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Calhoun County High School Alumni Association held its
23rd Alumni Reunion last Saturday at Calhoun Middle/ High School, Mt.
Zion.
Nearly 400 alumni, family and friends attended the 23rd annual
Alumni Reunion last Saturday at Calhoun Middle/High School. Those
attending enjoyed the luncheon -- and no food fights were reported.
Loyd Wright, Class of 1955, Alumni president, welcomed
the nearly 400 in attendance. Roger Propst, Class of 1965, was the
master of ceremonies.
Recipient of the Alumni Association scholarship award
for 2010 was Randy Smith, who thanked the association and said he plans
to use the money to help get his pre-medical schooling at Glenville
State College, and his masters degree in chemistry and biology. His main
goal is to become an oncologist through West Virginia University.
Representing the 50th anniversary class, Carolyn Jones
Gragg, Class of 1960, urged the alumni association to continue to give
scholarships to graduates who planned on medical careers.
She said, “Look around, as you can see, we all are
getting to where we need lots more medical care.”
Roscoe Wilson represented the Class of 1950, which
celebrated its 60th anniversary. He spoke of how hard it was to bring a
suit all the way from Florida without wrinkling it and pointed out that
he was one of the few men wearing a suit.
He talked about how his class had entered high school
about the time of the end of World War II. The members graduated about a
month before the Korean War and 14 years before the official beginning
of the Vietnam War. He said, “Our lives are the history that students
learn about today.”
Wilson said that a lot had changed since 1950, and that,
while he is thankful at times for modern technology, he is not sure if
it is enjoyable spending five hours either talking on the phone or
chatting on the computer with a technician in India just to try to get
your printer to work.
He also spoke of the accomplishments of his fellow
classmates and the lives they have touched and, hopefully, changed for
the better.
From the Class of 1940 was Melvin Arnold, who said that
his was the largest freshman class to enter the school and also the
largest graduating class. He spoke of the dreams of the class--some
fulfilled, some completed, and some ended.
A year-and-a-half after their graduation was the
beginning of World War II, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. The war scattered class members all over the
world, and not all came back when it was over.
Arnold was applauded when he told the gathering that
this completes his 40th year as a Hospice volunteer for terminally ill.
He finished his presentation with the lyrics of an old
song, “I remember you, you made all my dreams come true,” and dedicated
it to his class.
It is always enjoyable to see the smiling faces and
watch the eyes light up when these people meet up with hugs, handshakes
and pats on the back. There are always small groups who will gather
together and re-tell the highs and lows of their school years to the
accompaniment of much laughter.
Carolyn Jones Gragg,
Class of 1960
Roscoe Wilson,
Class of 1950
Melvin Arnold,
Class of 1940
Loyd Wright, Class of 1955, Alumni Association President
Roger Propst, Class of 1965, Master of Ceremonies
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