More on
the 50th Reunion
Written June 19, 2015
For the golden anniversary of our high school graduation, Pat Ransome Kyle-Beatley asked the Class of 1965 to contribute information for a “memory book.”
Our class has 64 living members (including one who transferred). Two-thirds of us responded to Pat’s request. It’s not a scientific survey, but I’ve endeavored to add up the numbers in those 43 profiles.
Couples: I never married and have no children, so I’m not in this group. But for those who said “I’ve been married for X years,” the average number of years was 36.7.
Singles: 14 of us had at least one marriage that ended (a total of 10 divorces were reported, and eight husbands passed away), and nine of those remain unmarried. It appears that seven others never got hitched in the first place. That’s a total of 16 singles, or 38%.
Offspring: Seven of us listed no children. That’s 16%. The 36 who do have families reported 104 children, 152 grandchildren, and 8½ great-grandchildren — an average of 2.9 kids and 4.2 grandkids each. I’m not including the 125 foster children of Sharon Mayberry Stillings and her husband Bob.
Other: Six of us, or 14%, have been involved in agriculture, which seems a little low for a town like Richwood in a farming area. But 26% of us were in the military, and of those eleven classmates, five served in Vietnam. Five mentioned overcoming medical difficulties at some point in life. Three mentioned missionary work, and eight used the word “blessed.”
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I shot a few photographs at the event and included them in my previous article. However, Tonya Davis Payne took a lot of pictures. Here she is with Pat, and below are a few more that she posted on Facebook. |
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Finally, here are excerpts of some miscellaneous comments from the memory book.
Lynne Glass Ledley: We grew up at such a special time in the 50s and 60s! Life was a little less hectic than now. Kids are so busy with more sports and all the modern technology. I wonder if they get to spend quality time with their classmates at slumber parties, getting together after the ball games, dances with a DJ, and all the other neat things we did.
Mary Jo Fetter Motz: I remember feeling happy, busy, and safe in a variety of activities with friends. How lucky we were to attend a [small] school where we could participate regardless of our talents. All of the teachers influenced my personal beliefs and later the way I taught. Some were very positive role models who earned my deepest respect, and some showed me the kind of teacher/person I did not want to be.
Ed Olson: While we were together in high school, our interaction taught me to value all of you as an individual. Each of you had something to say that made me feel comfortable around you, learn to respect the opinions of others, and glad to have had the opportunity to know you. Every class feels that they are unique. In our case, it happens to be true.
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