Dear WinkWorld Readers, the past few posts have focused directly on language acquisition/literacy development. I do this so that others can use any of my resources. It is clear to me that my readership is highly diverse: language/literacy professionals; family and friends of many decades; and prairie people. I try to share thoughts which might relate to one of these groups. I confess to a strong bias towards books and kids, which hopefully is our connecting thread.
However, I am creating this present issue of WinkWorld for me. I want to maintain the treasured memories of the two school reunions we attended in July of 2022. First, I will share some photos from my 60th high school reunion, and this will be followed by our undergrad college, Yankton College, reunion. If I use any incorrect names, it is totally my fault.
Mobridge High School Reunion Class of 1962
Most of the people in these photos have been friends for longer than 60 years, as most of us ran the streets of Mobridge throughout K-12. It was a classic small town middle America experience. As I remember our class, we were never very cliquish; we all just kind of were friends with everyone. Most days. One of my fondest memories of this reunion is that pattern continued: Everyone just kept moving so they could visit with everyone. Diane Wessel Kindt and Bingo Kindt are the glue which holds us all together. They hosted a picnic for all of us.
L to R: Bev Nelson, Wayne Lott, Diane Kindt, Donna Brown, JoAnn Rundlett, me, Bertha Daniels, Don Hamann, Jim Steinwand, Larry Lekness, Penny Nesrud, Don Brown, Bingo Kindt, & Darrel Smith.
Here we are at the dinner, after Wink finally corralled us into one place.
Friends: Penny, me, Tiny, Diane, and Runny. Missed you, Toots and Caroline.
Class of 1961
The Class of 1961 joined us for most of the celebration. I remember when we were kids, I used to stare at these older students with awe and wonder. They were so cool! We were not. At least that was my perspective.
Here they are.
We had friends from other classes join us, too. I was so happy to reconnect with Tiny, PJ, Bill, Jerry of the famed Brown family.
Human Connections Between The Two Reunions
I was reminded of all of the human connections between the Yankton College alums and the Mobridge high school alums. Isn’t that right: Mel/Tammy, Fay Loll, Louise and Angie Borman, MJ, Grows/Mains, Nancy, Carol Sheehan, and others? It makes me muse on the impact of the Reverend Roger Grow, who was one of my mighy anchors when I was a teenager. Here are Louise and Angie Bormann, who certainly represent the connections between Mobridge and Yankton.
Yankton College Reunion
For those who do not know, Wink and I met at a “mixer” at our first night at Yankton College, fall of 1962. We “went together” for four years and married the day before graduation, as all of the family would be there anyway, and we didn’t want Grammie/Grampy to have to make a second trip. We had a terrific classical humanities education with excellent professors back in the days when Yankton College was a beloved college–it is now a minimum security federal prison.
Here is Kingsbury Hall, “girls’ dorm,” where we met at that mixer, and where I lived for the first 3 years of undergrad.
Below see Wink’s two friends from our wedding: John Hughes, Best.Man.Ever, and Rod Schellpeper, groomsman and “roomie” before me.
Below, Joe Ward, the living legacy of YC, and Wink.
Mary Albrecht Fesenmaier, my MN Nordic friend, then and now.
Jan Bertsch and I have been friends through many chapters of life.
I even connected with our dear sweet Lori Youngberg, who babysat Dawn and Bo in the early 70s.
How many people are lucky enough to take their very own 96-year-old “AngelMama” to their 60th high school reunion?*
These reunions reminded me a lot of the book I am presently reading, A Life in Light: Meditations of Impermanence by an author I love, Mary Pipher. Our reunions had me musing a lot on impermanence….
* a story which needs to be told
at 5:17 pm
Wow Joan Love these photos and read!It’s truly amazing how many people came!What fun,glad u all enjoyed the parties Barbara
at 10:35 am
See you soon!
at 11:44 pm
The sounds of laughter and talking will remain with all of us for a long time. I loved trying to figure out who everyone was after being apart for so many years. It was hard to say goodbye but the memories will remain. Thanks for sharing the special days. And thank you and Dean for your help in making it successful. BFF!!
at 10:34 am
Thanks for all of your plotting ‘n planning to get us all together!xo
at 8:52 pm
Well . . . so many thoughts. First, I must say how in awe of you “big kids” we young ones were, back in Mobridge. Would we ever be the important ones, the leaders, as you were? :>) And, second, I loved all the photos, even of folks I would never recognize but whose names are still familiar. Third, thanks for acknowledging my dad’s part in bringing Mobridge’s best and brightest to YC. Yes, others had gone before, but those were golden years, weren’t they, in so many ways? Thanks, Joan, for the memories, and for staying part of our lives.
at 8:14 pm
Love your thoughtful response, Kathy. It is all about human connections, and ours go back many decades.
xxoxo, Joan