Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012
PONOKA NEWS Page 5
Reflections of Ponoka 1972 PCHS grads home to share memories By Mike Rainone for the News Their appearance may have changed just a little over the years and they will surely be sharing lots of photos of their kids and grandchildren but the Ponoka Composite High School graduating class of 1972 is really looking forward to meeting old classmates and rekindling great memories at their gala 40-year reunion Sept. 8. The exciting evening of camaraderie, nostalgia, fine food and treats will be held at the Wolf Creek Golf Resort and there is no doubt these former Ponoka students, their spouses, teachers, and guests will kick up their heels and also do a little touring around their “old stomping grounds” throughout the fun weekend. All guests of course will be forgiven if they don’t cruise and party at the same speed as they did way back then. Most of the members of the 1972 grad class began their exciting school adventures in Ponoka back in 1960 when they shyly enrolled in Grade 1 at the historic Red Brick School or the modern new Riverside School. As we welcome the class of 1972 back to their old home town, we sincerely hope that they enjoy every moment of their reunion festivities, as well as getting a chance to browse around our friendly community, meet and greet old friends, and do lots of reminiscing. In honour of the occasion we have printed the Grade 1 class list in the Remember When feature, as well as presenting just a few delightful tid-bits from the pages of the Quill and Shield Yearbook, which we hope you will enjoy. • Do you remember when you registered with your parents on that scary but exciting First Grade morning? You got to meet your new teacher, listened quietly at what school supplies you would need, then dashed outside at 10:30 a.m. and went shopping for all those neat pencils, erasers, scribblers, crayons, and maybe even a fancy new lunch kit? In those days families could also purchase accident insurance for students, which cost $1 and offered 24-hour coverage. • Coming back for your first full day of school the next morning, you loved your brand new clothes and shoes, and then quickly realized that you had to be quiet for longer periods of time, as well as put your hand up if you wanted to go to the bathroom. If you were like me, you fell in love with that colorfully illustrated book that featured the delightful story of Dick and Jane and Spot and Puff and all the rest, but then again, my favourite class was always recess. • As you entered into your high school years with great gusto, your teachers were: Messrs. Anderson, Brulhart, Demanchuk, Dobi, Gill, Hemeyer, Hill, Jevne, Kalita, Kusiek, Lane, Lemke, Lloyd, Miazga, Nicholson, Olson, Vegter, Verburg, Dootson, and Kossack; Mrs. Nelson, Rees, Verburg, Taylor, Vold, Ashton, and Lane; and Misses Farrington, Coulombe, and Schultz. Up at the big office, where you did not want to ever get called on the intercom, was Principal Russell Peterson, vice-principal Halvor Jonson, vocational principal John Smith, business manager Anne Walker, guidance counsellors H. Moller and Gordon Currie, and secretary Mrs. Clyburn. Those strict but friendly Janitors were Mr. Jorgenson, Mr. Rausch, Mr. Jamison and Bob Evans. • Some of your great accomplishments in 1972: Ponoka Comp received the IOOF Award for the greatest number of blood donors by a single group in the community; James Walls was a perennial chess champion; and the “brains” on the Reach for the Top teams coached by Mrs. Rees were George Ward, Robin Taylor, Becky Luce, Ken Fenske, Jim Lewis, Judy Tough, Lyall Riley, David Gunderson, Jan Nuefeld, Leslie Ward and Jack Elliot. • Did you know that Ron Carlson, Rena Wright, and Beva Farnham loved to work in food services; and longstanding PCHS track records were set by: Don Lewis (junior boys’ javelin, 156 feet), Dan Schickerowski (intermediate boys’ javelin, 156 feet, 10 inches), Danny Liddle ran the intermediate boys’ mile in 4.50.6; burly
Photo submitted
The class of 1972, front row: Dawn Santee, Robin Weaver, Connie Rinske, Joan Aikins, Connie Ross, Lynn Wilcox, Linda Hill, Bev Williams, Vera Sommer, Judy Johnston, Ramona Abt, Delores Baier, Marlene Bidyk, Marie Cummings, Juanita De Spiegelaere, Lorraine Albers, Fern Dietz, Lorna Parks, Paulette Buss, Lois McLaren, Becky Luce, Marsha Long, Holly Schierer and Louise Van’t Kruis. In the second row: Debbie Auten Portas, Joanne Elofson, Laurene Mass, Pat Moore, Verla Schultz, Doris Jenkins, Ellen Nielsen, Sharon Stebner, Dawn Matejka, Leona Dewald, Dena Berg, Ann Hinkley, Terri MacLean, Wendy Miller, Denise Portas, Sharon Muncaster, Gayle Millar, Doreen Bignold White, Kathy Shantz, Sharon Vold, Susan Wills, Brenda Seagrave, Peggy Ann Potter, Rod Martin, Ron H. Lewis and Bruce Crawford. In the third row: Bernie Comeau, Blake Butterfield, Randy Whalley, Terry Fossen, Robin Taylor, Tom Jamison, Cathy Courser, Karen Smith, Ione Littau, Linda Raab, Kathy Kroening, Debbie Bonnett, Yvonne Reglin, Jane Pederson, Elizabeth Gorman, Leona Newton, Beva