Young or not, Devilettes haven't lost a step

By DONNA WINCHESTER

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 24, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- Thirteen members of St. Petersburg High School's Devilettes dance team spread out on the lawn at Bay Gables Bed and Breakfast Sunday afternoon for a special performance. They executed a perfectly choreographed series of moves to a driving, hip-hop beat to the delight of 30 Devilette alumni seated in lawn chairs and grouped on the veranda.

The women applauded appreciatively and the girls went into their next number, a more sedate but still well rendered routine to the strains of Tequila.

Suddenly, a handful of the onlookers joined the dance team. The older women gave the young people a performance of their own, and proved they still have what it takes to stop a show.

After the performance, Devilettes from three generations mingled, sharing finger sandwiches, champagne and memories. They also discussed the possibility of establishing a Devilettes alumni association to strengthen the ties that bind them to their alma mater and their community.

The reunion was Chris Brook's idea. After her daughter, Tori, was chosen as a Devilette, she discovered many of her friends had been Devilettes. She started thinking about the group's rich history and decided to bring as many of the women together as possible to introduce them to the new generation of Devilettes.

Brook sent invitations to former members of the 43-year-old dance team and asked them to spread the word. Her efforts produced a representative sampling of Devilettes dating from 1957, the year the team debuted, through the '60s, '70s and '80s.

Carolyn Richardson Register, a member of the St. Petersburg High School class of '59, flew in from Jacksonville to attend the reunion. She reminisced about the early days of the Devilettes and what it was like growing up in the late '50s.

"It was a different time," she said. "We were the mom and apple pie generation."

Register moved to North Carolina with her family shortly after graduation and didn't keep in touch with many of her friends, but she remembers her Devilette days as if they were yesterday.

"It was considered a real honor to be a Devilette," she said. "It was exciting. The student body respected us."

Sherry Mastry Frazer recalled being head Devilette in 1962, her senior year. She described Devilettes as an extracurricular activity that afforded "fun, friendship, exercise and a feeling of participation."

She said the girls made their own uniforms out of poplin and passed them down to the next class of girls after they graduated.

"We were highly self-motivated," she said. "We had no formal instruction. We practiced at 6 a.m. or whenever we could find the time."

Brenda Richardson Fullerton, Carolyn Register's sister, was a Devilette in 1966. Like Register, she said it was an honor to be a member of the dance team. She said it also was a lot of fun.

"It was like of bunch of best friends always having fun together," she said. "We marched in the Santa Claus and Festival of States parades and performed at football half-time shows."

She said being a member of the team meant staying out trouble.

"You couldn't afford to get in trouble or you'd get kicked off the team," she said.

Fullerton said that far from being a clique, the Devilettes offered the opportunity to build relationships in a big school where it would have been easy to get lost in the crowd. Now a St. Petersburg real estate agent, she said the experience helped her build self-esteem and taught her to be part of a group. That's something she would like to share with younger women.

"I would love to be part of a Devilette's life," she said. "I would like the chance to show them what the future can hold."

Linda Comegys Berset, a Devilette in 1967, sponsored the dance team between 1974 and 1980. She recalled the years when professional choreographers were hired to work with the girls. She said the combination of dance practice and fundraising took a lot of dedication, but the rewards made it worthwhile.

"I found out it's not all about me," the St. Petersburg insurance agent said. "It's about being part of a group."

She said she would support an alumni association because she would like monetary support made available to girls who deserve to be Devilettes but can't afford the rising costs of uniforms and competition fees.

Cherie Caulfield Walters, a Devilette in 1974, agreed with Berset that an alumni association could help defray costs, which amount to approximately $600 per girl. She explained that costs have soared since the early days.

She urged former Devilettes to get their yearbooks out and call classmates to invite them to a slumber party fundraiser planned for June.

"Devilettes are nearly a 50-year tradition," she said. "It's worth preserving. We want to create a heritage these girls can carry to their daughters."

Besides, the St. Petersburg sales trainer said, she would love to come to a 100th Devilettes reunion when she's 90 years old.

-- For more information on the Devilettes alumni association, call Chris Brook at 821-3949.

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