While in high school in 1976, a group of 18 guys made a pact with each other to be friends until there is one last man standing.
Greg "Doc" Wilfahrt said it's called the "Last Man Society."
"We were such good friends, we figured we cannot let this go," Wilfahrt said.
Each year, they get together and toast to their friendship.
"The last guy has access to a bottle that was purchased in 1976," Wilfahrt said. "It's 1976 cognac, and that person will open that and toast all his Last Man brothers and the unbelievable friendships and love we've had over the years."
"We've all written letters to the Last Man, so the Last Man is going to open the last letter and toast alone," Tom "Big" Freeman said.
Over the last five decades, the boys have grown into men.
Every Thanksgiving, members of the Last Man Society reunite to celebrate brotherhood and life.
"My wife will tell you that our Thanksgiving is planned around the Last Man celebrations, so it's a priority in my year," Freeman said.
"Our families are all friends and getting everyone together is a challenge, but we accomplished it," Steve "Mo" Layton said
The festivities include team-building exercises and their annual turkey bowl game.
The group is still intact 50 years later.
"We're well aware that all of us are closer to the crypt than we are the cradle, so it escapes nobody's notice that we're going to start falling off, but thank God we're all still alive, and what better time to celebrate than at Thanksgiving?" Wilfahrt said.
They know it'll be time to say goodbye to each other at some point, until one of them is crowned the Last Man.
"That's going to be... that'll be a challenge. That'll be a huge challenge. These are my friends for life, and it's hard to think about that," Layton said.
The men of the Last Man Society hope to inspire everyone to make promises with their friends to get together whenever possible, because one day they won't get a chance.