A Brief Bio

Class Act is what happened when two people (Cathy and Jay Frank) coordinated a friend's high school reunion, saw that it went well and decided there was a need for a Houston-area company to stage fun and affordable reunions.

In the spring of 1995, Cathy was contacted by her college roommate, Janet Chandler Jones, who asked: "Can you do my (20-year) high school reunion?"

Cathy wasn't quite sure what that meant. OK, Janet said: just book - and pay for - a ballroom in a hotel and the food served; locate the 700 members of the class; send out invitations; hire a disc jockey; keep track of RSVPs; handle the decorations; staff the check-in table; etc. In other words, just do it all, so the committee members could enjoy the reunion without being stressed by details and finances.

Cathy didn't see the direct correlation between her background and high school reunions and asked, "Why me?"

Janet reminded Cathy that through Cathy's work experience and volunteer efforts for civic and charity organizations, she's been coordinating all kinds of special events for years. And, in the end, a reunion is a special event.

So that was that. Cathy took on the assignment - the Milby Class of 1975 20-year reunion. The event was a hit, and more than 500 reunions later Class Act has become the most established reunion-planning company based in Houston. And here's one more key stat: Cathy has been coordinating special events for nearly 40 years, likely longer than any reunion planner in the U.S.

Along the way, Class Act has become known for staging the largest and best-attended reunions in the city. Many could even be classified as "major bashes." No, that doesn't mean people were swinging from the chandeliers (although a few might have tried!). What it does mean is the room was full, a wide variety of people attended and the atmosphere was festive (i.e. not pretentious or stuffy).

Before launching Class Act, Cathy worked in public relations and promotions in the radio, TV and sports industries. Her husband, Jay, was a reporter and columnist for several newspapers - including the Houston Post and Chronicle - primarily covering broadcasting and sports.

(During a visit to Houston, a noted entertainer was about to be interviewed by The Post. But before it began, he held up that day's newspaper, pointed to Jay's column and photo and joked to the reporter, "Is this his high school yearbook picture?" Of course, Jay still looks 18!)