Thomas Wolfe once wrote, "You can't go home again." whether true or not, it's definitely more difficult when the old home doesn't even exist anyrnore. That's almost the situation for the former teachers and students of Tuscaloosa High School. The class of 1979 was the last for the Black Bears. The class of 1980 graduated from the newly consolidated Central High School, comprising THS and the .old Druid High School.

But with about 20,000 THS graduates (and former educators) still around, memories of the old school days haven't died.

When former THS basketball, football and baseball coach Tom Taleton retired last year (after 23 years at THS, he coached golf at Tuscaloosa Academy for another 15 years), several hundred old students, players, fellow instructors and other friends turned out for the ceremony.

Many spoke with the coach, but then spent even more time getting reacquainted with each other.

The thing that impressed me most was how glad they were to see each other;" 'Tarleton said.

There were students there from many different years, and fellow staff members from throughout his career.

A similar party for longtime educator Anna Brown brought together about 1,400 of a similar crew.

So the idea began to coalesce: Why not have a mega-reunion, not just for one class, but for all the THS Black Bears?

If you know Tom, you know he's a master motivator," said Letitia Roberts, a longtime THS teacher who's working with Tarleton organizing Saturday's Tuscaloosa High School Black Bear Reunion.

Anyone with THS connections is invited, and there's no charge for any of the events.

"This is kind of a unity thing. It's kind of hard to lose your school," Roberts said.

"For a lot of people, it's still in our hearts. You hear about County High, and you hear about Druid, but this is our first effort to really get something together for Tuscaloosa High.

"Coach Tarleton felt like people loved just seeing each other. This is a dream of his."

Chas Horton, who works now at the Fitts Agency, was also drawn in to Tarleton's dream. He's an old friend of the coach; they eat lunch a couple of times a week. He's also a member of the class of 1979, the last Black Bears.

"When they did away with THS, the graduates lost something," Horton said. "We don't get to go back and see other classes at football and basketball games, we don't have a school to go visit.

No one's politicizing the reunion, everyone stresses. It's just about finding a way to reknot the old school ties.

"There's no hidden agenda," Tarleton said. "It's just a way to let good friends get together and visit with each other.

"All in all, it's just something we thought would be fun."

The reunion will start at 9 a.m. Saturday in Bowers Park.

There'll be different areas for the various decades to gather: The 1930s and 1940s grads will meet at Gym No.2 of the Belk Activity Centex; while the 1950s will meet at Gym No.1 of the Belk Center.

The 1960s and 1970s will meet at Minnie Sellers and Elk Pavilions, respectively.

There'll be a lunch and visit with teachers break from 11:15 to about 12:30 in Gym No.2.

Tours of the old facilities (the Board of Education office on 21st Avenue for classes 1953 and prior; Central High School West on 15th Street for classes 1954-1979) will be held from 1-2 p.m.

There will also be a guided tour of Bryant-Denny Stadium from 2:3-3:30, starting at the Alumni Hospitality House on Bryant Boulevard.

There will be food concessions, T-shirts and other items for sale.

Zap Photography will be on hand to capture union moments on film.

Estimates of people expected range between several hundred to 5,000.

"We started out thinking five or six hundred, but can handle a couple thousand," 'Tarleton said. "There seems to be a lot of interest, but we can't translate that into numbers.

"We just hope everybody will come."