On Sept. 24, alumni of W.T. White High School can walk the building’s halls as if they never left.

Former students are planning the school’s first all-class reunion, which coincides with the school’s 40th anniversary. What started as a moderate-size gathering has evolved into a weekend-long celebration.

“This turned into more than I ever dreamed up,” says 1975 graduate Keller McCrary, one of the event’s organizers.

Activities start Friday with an afternoon golf tournament and the Longhorn’s football game that night. For five hours Saturday, attendees can mingle at the school and then head to an evening party at the Doubletree Hotel.

McCrary says Saturday afternoon’s gathering at the school is the “main event.”

Each graduating class will gather in a room or group of rooms at the school. Then attendees can move into the halls and mingle with other classes and teachers. Music from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s will play over the school’s speakers. Vintage video, transferred to DVD, will be shown on TV screens throughout the building.

“You can pretend like you’re turning the clock back 30 or 40 years,” he says. “It’s going to be fun.”

Alumni members of the band and choir are planning a concert in the auditorium. About 50 volunteers spanning the graduating classes of 1965 to 2000 are planning and coordinating events.

McCrary says the reunion also serves as way to recognize the school and its teachers – both current and former. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the school.

“It’s kind of a way for us as former students to give back and say thanks for getting us where we are today,” he says. “I just would like to see this as a chance to shine a little positive light back on them. A lot of them don’t realize how deeply they touched us.”

McCrary has been hunting down former teachers and posting video interviews with them on the W.T. White Classmates website. Clips feature former principals Charles Maples and Gene Golden.

“They are our stars,” McCrary says. “Every time I put one of them up, I just get hit with tons of people.”

Word of the reunion is spreading by word of mouth, assisted by the website. WTWhite.org lists all types of information about the reunion, as well as picture galleries, class listings and a discussion board. More than 2,000 people have signed up at the site, McCrary says.

“The Internet is making all this possible,” he says.