School: Merrillan High School Alumni Reunion (1980)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Graf, Comstock, Anderson, Winston, Sherman, Snyder, Eid, Mayer, Wright, Reichenbach, Rietz, Illbeck, Hancock, Larson, Steinberg, Krosinski, Bowen, Bohac, Helbling, Nolan, Rude, Porter, Johnson, Williams, Olson, Carlson, Litchfield, Staples, Philips, Stiehl, Gile, Henning, Simonson, Gee, Blumenthaler, Ziehr, Matalas, Peavy, Hanson, Beede, Hoffman, Boehnen, Nichols, Horton, Updike, Blencoe, Meyer, Nolop, Miller, Sutton, Meek, Haydon, Austin, Svetlik, Andrews, Froehlich, Anderson, Erickson, Epding, Benson, Jackson, Putzer, Hoffman, Frost, Hayden, Kovar, Smith, Teeples, Scharer, Buttke, Hagen, Knutson, Kolbrak, Schudi, Newton, Christianson, Wilkins, Geske, Schoenberg, Schattie, Elmore, Apfel, Lund, Crivits, Herried, Kutcher, Schiesel, Ransom, Verdesi, Graves, Finn, Waters, Zinn, Kutcher, Olver, Ruch, Carey, Heath, Staves, Burnett, Casper, Crull, Reinart, King, Cormican, Kearny, Welch, Kunkel, Wold, Stutlien, Waller, Roesler, Rush, Mather, Radzinski

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 9/04/1980

Merrillan High School Alumni Reunion (31 August 1980)

Approximately 225 persons attended the Merrillan High School Alumni Reunion held at the Elementary School on Sunday, August 31.

Of the 557 graduates from the high school (1885-1949), 122 were in attendance. There are 250 known deceased members.

Master of ceremonies was Don Snyder, Class of 1932. Other class representatives participating in the program were Albert Snyder, Class of 1916; William Steinberg, 1922; Eunice Johnson, 1925; John Stiehl, 1929; George Matalas, 1933; Lawrence Kolbrak, 1936; Raymond Comstock, 1938; Rosemary Waters, 1943; and Allen Kearny, 1948.

Members of the golden anniversary class present were Angeline Nichols Horton, Opal Updike Blencoe, Phillip Meyers, Norman Porter and Frances Nolop Miller.

The oldest class having representatives present was 1909. They were Ethel Anderson Winston and Mary Graf Comstock. The oldest known living alumni are Sadie Frances Hanson of Madison and Clara Olson D(blotch) of Dearborn, Michigan, both from the class of 1907.

Eleanor Austin Gile, 1932, coordinated the day’s activities which began at 10:00 a.m., with registration and visiting; a noon banquet and program beginning at 1:30 p.m.

George Matalas was elected coordinator for the 1985 reunion. The reunions are held every five years on Labor Day Sunday in the year ending with zero or five.

The following is a list of graduates who attended the 1980 reunion:

Class of 1909 – Mary (Graf) Comstock, Taylor; Ethel (Anderson) Winston, Alma Center; Class of 1915 – W. Alfred Sherman, Wisconsin Rapids; Class of 1916 – Albert Snyder, Des Plaines, Illinois; Hulda (Eid) Mayer, Black River Falls; Class of 1918 – Virginia (Graf) Wright, Eau Claire; Class of 1919 – Ellen (Reichenbach) Rietz, Eau Claire; Lillian (Illbeck) Hancock, Merrillan.

Class of 1921 – Ellen Larson, Black River Falls; Class of 1922 – Irene (Reichenbach) Steinberg and William Steinberg, Eau Claire; Fred Krosinski, Milwaukee; Class of 1923 – Floyd Bowen and Bohumil Bohac, Merrillan; Class of 1924 – Cecile (Helbling) Nolan, Minneapolis; Arthur Anderson, Random Lake; Class of 1925 – Joe Rude, Port Edwards, Robert Porter, St. Paul, Minnesota; Eunice Johnson, Kenosha; Ruby (Williams) Olson, Luck; Class of 1926 – Carolyn (Porter) Carlson, St. Paul; Melvin Litchfield, Madison; Robert Staples, Wis. Rapids; Class of 1927 – Olga (Rude) Philips, Camp Douglas Class of 1928 – Fern (Steinberg) Helbling, Black River Falls; John Stiehl, Madison; Jean (Gile) Henning, Altoona; Laura (Simonson) Gee, Alma Center; Class of 1929 – Mary (Blumenthaler) Ziehr, Neillsville; Josephine (Matalas) Peavy, Wausau; Melvin Hanson, Cecil Beede, Eau Claire; Rodney Helbling, Merrillan; Ruby (Hoffman) Boehnen, Herbertus.

