Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series on the 2025 Hardin- Central All-School Reunion, highlighting the tributes, keynote address, after-party and the lasting meaning of the event. In next week’s edition, part two will look back at the history of the reunion, the planning process and the banquet’s opening program. The Hardin-Central High School (HCHS) gym once again became a meeting place for generations of alumni, as hundreds recently gathered for the 2025 All-School Reunion, a tradition dating back almost half a century. As the evening program unfolded, alumni turned their attention from reconnecting with classmates to honoring the figures whose influence left a lasting mark on Hardin-Central. Tribute was paid to sportswriter and coach Lee Meador, whose scholarship fund continues his legacy. “The Lee Meador Scholarship Fund was established after Lee’s passing in the late 90s,” explained HCHS Alumni Association Committee member Troy Rust. “There were only a few…