INDIANAPOLIS — The Gaither quintuplets, whose 1983 births made the news and the history books, are all grown up these days.

        Now 17, the first surviving black quintuplets stepped out Saturday night for their junior prom.

        Reaching a milestone like prom night is one more blessing for which the family gives thanks, said the quints' mother, Suzanne Gaither.

        “There's so many kids who don't make it to this age,” she said.

        Suzanne and Sidney Gaither said they believe God had a special purpose in mind when the three girls and two boys were born Aug. 3, 1983.

        As the first set of black quintuplets — and one of only nine living sets in the United States — the five youngsters, along with their parents and older brother, are accustomed to the media's attention.

        The media was there again Saturday afternoon as the girls — Ashlee, Renee and Rhealyn — applied shimmery lip glosses, exotic eye shadows and muted blusher in preparation for the prom.

        For them, the day had started with 5:30 a.m. hair appointments.

        The boys, meanwhile, had it easy. As their sisters were getting gussied up, Joshua and Brandon wandered inside and out in jeans and T-shirts.

        After hours of preening, the girls were just about ready.

        “Mama, Ashlee wants you to look at her and see if she's OK,” Renee said.

        Mrs. Gaither found Renee resplendent in a golden gown, though completely out of character for the basketball-spinning tomboy of the bunch. “Ooh, I hate stockings with a passion,” Renee said.

        Ashlee, who chose a silver evening two-piece set for her dress, caused her mother to take a breath.

        “Oh, Ashlee, you look beautiful,” Mrs. Gaither gushed.

        Sibling rivalry and squabbles are common at the Gaither house, but when it came time for their special night out, the five siblings wanted to share the experience.

        They gathered outside the family home for one more group picture, then climbed into a limousine to head to the Murat Centre, site of the North Central High School junior prom.

        Connie Moore, a longtime friend of the Gaithers, arrived with husband Dick to see the kids off. “It doesn't seem possible,” she said, shaking her head.

        As the pictures were being snapped, Mrs. Gaither wondered aloud what will happen after graduation next spring. Each child wants to go a separate path, to solidify their individuality, she said.

        Suzanne and Sidney Gaither, whose first-born, Ryan, 20, lives on the West Coast, said they have tried to shelter the five younger kids so they can grow individually.

        “We want them to be their own person as much as possible,” Mrs. Gaither said. “We never refer to them as "the quints' — we always call them Ashlee, Brandon, Joshua, Renee and Rhealyn.”

        But the feeling of protecting one another, looking out for one another, has been evident since they were babies, she said.

        “There's been a lot of joy and a lot of hard times,” she said. “But, like so many things, they wanted nothing else than to remember this night together.”

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