Last class to graduate from the old Du Quoin High School holds 60th reunion
In the midst of a beautifully decorated setting, which featured the traditional red and black school colors, members of the Du Quoin Township High School Class of 1955 celebrated the 60th anniversary of their high school graduation.
This reunion was held at the Du Quoin Elks Club on July 18, 2015. On the following day, Sunday, July 19, a luncheon was held at Alongi's Italian Restaurant in Du Quoin. The DTHS Class of 1955 was the last class to graduate from the old, old high school building on South Washington Street.
Saturday evening began with a bountiful buffet dinner at 7 p.m. Forty-three class members and guests were welcomed by master-of-ceremonies Darrell Thorpe. A very special guest for the evening was Mrs. Barbara Stinson of Morton, Illinois. Mrs. Stinson was a former member of the Du Quoin Township High School faculty.
On display were a number of items of memorabilia, which proved to be quite entertaining. Included were yearbooks, scrapbooks of past reunions, as well as numerous pictures. The evening was spent talking, remembering, laughing, renewing old friendships, and catching up on the last sixty years. Other highlights included a special cash drawing, the awarding of door prizes, and a picture taking session for the Class of 1955. Each class member was presented with a special CD, which included many highlights from 1955, as well as the top 10 songs of the year. The CD's were provided by class member Loretta Hopgood.
On Sunday the DTHS Class of 1955 continued the very enjoyable fellowship with class members at Alongi's Italian Restaurant. Lunch was served at noon. Class members lingered to visit long into the afternoon. Plans were made to hold another reunion in 2018.
Class members and guests who enjoyed the evening and afternoon included: Mrs. (Marlene Albers) Wolfe, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Conte, Mr. Carl "Buddy" Eisenhauer, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Emling, Mr. Bill Maxton, Mr. and Mrs. John Milam, Mr. and Mrs. Bill (Nadine Riggio) Mason, Mr. and Mrs. Darrell Thorpe, Mr. Richard Woodside, Mr. and Mrs. Delmar Wright, and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Youngman, all of Du Quoin.
In addition, Mrs. (Linda Gilliam) Goodman of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Mrs. (Charlotte Green) Wilkerson of Buckner, Mr. and Mrs. James Hess of Lafayette, Indiana, Mr. Ray Holloway and Mrs. (Carolyn Taylor) Holloway of Herrin, Miss Loretta Hopgood of St. Louis, Missouri, Mrs.( Leah Rae Johnson) Hughes of West Frankfort, Mr. and Mrs. Gene (Nancy Marshall) Eisenhauer of Herrin, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Owens of Lincoln, Mr. and Mrs. Don Poiter of Centralia, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Provart of Loudon, Tennessee, Mr. Gordon Rude of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Frank (Mary Ann Schimpf) Hunleth of St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. and Mrs. Jim (Doris Short) Elkins of Mesa, Arizona, Mrs. (Maxine Varnum) Williamson of Anna, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles (Marsha Wiehn) Gruner of Athens Georgia. Mrs. (Verna Rees) McAteer attended the luncheon on Sunday.
A very special tribute area was included to honor deceased members of the Class of 1955. A red rose and a candle were placed in memory of each of those members. Those class members included Ed Beasley, Pat (Barnes) Hunter, Kay (Bottomley) Daily, John Bowlin, Larry L. Brown, Karl Bunge, Jane (Cheek) Brown, Suzanne (Childress) Morris, Erlene (Clark) Preston, Connie Davison, Jim Dennis, Gonzella Dickerson, Lyman Eaton, Ronald Goffinet, Louie Hackleman, Joan (Holland) Beasley, Roger Jackson, John Keller, Shirley (Kellerman) Kunkel, Wayne Leehy, Dana (Louis) Owens, Marjorie (McMillan) Elder, LaDonna (Midyett) McCollum, Orval Moore, Ramona (Pike) Flanagan, Vera (Quinn) Morgan, Bill Rodewald, Joyce (Rodewald) Jordan, Jackie Smith, Rosa Lee (Smith) LeTourneau, Roberta (Stein) Jackson, Donald Walker, Billy Bruce Wright, Linnet Wright, Walter Wisdom Vessell, and Mr. Roger A. Schleper, Class Sponsor.