Class of 1957

The Ellendale High School Class of 1957 continues to hold a reunion of their graduation each year and this year they gathered at the Geneva Bar & Grill on Saturday, September 13.

 

Fourteen members of the class, which numbered 39 at the time of their graduation, gathered, along with eight spouses, for their reunion this year. They enjoyed dinner and fellowship as they shared memories and stories about those “Good Old Days at Ellendale,” as well as shared what has been happening in their lives.

 

Present this year for the reunion were: Zetty Claire (Bailey) & David Nelson, of Owatonna; who both graduated in 1957 from Ellendale, along with Yvonne (Brekke) Spinler, of Austin; Iris (Christensen) & Stanley Jensen, of Lakeville; Mary Lou Deml. of Owatonna; Darryl (Karen) Flim, of Albert Lea; Keith (Nancy) Harty, of Emerald, North Carolina; Dave Jellum of Waseca; Jeanette (Jensen) Theuer of Owatonna; Betty (Jiroushek) Anderson, of Bixby; Ellen (Moiser) & (Joe) Allen, of Kasson; Corlyn (Janice) Paulsen, of the Elko New Market area; Melvin (Sandra) Schewe, of Oakdale; and Ronald Thompson, of Albert Lea.

 

Howard (Shirley) Wayne, of Longmont, Colorado had planned on attending his class reunion again this year, but he had the misfortune of recently falling off a ladder and was not physically able yet to travel back to Minnesota at this time for his class reunion.

 

The Classmates remembered deceased members of their class, including: DuWayne Anderson, Dale Bartness, Lyle Bowen, Kermit Grosland, Marilyn (Hanson} Reistad, Laurel Hendrickson, Richard (Dick) Jensen, Shirley (Johnson) Anderson, Edith (Lund) Earnest, Duane Olson, Mary Jane (Peterson) Jensen, Stanley Thompson, Michael Waage, Gerry Wanger and Lorena Zeman.

 

It was interesting to note that many of the classmates live quite a distance from where they grew up back in their early years. Missing from the class reunion this year were Sandra (Disher) Ramacher of Montoursville, PA; Jeanette (Grimstad) Anderson of Aspen, CO; Dale Johnson of Albuquerque, NM; Donald Johnson of Owatonna; MN; Janet (Kenny) Motz of Junction City, WI; Patricia More of Wayzetta, MN; Darrell Nelson of Albany, OR; Lyle Olson of Whitefish, Montana; and Ovanna (Utpadel) Haried of Junction City, OR.

 

Once again the Ellendale High School Class of 1957 plans to meet at the Geneva Bar & Grill on the 2nd Saturday of September, which would be the 10th of September in 2026.

 

The class members hope that family and friends of their classmates will pass along the news about the reunion next year, so they will be able to make plans to join them and make that reunion extra special as that will be the 60th anniversary since they all graduated together.