At 93 years old, Maxine Baird had never been to a proper “prom” before. That is, until her assisted living facility, Montgomery Gardens, held “An Evening Under the Stars,” Thursday night, giving its residents one more chance to go to senior prom.

“It’s been kind of exciting and a little hectic trying to get something that I could wear,” Baird told The Dispatch on Thursday as she was getting ready. “It’s OK. It’s my first one.”

Baird said she hadn’t ever been to a proper “prom” before, as her high school in Houston only held a junior and senior banquet when she graduated in 1950. But she was excited to go and see her friends all dressed up together.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all my friends here,” Baird said as she awaited her hairdresser to come do her hair. “Seeing what they have on and what they look like and just getting together.

“I think it’s a nice thing for them to do,” Baird added. “They’re doing something here all the time.”

The assisted living facility, which is a part of the Americare system, hosted the senior prom night as a way to celebrate its residents. But the event also included a secret – a celebration of the staff after the facility recently took home Americare’s top honor, the Chairman’s Cup Award.

Montgomery Gardens was selected from Americare’s 124 assisted living communities for its exemplary service to residents, employees and the community and for its fiscal responsibility. This is the second time the Starkville facility has taken home the award, after winning it two years ago, Montgomery Gardens Administrator T’Mara Bigger told The Dispatch.   

“When we got this award again, I was trying to wrack my brain on something fabulous and fun that we could do not only with the residents, but with the employees and their families, because this award went to everyone,” Bigger said.

Once Bigger came up with the idea to hold a senior prom, Montgomery Gardens staff helped prepare residents for the event, if they elected to participate. Getting ready for prom, Bigger said, allowed the residents to reflect on their previous prom experiences.

“It’s just brought back a flood of memories for them, in positive ways, and they’ve all seemed really excited to be able to have another prom,” Bigger said. “Several have said that they never dreamed they would have another prom in their 80s and 90s.”

Montgomery Gardens staff helped residents arrange family members to escort them to the prom venue, Dodson Farms. They also provided corsages and boutonnieres to each prom attendee and helped the ladies to pick out dresses either from their own closets or from selections the residents could choose at the facility.

Baird picked out her outfit from selections the staff had brought onto the campus earlier that week, choosing a sparkly black jacket and skirt to layer with a shirt she already loved from her closet.

“It was something I hadn’t done before,” Baird said. “But they’re all so nice to you. They just took me down to where there was a room full of dresses. And I didn’t want something sleeveless without a sleeve.”

Another resident, Peyton Passons, is 88 years old. He hadn’t gone to prom since he graduated high school in 1955, and he hadn’t had a chance to dress up since his wife’s funeral, he said.

“I thought they sold all my clothes when my wife died,” Passons said. “But they found this (blazer). And it’s too big for me now.”

Another 93-year-old resident, Dee Washington, said she remembered going to prom in Pheba at the gym in her school. She loved tap dancing when she was younger, and she said she used to dance often until her sister passed away. She was excited that the prom may give her another opportunity, though she anticipated only being able to slow dance with her escort.

“I can’t walk so good, so it’s kind of dangerous,” Washington joked. “I’m going to be careful.”

While Washington couldn’t remember all the details of her first prom, she said she originally wore a black dress, since black was her color.

On Thursday evening, she wore a teal dress covered with sequins and pearls instead, along with new shoes a relative had purchased to go with her outfit. Washington said she is much more comfortable in her normal outfits, including jeans, but it was still fun to dress up and see others’ reactions.

“I just went down there to see this friend of mine,” Washington said. “He sits with me and eats every day. … And he said, ‘you look beautiful.’ And I said, ‘well, that was worth the try.’”