For one day over Holmes County Antique Festival weekend, all of the talk at Millersburg Elementary turned from thoughts of whats for lunch, recess, fractions and learning, to Corvaires, bouffant hairdos, alma mater and memories.
A large contingent of former Millersburg High School graduates returned to their old stomping grounds on Saturday, Oct. 8, to participate in the all-school Millersburg High School reunion, where former graduates, teachers and other school employees gathered to reminisce about the good old days, which for some didnt seem that long ago, while for others, it seemed like an eternity.
About 250 Spartan graduates came back to talk about days gone by, and to stir up some of the old memories they created during their schools days.
We really had a lot of fun, said Richard Uhl, who emceed the event. There was a whole lot of talk going on between old classmates and friends who hadnt seen each other for quite some time. It was lively, and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves immensely.
Graduates and their spouses began signing in around noon, entering the old gymnasium where they had cheered their teams on to victory years ago, or some of whom even played starring roles on the basketball court.
Tables were set up inside, which were home to countless articles, old paraphernalia, scrapbooks, old photos and other interesting tidbits, and people perused the tables as they entered. But what mainly took place was plenty of nostalgic chatter about the former glory days at Millersburg High.
Much like it was back in the olden days, in order to rein in the jabbering participants, to officially begin the program, former Spartan Arlie Rodhe rang in the event by providing a resounding 10 clangs from the old Millersburg High school bell.
Well, at least he tried, but after five rings the string to the clapper broke, and Rodhe, after some serious laughter, finished out the rings by hand.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, Susan Rawlins led the entire group in the singing of the alma mater, with Bonnie Watson Slater playing the piano. That was followed by Uhl, who talked about the building on East Jackson Street, and delved into much of the history of the school.
I was a little nervous, but once I got started it was just like talking to old friends at the dinner table, said Uhl.
With 3,000 students having graced the walls of Millersburg High, which began back in 1879, when Rutheford B. Hayes was president, it was pretty obvious that none of the graduates from the early days of the school were going to show up. However, 92-year-old Virginia Cary, a 1937 Spartans graduate, was officially the oldest member to attend the reunion.
Each of the classes sat in their own sections, and a representative from each introduced each classmate. Through the years they went, Rodhe making the statement in perfect high school form, that, Of course our class is the best of the bunch, a comment which elicited plenty of hoots and hollers from the crowd, as well as plenty of laughter.
Each class represented rattled off those in attendance, until 1964, the schools final class, which graduated while Lyndon Johnson was in office following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
The group also heard from former teacher Ken Patterson and bus driver Lou Shetler, and Mrs. Griffin, a former music instructor, sent a letter expressing her thoughts and memories of Millersburg High.
Following the group gathering in the gymnasium, smaller groups toured the school, bringing back even more fond memories. Eventually many of the classes reunited later that evening to dine, John Waltman hosting the 1957 to 1962 classes at his home.
Eylers comments during his speech focused on then and now, as he touched on the way things were compared to today in Holmes County, and he too remembered fondly the days when he had a little bigger head of hair.
Reflecting back on those days, we learned a lot about life, and we had a lot of really, really good educators, said Eyler, who graduated in 1962.
In addition to the memories, both the ones from yesteryear and the ones being made on this day, the committee did a ton of research in assembling an all-school directory, which they sold for $10. Uhl said that between the sale of the directory and donations, the committee raised around $1,000 to help cover expenses and build a pot for the next reunion.It brought back a lot of really good old memories, said Uhl. Thats the real reason we gathered together. Just to talk about our lives back then and to catch up on where we are today. It was a very refreshing day that we all cherished.
Uhl said that the reunion committee, which consisted of himself, Norene McDowell, Art Poulson, Jim Schaffer, Dan Dehass, Walter Eppley, Marguerite Hanna, Tootsie Snyder, Sue Gilt, Judy Clark, Mary Lou Snyder and Rodhe, are already in discussion about bringing the reunion tour back on an annual basis. He said that there were a large number of graduates who said they couldnt make it, and many others who had signed up to come but didnt show up for various reasons.
Uhl said the committee felt like there was enough zeal in this reunion to make the event an annual one.
It was very well received, and everyone expressed interest in doing it again next year, said Uhl. It is definitely something that we will explore, because it is just a lot of fun to get together and talk about the good old days.
The days events were a thrill for the participants, although there was one major difference. When the bell rang signifying the end of school on this day, nobody was in any hurry to get out of school.
At 4 p.m., when we were supposed to be done, everyone stayed and kept talking, said Uhl. We just couldnt get enough. Finally, the janitor came in and had to shoo us out.
And so school was out for another year, but this group cant wait until the next reunion is again rang into session.
