgomery thank to the efforts of our hosts: Jackie & Joseph Trimble and Family.
  • 2021/2022 – The Covid-19 pandemic threw us off our normal cadence, so there will not be a gathering in 2021. But true to Pryor Family style, we will not be denied! OUR REUNION WILL GO ON!! We look forward to seeing everyone in July 2022.