A reunion is a lot like Christmas. You anticipate and anticipate, and when the moment arrives the event seems to be over in a heartbeat. Like Christmas, the reunion leaves the joy of seeing very special people, warm memories and happy thoughts. And, it seems, no reunion lasts long enough to see everyone you want to see for as long as you want to see him or her!  That speaks volumes about our class and classmates.

The 45th Reunion was the result of a lot of planning and effort on the part of many people. Below we extend our thanks to those who made the 45th Reunion possible.

Our Sincere Thanks

We want to thank Wann Towers for devoting her time and expertise, and hosting the Kansas Genealogy discussion.

We also want to thank Luke George, who supplied a pontoon boat, conversation, and a fun fishing trip at Milford for our angling classmates.

Mark Tobin deserves more thanks than we can give. He supplied his boat and fishing expertise for a fishing trip at Milford, afterwards spent an hour filleting fish, then drove to the fish fry and cooked the fish. Afterwards, he drove 3 1/2 hours back to his home on the far side of Kansas City. He was rewarded by having his digital camera stolen at the fish cleaning station at Milford.

Usually, we are short of reunion pictures. This is not the case for the 45th. Don Duncan shot over 180 photos, and Marlene McNeil Neilsen, JoAnne Olson Kemper, Sharon Stover Aldridge and Tom Alexander contributed all the photos in the following pages. We want to sincerely thank Don, Marlene, JoAnne, Sharon and Tom.

And we owe a very special thanks to John and Coty Gilman who supplied boat, guide service, and the food at the fish fry, other than the fish, and Coty caught some of those. We also want to thank Quentin Gilman and Don Neilson for their significant contributions to the fish fry, both monetary and culinary.

Last, and certainly not least, is a huge thank you to Kay Fiser, who always goes way beyond the call of duty.

Planning

The 45th Reunion was the result of several people who care deeply about our class, and the class reunions.

Ellie Mills Morton - Who chaired the reunion planning committee until personal obligations made it impossible to continue. She helped formed the initial planning structure with Owen Sherman, Annette Maxwell Pacilio and John King.

Annette Maxwell Pacilio - Was a driving force behind the architecture of the reunion and the planning. Annette initiated, developed and mailed the reunion survey. She also assisted with the web site design for the the reunion section, and wrote an article for the Bugle, among many other things. No one contributed more to the 45th reunion than Annette.

Owen Sherman and Lynne Sherman - No one worked harder than Owen and Lynne. Owen was involved from the beginning of the reunion planning, and continued to the end. He also provided the entertainment for the Friday night Mixer, and much, much more. Lynne is not only a wonderful person, but was also phenomenal in assisting Tom Alexander at the Hospitality Room, and in general did all that was asked of her and a great deal more.

Mel and Ruth Scott - Another couple who worked many hours, not only with the registration process, but they also supplied ideas and suggestions that made the reunion even more memorable. Not the least of which was the memorial for deceased classmates at Saturday evening's banquet. They also came up with the idea for hanging the name badges so no one had to poke a hole through a blouse or shirt. Mel and Ruth made a huge contribution in every way to this reunion.

Tom Alexander - Tom did an outstanding job organizing and manning the Hospitality Room. Tom has worked on each reunion in recent memory; always giving freely of his time and energy. Tom was in charge of one of the most critically important areas of the reunion and did his usual outstanding job.

Diana Kientz Clark - Diana somehow found time to assist in the 45th reunion despite finishing the courses and exams for her degree from K.S.U., and her work with varied political action groups. Diana never says no to any task for the class, for which we are extremely grateful.

Don Duncan - Don is one of those guys that when you need something done, and he says he will take care of it, that's the end of the story. Don did a terrific job handling the scrapbooks, supplying and setting up the "Nostalgia Section" of the Hospitality Room, and took photos and video of the reunion functions. What a great guy!

Dave and Kay Fiser - For a fellow who wanted to retire and enjoy a reunion after 45 years, Dave sure looked as busy as ever. He and Kay let the reunion planners use their home for meetings, put together the Early Bird Party, handled the golf reservations, and Kay hosted the Manhattan Tour (among many other things), and Dave also contributed to the fish fry by catching some white bass at Milford. 

Don Slater - Don had some great ideas and suggestions for the reunion, and assisted in getting a photographer for the class picture. Don also brings a presence and warmth to the reunion, which explains his success with his community and young people programs.

Larry Bennington - Larry stepped in when asked and immediately put forth suggestions and then implemented them. His letter to classmates being a good example. Larry also consented to being the emcee for the Saturday night banquet and did a wonderful job.

Pat Ryan - Pat organized a singing program for the Saturday night banquet. Unfortunately, the Holiday Inn lost her keyboard, which put a damper on things for about a half minute. Pat is indomitable and led the audience in the MHS School Song and The MJHS Fight Song.

Rick Bayles - This was Rick's first reunion, and he was asked to give the invocation Saturday night, which he did. It was a wonderful message! Rick says he enjoyed the reunion immensely and will be back in 2007. We enjoyed seeing him and want to thank him for his contribution.

John and Linda King - John and Linda sincerely enjoyed working with all those mentioned above, and were grateful to be a part of such a terrific group of people.