About 150 proud B.M.C. Durfee High School graduates, many clad in red and black, gathered at McGoverns Family Restaurant in Fall River on Friday night for the schools 125th Anniversary Gala.

The celebration occurred on the very day Durfee was dedicated in honor of Bradford Matthew Chaloner in 1887.

We are proud of being part of Durfee and wanted to hold a celebration to honor the schools history, said Charlotte Thomas, secretary of the Durfee Alumni Association.

Beginning in January, members of the alumni association began spreading the word about the celebration. A message appeared in the Durfee Chimes, the schools alumni newsletter, and through word of mouth. Many retired Durfee alums who spend their winters in Florida were in attendance for the 125th celebration.

The Durfee Alumni Association sends out more than 17,000 alumni newsletters annually. Members of the association claim that it is the oldest continuously active alumni association in the nation, with the largest endowment fund. In a given year, the Durfee Alumni Association distributes $250,000 to 100 Durfee graduates.

Durfee alumnus Ronald Silvia designed a 125th anniversary refrigerator magnet that was handed out to members of the Class of 2012 and was also available at the anniversary gala.

Alumni representing nine decades were in attendance for the event, ranging from Faust Fiore, Class of 1936, to Amy Deslauriers, Class of 2012.

Alumni Association President Dot Nicolau opened the festivities by thanking graduates for attending. Silvia chronicled the schools rich history from its days on Rock Street to its current location on Elsbree Street.

Mayor Will Flanagan commented on the schools dedicated alumni and many distinguished graduates, including recent graduate Anita Pechenenko, who moved to Fall River from Kyrgyzstan with her mother when she was in the third grade and did not speak a word of English. Since that time, she has participated in numerous clubs and sporting teams while at Durfee. She was the 2012 class valedictorian and will enroll at Yale University in the fall where she plans to major in medical oncology.

Email Derek Vital at dvital@heraldnews.com.

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Alumni show true colors at Durfee's 125th Anniversary Gala