NATCHEZ — Former Jefferson Military College cadet Sidney Moore has not visited Natchez in nearly 20 years, but he and his wife and children gathered as a family for the first time in almost 40 years for a special family reunion in Natchez.

Moore, his wife, Diana, and children, Roderick Moore, Shawneen Peterson, Pamela Hamel, Monica Bazarek, and Brett Moore flew to Natchez from their respective homes around the country to join 19 former cadets and their relatives at Saturday’s 33rd annual Jefferson Military College reunion.

Moore celebrated the 70th anniversary of his graduation from JMC in 1942, but that was not the only special occasion for the family.

The family also celebrated Diana’s 80th birthday and the couple’s upcoming 60th wedding anniversary.

“It’s a bit of a trifecta,” Moore said.

Moore and Diana hail from Falls Church, Va., and their children live in various cities in Virginia, California and Illinois.

The family has not been together without the children’s spouses and the Moore’s 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren since the early 1970s.

“This is very strange for us to be here all together as a family,” Hamel said. “It’s been a very long time.”

Brett said he has enjoyed visiting Jefferson Military College, a place about which his father has told him a great deal.

“I remember hearing lots of family stories about this place,” he said. “It’s nice to be here seeing it for myself.”

Moore recounted stories familiar to his family of some of his most unforgettable memories from JMC as his family sat around a picnic table at Historic Jefferson College Saturday. Moore vividly recalled hearing the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 on the radio while in his dormitory.

“I was in that building right there,” he said pointing across the grounds to Carpenter Hall. “We didn’t even know where Pearl Harbor was, but we would soon find out.”

Moore, along with several of his classmates, went on to LSU after graduation. Moore entered the Navy and served as a sailor in World War II and later re-entered the Navy to serve as a public information officer during the Korean War.

Moore said the camaraderie and brotherhood he formed with his classmates is what stuck with him the most after leaving Jefferson.

“I had great friends, and I’ve tried to keep in touch with them through the years,” he said. “All of the ones I was really close to are gone now.”

Moore said he believed he was the only representative of the 1942 class present at the reunion.

“I really do think I am the oldest one here,” he said laughing.

Natchez resident Mike Gemmell, president of the Jefferson Military College Foundation, said Saturday’s reunion was slated to be the last, but he said the cadets voted to hold another reunion next April.

“Given the strong turnout and the renewed enthusiasm, we decided to continue the reunion next year,” Gemmell said.

Gemmell, who graduated from JMC in 1962, said the reunions allow cadets to add their memories to the history of the school and also help keep alive the school’s rich history.

“If we decide not to hold these meetings, these memories will disappear in the trash bin of history,” Gemmell said.

Over the years, the cadet group’s numbers have dwindled, but Gemmell said gathering each year to recount memories keeps the school’s memories alive.

“By the former cadets coming together each year and giving oral histories of their memories, we’re preventing these memories from continuing to disappear,” Gemmell said.

Jefferson Military College was founded in 1802 and was the first educational institution of higher learning in Mississippi. It opened its doors as a preparatory school in 1811 and held its last classes in 1964.

JMC was host to many historic and significant events including former vice president Aaron Burr’s trial for treason. Andrew Jackson camped his troops at JMC on the way to the Battle of New Orleans. John James Audubon reportedly taught at JMC, and John Wayne and John Ford filmed the famous movie Horse Soldiers on campus.

The college is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was restored by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in phases completed in 1977 and 1984.

Gemmell said he believes many locals take for granted the convenience and significance of having Jefferson College near Natchez.

“Beyond the urban mansions and beyond Under-the-Hill, here is a place that is very important to southwest Mississippi and now is a beautiful state park and a wonderful asset just 10 minutes from downtown,” he said.