Class of 1930 – Angeline (Nichols) Horton, Kenosha; Norman Porter, Reseda, CA; Opal (Updike) Blencoe and Phillip Meyer, Black River Falls; Frances (Nolop) Miller, Menomonie; Class of 1931- Grace (Sutton) Meek, Black River Falls; George Haydon, Boulder, CO; Don Hanson, Northfield. Class of 1932 – Eleanor (Austin) Gile, Merrillan; Catherine (Blumenthaler) Svetlik, Neillsville; Wanda (Andrews) Froehlich, Janesville, MN; Don Snyder, Shelby, MT; Mary, Jane Sutton, Black River Falls; Ernest Anderson, Rockford, IL; Lydia Erickson, Alma Center; Class of 1933 – Marian (Erickson) Epding, Wausau; Willard Nichols, Brookfield, IL; Florence (Porter) Benson, Bloomington, MN; Vivian (Jackson) Pitzer, Milwaukee; Frances (Hoffman) Boehnen, Loyal; Everett Frost, Louis Hayden and George Matalas, Merrillan; Adolph Erickson, Alma Center; Ann (Blumenthaler) Svetlik, Neillsville; Class of 1934 – Elgie Beede, Hatfield; James Sutton, Merrillan; Class of 1935 – Leo Kovar, Merrillan; Bruce Smith, Eveleth, MN; William Gile, Wis. Rapids; Arlene (Andrews) Hanson, Northfield; Robert Teeples, Black River Falls; William Eid Scharer, Sturgeon Lake, MN; Class of 1936 – Avis Erickson, Merrillan; Clara (Benson) Smith, St. Paul, MN; Raymond Erickson, Seattle, WA; Gordon Sutton, Plymouth, MI; Virginia (Buttke) Nichols, Brookfield, IL; Ethel (Larson) Hagen, Strum; Arleen (Knutson) Anderson, West Allis; Lawrence Kolbrak, Altoona; Thomas Schudi, Minneapolis; Jean (Comstock) Newton, Holyoke, CO; Class of 1937 – Doris (Christianson) Wilkins, Black River Falls; Betty (Geske) Schoenberg, Eau Claire; Don Benson, Bloomington, MN; Vesta (Comstock) Haydon, Merrillan; Class of 1938 – Irene (Erickson) Schattie, Eau Claire; Geraldine (Anderson) Kolbrak, Altoona; Raymond Comstock, Waukesha; Class of 1939 – Harold Simonson, Altoona; Lucille (Elmore) Apfel, Neillsville; Dale Austin, Beloit; Vivian (Erickson) Gile, Wis. Rapids.

Class of 1940 – Peter Kovar, Altoona; Agnes (Lund) Crivits, Ettrick; Burdett Erickson, Norwell, MA; Class of 1941 – Virginia (Christianson) Herried, Whitehall; Luella (Kutcher) Schiesel, Milwaukee; Class of 1942 – Vivian (Ransom) Verdesi, Springfield, MA; Shirley (Austin) Graves, Neillsville; Class of 1943 – Rosemary (Finn) Waters, Alma Center; Class of 1944 – Gerald Goodwin Zinn, Robert Comstock, Merrillan; Kathleen (Kutcher) Olver, Afton; Class of 1945 – LaVearl (Ruch) Carey, Coon Rapids, MN; James Illbeck, Dorothy (Heath) Illbeck, Janesville; Bernice (Staves) Comstock, Waukesha; Class of 1946 – Lillian (Larson) Burnett, Butler; Violet (Kutcher) Casper, Janesville; Gerald Olver, Afton; Richard Staves, Beverly (Crull) Staves, Spooner; Delores (Illbeck) Reinart, Beloit; Class of 1947 – Dorothy (Finn) King, Robert Olson, Merrillan; Gerald Bowen, De Forrest; George Cormican, Brookfield; Class of 1948 – Phyllis (Larson) Kearny, Allan Kearny, Greenfield; Naomi (Welch) Kunkel, Trempealeau; Irene (Wold) Stutlien, Blair; George Waller, Withee; Dorothy Roesler, Milwaukee; Class of 1949 – Laura (Rush) Schudi, New Hope, MN; Clarita (Illbeck) Mather and Alvina (Illbeck) Erickson, Janesville; Della (Olver) Radzinski, Menomonee Falls.