School: Humbird High School (Reunion - 1978)

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

Surnames: Hein Noyes, Luciente, Foyt

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 5/18/1978

Humbird High School (Reunion – 13 May 1978)

Saturday, May 13, was a very special day in the little community of Humbird. It was a reunion of all students and their spouses of the old Humbird High School, between the years of 1885 and 1949. This included all that attended high school between those dates, not just the graduates.

Registration began at noon in the local community hall. The line was long and noisy, squeals of delight were heard, tears and laughter fill the halls, with 425 registered.

There was no sunshine in the sky to brighten the atmosphere, the weather was cold and dreary, but the sunshine and love in the hearts of those that came overflowed. Teachers from all grades came and jesting could be heard as some said, “I’d know you anywhere,” or “I’d never believe it was you.” “Do you remember this.” Or “Do you remember that?” or “How many children do you have?” “I have great-grandchildren, too.”

One student had twelve children which was the record. Those who came from the farthest away, were from California, new Mexico and Florida.

The Legion Hall was used along with the community hall where bars, cookies, coffee and punch were served, were beautifully decorated with flowers and mementoes of years gone by. The banquet was so beautifully served in the Alma Center gym with tables decorated in orange & black streamers, 25 begonia plants spread over the tables and with cut flowers on the head table.

Neil Hein was our emcee and did things up in a know-how fashion.

In all the happiness flowing around the Humbird High School, the building stood in shame at the head of our town. What was once a picture of beauty now stood quietly in shambles. The windows which had once been boarded up were now broken. The insides a complete shambles. An old piano lay smashed on the assembly floor, the water cooler thrown down the stairwell, anything of value that could be lifted has been stolen and the question in my heart and yours has to be “WHY?”

Thanks to all the alumni that attended for it was your day. Thanks to Ed Noyes and his committees who worked so hard to bring it about. We were pleased to see Joe Luciente and teacher, Lynn Foyt, who drove here from California on his way home to Wisconsin Rapids. As tired as he was from driving and the fact that he hadn’t been home for six months, did not deaden his enthusiasm. Much more tired and happy, he went home.

To each and every one, which is too many to be individually mentioned, the alumni thanks you all for making it a very special day. We would love to hear comments from each and every one of you on having another one in five years.

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School: Humbird Reunion #2 (Gratitude - 1978)

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

Surnames: Elger, Cummings

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 5/25/1978

Humbird Reunion (Gratitude - 1978)

(The following received from a Kenosha couple who recently attended the Humbird High School Reunion. Found in the Humbird news column).

Small Town – Small School – Great Loyalty

We have just returned from a trip to Humbird, Wisc. Humbird is 250 miles from our home in Kenosha. The trip was taken specifically to attend a reunion of high school graduates from the Humbird High School, 1885-1949. We are thrilled over the spirit exhibited throughout the affair. To find out people who had traveled over 2,000 miles to attend was an experience in itself. To name a few long distance trips there were those from California, Oregon, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Florida and other states. And then to cap it all we found that there were in excess of 400 in attendance.

A little town and a small school must have something to install such long lasting interest and loyalty. Then, of course, the inherent stability and character of the early inhabitants of a small community of the mid-west played its part in shaping up the twentieth century generations.

Originally, it was planned to have those who would come meet in a small town in the afternoon for a get-reacquainted time and then proceed to the high school gymnasium at Alma Center for the evening banquet. (Alma Center is where the Humbird students now go to high school.)

Imagine, if you can, our surprise when we drove up to the town hall to find lines of people waiting there and also at a near-by hall. One hall proved to not be large enough. While standing in line, moving forward only a step now and then, and visiting the while, it came over us…..”That old high school spirit” was running high again.

Many had not seen each other for fifty years and more. The wrinkles, the stooped shoulders and the gleam in their eyes, along with the youngest already in their ‘forties’ made a scene we had hardly visualized ahead of time. But oh!, the spirit that hovered in that crowd and the tall stories of “when I was there!”

It was impossible for me to mention all the names of the ones who deserved credit for such an occasion. Probably much has been already done in news releases. I rather would like to emphasize that you who live in that little town have a gold mine in the fellowship that exists there. Hang onto it and we shall pray that such togetherness and love for each other may spread throughout our nation. This is what our blessed country needs again today.

(Signed) A member of the Class of 1920, Mrs. Tracy Cummings (Mattie Elger)