54th VCHS Class Reunion successful!

From Barbara Sheppard Lang, organizer of the reunion and chair of the classmates' committee:

Forty participants gathered for a fun weekend in Valley City, N. Dak., from Friday, July 24 to Sunday, July 26, 2015. Our base of operations was the President's House on the campus of Valley City State University.

On Friday evening, we gathered at the Pavilion at Chautauqua Park. What a good time we had getting reacquainted with each other - some of whom we had not seen in more than 50 years! Perhaps the the funnest "recognition" story happened when Bobby Neilsen came through the door and Doug Peterson (who was registering everyone) did not recognize him. They were good buddies in high school and have kept in touch via telephone quite frequently through the years, but they have not actually seen each other since those "good ol' days." After about a five-second delay, I recognized Bob's smile, so went over to give him a hug and introduced him to Doug. Well, you can imagine his amazement, and complete surprise, to realize that this good looking young man was his buddy, Bobby! To view a PowerPoint PDF of Friday night photos, click here. To view a file of Friday night photos only so you can download shots you want to print, click here.

A delicious super with several varieties of lasagna, salad, fruit and garlic bread was enjoyed by all, This was organized by classmate Marleen Miller Pytlik and her crew from Trinity Lutheran Church in Valley City. The excellent dinner was followed by a delicious home-made ice cream dessert and coffee served by LouVay Ruemler White. 

Saturday morning, 15 classmates enjoyed a tour of Valley City High School, which is now merged wit the Junior High. The two-in-one school now takes up the entire block. Most of the structure appeared "new" to us - but we did find our Chemistry and Physics classrooms, and Mr. Weiss's classroom. The multitude of athletic facilities in the building was simply awesome. Schools have certainly changed in 54 years!   To view a PowerPoint PDF of the tour with CAPTIONS, click here  To view a file of tour photos only without captions but you can download a full resolution version to make prints, click here.

Saturday afternoon, a dozen of us went for a peaceful pontoon ride for about an hour and half on Lake Ashtabula. Most noticeable was the addition of dozens of homes on the lake, some very large and fancy! Bayshore Landing is still there and is still managed by George Freadoff, and so is the Marina at Baldhill Dam. 

Saturday evening, we all descended on the President's House for an evening meal and lots of conversation. Friendships were renewed and information/stories about classmates were shared. It was a casual, laid-back evening, and the the great benefit offered by the President's House was the ease in which we could carry-on small group conversations. After all, wasn't this reunion about talking to one another? That we did, for sure!

Sunday morning, about a dozen of us met one last time together for a light breakfast before heading back to our various homes around the country. The reunion was judged to be a resounding success, and talks began about what to do for the next time we all get together. Plans are definitely in the works for a Mini-Reunion in 2018 and a full scale reunion (our 60th) in 2021. Stay tuned for some "save the date" information!  - Barbara Sheppard Lang

If you have any problems in viewing or downloading through the above links to the Friday night or tour photos, contact me at Wordchipper@gmail.com. I can help. - Larry Gauper

Click on photos for larger image

CLASSMATES PHOTO - all rows left to right. Front row: Mary Ann Musch Gamrath, John Keller (our business teacher), Colleen Bryngelson Zick, Bonnie Cruff Burchill, Barbara Sheppard Lang and Larry Gauper; Middle row: Sandi Meyer Bruns, Margaret Peterson Anderson, Jeralyn Olson Behm, Barb Brown Schmidt, Marleen Miller Pytlik, Linda Holm, Jan Zaun Arneson, Maureen "Mo" Pedersen Young and LouVay Ruemler White; Back row: Roy Lang, Barry Borg, Les Brix, Ron Morsch, Dave Johnson, Bob Neilsen, Denny Gillund, Tom Kahler, Jerry Offner, Gary Swenson, Doug Peterson, Don Dawkins and Ross Noeske (not pictured: Shirley Geist Henne).

ALL ATTENDEES PHOTO: - all rows left to right. Front row: Mary Ann Musch Gamrath, John Keller (our business teacher), Colleen Bryngelson Zick, Bonnie Cruff Burchill, Barbara Sheppard Lang and Larry Gauper; Second row: Sandi Meyer Bruns, Cheryll Hanson Borg, Lorrie Lang, Margaret Peterson Anderson, Marleen Miller Pytlik, Linda Holm, and LouVay Ruemler White; Third row: Barry Borg, Roy Lang, Kristi Arnold (Barb Brown's daughter), Lorny Behm (partially obscured), Jeralyn Olson Behm, Barb Brown Schmidt, Maureen "Mo" Pedersen Young, Jan Zaun Arneson, Claire Swensen, Judy Peterson, Don Dawkins and Ross Noeske; Fourth row: Marty Trexler (Ron Morsch's spouse), Bob Neilsen, Denny Gillund, and Gary Swenson; Back row: Hank Bruns, Jim White, Gerry Gamrath, Art Todd (Barb Lang's hubby, partially obscured), Les Brix, Ron Morsch (mostly obscured), Dave Johnson, Tom Kahler, Jerry Offner, and Doug Peterson (not pictured: Shirley Geist Henne).

NEW CLASS ROSTER POSTED!  Thanks to classmate Ron Morsch asking all attendees at the recent Class of '61 reunion in Valley City to update their information, we now have the latest class roster posted here on the blog. Go to the "class rosters" area on the right side of your screen for all available rosters. Ron's latest PDF spreadsheet is dated 30 July 2015. Note that if you downloaded this spreadsheet prior to August 1, do it again as Ron has added Gary Skramstad and Sharon Bitz Bailey's contact info since first publishing this version. The latest remains dated 30 July 2015 until further notice. Appreciate your diligent work on this, Ron, and great seeing you and Marty at the reunion!