Class of '52 reunites

They are older, grayer and moving slower than when they walked the halls of Scio High School. It didn't take long though for the jokes, the hugs, the laughter to melt the years away when the Scio High School Class of 1952 met last week for their 60^th reunion. The informal get together was held on Tuesday, August 21 at Roaring River Park, with ten classmates as well as spouses and a couple of SHS graduates from other years in attendance.

Coming the furthest and wearing a reminder of their senior year at SHS, was Rosemary Janis Harold. Now living in Sparks, Nevada, Harold donned a tee shirt she had created for the class's 50^th reunion. “I decided to keep it,” she said of the off white shirt she had bedazzled with jewels on the neckline and sleeves. The front was adorned with an image that said 'Graduate Class of 1952' as well as a small copy of Janis's senior photo and the class motto- “As a man thinks, so is he.” Reproductions of each classmate's senior photo filled the back of the shirt. Harold explained that she had had her classmates sign it at the 50^th reunion. Small black ribbons by a number of photos denoted classmates who had passed away.

Another honor to those no longer with them was a photo framed filled with photos. While most were from their senior yearbook, two were not. While part of their class, Don Sweet and Jim Quarry did not appear in their yearbook. Janis's creation also included a short poem. “In memory of classmates of '52, you will never be forgotten, for though we are apart, you will always be remembered, in our memories and hearts.”

Before lunch, classmates had the chance to catch up with each others' lives since their last reunion. Aches, pains, grandchildren, great grandchildren and deaths were the general topics of discussion. Several spoke proudly of their newest great grandchild. Others wondered where specific classmates such as Charles Weinberg were. Ruthee Bates, whose husband Gail was part of the Class of 52, said Weinberg had intended to come but his daughter and grandchild came for a visit, keeping him on the East Coast. In addition to graduating from SHS, Weinberg later returned to coach the Loggers football team.

Oliver Shields, who came from Chico, California for the reunion, only spent two years in Scio. “We moved from Iowa before my junior year.” Still, he was an active member of the class, playing both baseball and basketball. “Work brought us out here,” he said. After sharecropping in Iowa, Shields' father got a job falling timber, something Shields did when he graduated from high school. Later he went into the Navy and has not returned to Scio except for once in 1956 and then for the reunions.

On the other hand, Gail Bates did return to Scio. In fact, he still lives on a small portion of the ranch where he lived as a boy. A three year stint in the Army and a few other stops for work eventually brought him back to Scio. “I left here to seek my fortune. That didn't work, so I came back,” he said with a smile. “It's a good place to live.”

Jean Thurston Zehr now lives in Bend. Her parents owned one of the grocery stores in town when she was growing up in Scio. “It was a great place to live,” she said. A memory she smiled at was of graduation. Seated next to Weinberg, Zehr chuckled at the thoughts. “At graduation, he got all the awards and I held them for him every time he went to get more!”

While it is unsure that a 70^th reunion will be planned, one thing was very clear- as with many classes at SHS, these classmates did not let the miles and years come between their friendships. Together again for another hooray, they all cherished their times at SHS and all the years since.