By DIANNA SMITH
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
LANTANA — Howard and Claudine Southgate have been married 67 years.
They met in high school. Became parents. They've traveled and explored and have been together so long that people gasp when they hear the number. But the one thing they've never done is go to the prom.
So here they are on a stormy Wednesday night. Howard, 90, sports a boutonniere, and Claudine, 87, wears a corsage. Their senior living community, Atria Meridian, held its first Senior Prom.
Howard holds Claudine's hand, and she rests her head on his shoulder. They've done so many things together over the years, she says, and now they can add "the prom" to that list.
"Every day, I'm amazed at what he does," Claudine says of Howard.
The couple met in 1937 in Washington: Claudine was 15, Howard was 18. He noticed Claudine's pretty blue eyes, and she noticed Howard's 1929 black Ford. Because they attended different schools, they never went to a prom.
They married shortly after the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Howard was in the U.S. Army and figured it would be a long time before he got out.
In 1951, the Southgates moved to West Palm Beach. They spent many years square dancing in social clubs and participating in mission work in Europe. Howard, a retired mason, is the talker of the two, finishing Claudine's sentences and spilling jokes while his wife sits quietly and smiles.
Of all the couples here, the Southgates have been married the longest. They get a lot of attention because of it, but Claudine points to other couples nearby and gives reasons why they should be recognized, too.
"You know, we've had a real good life, but it's not spectacular," she says.
Then Howard grabs her hand and asks her to dance. She blushes and says she isn't sure she remembers how. But they lock hands, and the music starts to guide them.
These high school sweethearts finally made it to their senior prom.
"There's nothing better than holding a girl in your arms," Howard says. "Now that's love."
Copyright 2009 The Palm Beach Post