Farnham, Althea Rowland, Chris Ravnsborg, Patti Sweet, Carol Bloomquist, Jim Kopores, Ken Dickau, Larry Courser, Sam Drakes, Bobby Pugh, and Daryll Lueers; then standing in the fourth row: Glen Zerbe, Don Lewis, Ron Spence, Brian Butterfield, Jim Buist, Dwight Jones, Clayton Jevne, Dennis Schimpf, Ron A. Lewis, Terry Smith, Mike Barnes, Ken Fenske, Wayne Hunt, David Richmond, Art Dykstra, Randy Vandersteen, Gerald McClaflin, Bryson Heartwell, Phil Edney, Greg Ungstad and Rick Wierzba; and in the back row: Harvey Schultz, Norman Lux, Leslie Trennery, Ben Fink, Earl Shindruk, Glen Scheurman, Doug Erickson, Dwayne Vogel, Ola Olson, Kelly Kenyon, Bill Bailey, Rich Bowie, Danny Wagner, Miles Wiancko, Doug Scheelar, Doug White, Lane Dewhirst, Wayne Stretch, Peter Backus, Neil McNairnay, Alan Lockhart and Craig Gates. Jim McCrimmon tossed the discus 122.1 feet in the intermediate boys’ event; while Wendy Elofson won the senior girls’ javelin event with an amazing 123-foot, 11-inch throw. Some of those 1970s PCHS students who managed to combine education with sports were those who played on the Ponoka Junior A Stampeders hockey team, including Keith Silvernagle, Norm Hinkley, Don Brennan, Lyman Haakstad, Jim McCrimmon, Graham Parsons Stan Weir Bernie Comeau and Larry Nielson. There were always many sports, music, drama and extra events to choose from
throughout the school years, where everyone cheered for each team, always led by those sassy cheer squads. • There is no doubt on that special reunion evening that many will proudly be wearing their classic old school sweaters, maybe even white bucks and bobby socks but for sure there will be lots of photos taken and exchanged. Just in case you forget over the last 40 years, there class valedictorian and historian on that magic grad night in 1972 were William Bailey and Althea Rowland, so give them an extra hug and a
Remember when 1960 Grade 1 class list Riverside School Mrs. R. Golley George Bailey Harold Bakke Larry Betts Terrence Cline Larry Courser Delores Donaghy Phillip Edney Dwight Ekeli Stewart Johnston George Kocyba Kathy Kroening Norman Lux Neil MacKinnon Doreen Mattern Lois McLaren Edith Mueller Barry Mohl John Newman Leona Newton Peggy Ann Potter Althea Rowland Harvey Schultz Robert Smith Leslie Trennery Louise VantKruis Myles Wiancko Lynn Wilcox Robert Williams David Williamson Susan Wills Red Brick School
Mrs. Velma Hart Doreen Ames Peter Backus Dena Berg Paulette Buss Susan Clissold Miles Crandall Juanita Linda DeSpiegelaere Joe Dodds Benjamin Fink Mary J. Haseloh Garry Jaggard William Jones Karen Lea Laurene Mass John McIntosh James Newlands Frances Parker Janne Pedersen Yvonne Reglin Julia Scherrends Barbara Sieben Terry Steblyk Patti Sweet Neil Turner Douglas White Mrs. Harriet Schurman Ramona Abt Cheryl Avison Debra Beatty Rich Bowie David Clements Marilyn Crandall
high-five. • The Class of 1972 Reunion Committee has worked hard to put this gala evening together, and deserve the accolades of their former classmates. They would like to extend an invitation to all former teachers and staff members to attend the Saturday, Sept. 8 festivities at Wolf Creek that will begin at 5 p.m. and carry on until all the stories have been told and the memories shared. Those wishing to register or receive more information are urged to contact Ryan Vold at ryan@wolfcreekgolf. com or Phone 866-783-6050.
R Remember when we couldn’t wait until the newspaper came out in late August so that we could see whose class we were in?? o Many of these students will return to Ponoka on Saturday, Sept. M 8, for their gala Composite High School Grad class of 1972 40th 8 rreunion at the Wolf Creek Golf Resort.
Karen Derks Fern Dietz Kenneth Fenske Daniel Frizzell Gerald Ray Hart Dorothy Jackson Dwight Jones Glenn Kuhn Darrell Lueers Dawn Matejka Douglas Nelson Lawrence Pahl Michelle Payne Christine Ravnsborg Debbie Sauder Kathy Shantz Ronald Spence Gordon Sweet Darlene Tucker Joanne Volk Mrs. S. Wessel Leanne Austad Michael Barnes Rita Berger Blake Butterfield Bernard Comeau Bruce Crawford Leona Dewald Arthur Dykstra David Flegal Lorne Gates Bryson Heartwell Lee Jensen Robin Kerns
Donald Lewis Yvonne Major Terry McLean Janet Nichol Lorna Parks Dale Peterson JoAnne Reynolds Holly Schierer Vera Sommer Michelle Stirling Robin Taylor Dwayne Vogel Darcy Wight Mrs. L. Aubrey Murray Austad Malcolm Bartholow Linda Bidyk Brian T. Butterfield Janis Corbett Larry Cross Holly Dickau Joanne Elofson Elaine Forseth Randy Gehlert Ann Hinkley Judith Johnston Douglas Kleckner Ronald Lewis Harry Makus Terry Mingoth Ellen Nielsen Valerie Paterson Ronald Raugust Gary Robinson
Thomas Schultz Debra Spelrem Sheila Stowell Shelly Thacker Janet Voghell Mrs. Connie Nelson Debra Auten George Bawden Debbra Bonnett Wayne Chorostkowski Cathy Courser Marie Cummings Kenneth Dickau Beva Farnham Rosemary Forth Elizabeth Gorman Janice Hoffman Terry Johnston Barbara Knowles Marilyn Lindholm Manning James Moriarity Rita Ogilvie Charles Patterson Brent Ravnsborg Connie Jean Rose Blair Switzer Deborah Spence Donella Strause Arlene Tofsrud Ryan Vold