OHS Class of 1974 celebrates 50 years

Members of the Olney High School Class of 1974 celebrated their 50th reunion last weekend with a long, laughter- filled trip down memory lane last weekend.

The reunion began on Friday with a gathering of 28 of the original 64 class members at the Olney Heritage Museum followed by a meal hosted by Rick and Diane Ickert at the Fort Belknap Electric Coop meeting room. The group did a photo opp on the Olney Independent School District track, and attended the Cubs football game against the Chico Dragon -- the first victory of the season.

Mayor Rue Rogers read a tribute to the class at the game. “They were the first class in the new high school, built using the ‘open concept’ - meaning there were no doors on the classrooms,” Mayor Rogers said. “Making it just a little harder to sneak out to cut class.”

On Saturday, the group met more classmates at the Wildcatter Ranch in Graham, and spent the day renewing friendships, recalling memories and playing games. The evening ended with supper at the Wildcatter.

Classmate Rodney Simmons, acting as master of ceremonies, made a playlist of 1970s music that was drowned out by laughter and conversation, classmate Teresa Cleri- hew said.

The group played cornhole, enjoyed a magic show, and the former class twirlers tried to recreate a routine they had performed with light batons during the halftime show against Bowie, Ms. Clerihew said. Classmate Steve Veazey made the longest trip to the reunion – from San Antonio.

Most of all, they shared memories, and the fact that “time and tide wait for no one,” Ms. Clerihew said.

“We were the last class to enjoy the second-story fire escape at the old high school ... for those quick getaways to the No-D-Lay, DQ or Paul’s Drive-In for lunch,” she said. “After lunch there was time to drive to Dairyland for a 25cent vanilla Coke and make the drag. As many before us, we were the last class to survive the crickets in the girls’ basement gym, the hissing and popping radiators for heat in the winter. Air-conditioning and computers, we didn’t have any.”

Mr. Simmons then read from the diary of the Class of 1974’s senior trip. “Some of us were 18 and legal to drink in that era,” Ms. Clerihew said. “They took the whole group to San Antonio while they serviced the tour bus and let us loose in San Antonio. Rodney did a ‘70s playlist for us but we drowned that out with laughter and conversation.”

Finally, Mr. Simmons read the names of classmates who had passed on.

“The highlight of the evening to me was Rodney saying a prayer for our class members that had gone on before us,” organizer Glenna Cagle said. “Those who had lost children, those who had lost their spouse and a prayer for our class members that had gone on before us.”

The extra food was donated to the House of Mercy, and the vases and flower arrangements went to the Olney Senior Center.

The Class wished to thank Donald and Glenna Cagle for hosting meetings and attendees at their home, Rick and Diane Ickert for the meal at Fort Belknap, Debi (Ward) Mills for the decorated cookies, and OISD for the game passes.