Alumni Reunion Draws a Crowd

WAITSBURG - One hundred eighty-five Waits­burg alumni, guests and graduating seniors attended the 111th Waitsburg High School Annual Reunion and Banquet held at the Waits­burg Elementary Multi- purpose room on Saturday, May 24.

A roll call of classes be­gan with 75-year anniversary alumni Ivan Keve and Jim Hansen who graduated WHS in 1939. The pair began school together in first grade at Waitsburg Elementary School. Both were active in FFA in high school and Keve was basketball man­ager while Hansen played football and baseball. Im­mediately following gradua­tion, Hansen attended WSU. Keve attended Walla Walla business college and worked briefly at the Waitsburg Post Office until being called into the service in the spring of 1944.

Both men served in the Army during WWII and were stationed both state­side and overseas. Upon discharge in 1946, Keve re­turned to the Waitsburg Post Office, where he worked until he retired in 1982. Han­sen got married and began farming. When asked what he remembered most about his years at WHS, Keve said, "Getting to know some real nice students and faculty and the many contacts that I still enjoy."

Class representatives from anniversary years 1954, 1959, 1964, and 1974 were also present. The youngest attending alumni, aside from the current graduating class were sisters, Bertha (Poirier) Clayton (2004) and Christy Poirier (2011).

Jim Leid (1969) wel­comed Dr. Roger Hevel and wife Laura Jean Hevel into the Association as Honor­ary Alumni, joining Tom and Anita Baker, the only other holders of the honorary title. The Hevels received the honor for their many years of community service, phi­lanthropy and involvement. Leid noted that Laura Jean Hevel was the first woman to sit on the Waitsburg City Council.

Waitsburg Superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke spoke of the many ways she has seen Waitsburg students and staff excel in the ten years since she became superintendent, even though she described them as "years of challenge and change." Clarke noted that kindergarten teacher Pam Beasley earned the Presidential Award for Ex­cellence in Science Teach­ing, the five years of state achievement awards earned by the high school, and that 2013 was the first year for Preston Hall to receive a state achievement award.

Clark also mentioned district and state level FFA and Band recognition and the fact that

Waitsburg students regularly practice giving through food drives, raising funds for Black Dog Rescue, holding blood drives and the elementary school's partici­pation in the Walk for Water program.

The evening also included a dinner, introduction of the graduating class of 2014, a fundraising auction and a business meeting. Wes Leid updated attendees on the status of the new Waits­burg high School Alumni Scholarship Fund which was established in 2013 and will provide two $1,000 scholar­ships -- one based on merit and one on need -- to 2014 graduating seniors. The bal­ance of the fund as of 5/1/14 was $45,300.

Next year's Alumni Ban­quet and Annual Meeting will be Saturday, May 23, 2015 with Darleen Smith Dozier (1978) President, Elizabeth Wood Cole (1977) Vice President, Vicki Harsh­man Hamann (1983) Re­cording Secretary, Patty Mantz (1963) Correspon­dence Secretary, Katie Man­tz Leid (1965) Treasurer and Mary Liebermann Phillips (1957) Past President.