By Mark Stokes, Globe Correspondent

A jammed parking lot and standing room only dance floor greeted those at the Roxbury Reunion at Quincy’s Sons of Italy Hall on Saturday night.

The fourth annual event, organized by former Orchard Park resident Tommy White, drew from far and near an estimated 300 denizens of the famous Boston suburb, whose migration, mostly to South Shore communities, began in the 1960s.

Pointers to the past came in the form of street signs -- Cluney Court, Batan Court and Orchard Park -- in casual comments about retirement and recent cruises, and in the shaky soup spoons and occasional walking aid.

But if there were quivers among some there was a whole lotta shakin’ goin on on the dance floor as a duet worthy of concert hall billing, Lil’ Paul and Tina, turned back the clock with an assortment of tunes from yesteryear.

Paul, a former resident of Roxbury’s Howard Ave gave his best impression of Chubby Checker as he belted out numbers like ‘Earth Angel’, ‘Teenager In Love’ and ‘Let’s Twist Again’, the softer notes coming from his partner.

“The thing that sticks out in my mind about Roxbury is the camaraderie we built up among friends,” said Gerry Estabrook, who calls Dorchester home these days. “Everyone looked out for one another back then. Most people were good people and our football coach was a big influence on us,” continued Estabrook, whose claim that life was much simpler back then, was a theme echoed throughout the evening.

But underneath the surface there is a lot to admire about a neighborhood and community who were typical of their generation. Eighty-six-year-old Tommy Murphy is the oldest living former Orchard Park native. The former World War II veteran fought the ‘good fight’ at Normandy Beach and is in remarkably good shape for one so young. Fittingly, many of the streets in Roxbury are named after World War II battles.

Murphy’s son, Tommy Jr., who continued his father’s legacy in Vietnam, was also in attendance.

“My greatest memory of growing up in Roxbury were the friends and friendships I made,” says Tommy White.

“The best things in life I learned were all free. We were old school, we learned about doing the right thing, stepping out of the way on the sidewalk in respect for your elders, not swearing and general respect for your fellow human beings. I learned about loyalty, friendship and happiness.”

Amongst the crowd there were conversations about the street car ride from Dudley Street, grandkids and the new health care bill. Some showed their age, others were remarkably preserved. And for others the inevitability of their dwindling numbers sunk in - some 600 attended the first event four years ago, tonight’s affair would be short of that mark.

“Why do we do it?” White, 58, asked rhetorically. “Whenever I have a day that’s not going well, I reach into a place in my heart where those kids and those stories still live, and just the thought of them brings me joy.

A couple of hours spent in the company of those who made Boston what it is today, was a quite rewarding experience this past weekend. The clichés about stronger previous generations are trotted out perhaps too often these days, but it truly is difficult to see how our youngsters of today can ever emulate these Bostonians of former times.

And suddenly the cold dark parking lot brought back the present day, together with its ring tones, rap and GPS. As the car pulled away the faintest strains of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’ could be heard.