THE SECOND NIGHT OF SHIRLEY'S 50TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION (SCOOPING THE LOOP; AND A DINNER OF PIZZA, COOKIES AND DRINKS AT THE PERRY GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB TO CELEBRATE OUR CLASS REUNION) - Saturday, July 20, 2024

Today, after eating a delicious breakfast of waffles, bacon and sausage patties prepared by Karen Mendenhall, we sat and visited awhile before we had to leave to go to the class reunion dinner. We left at around 3:30 p.m. and headed to Perry, Iowa. Tonight we were going to the Perry Golf and Country Club to have pizza, drinks, and socialize with classmates.

Throughout all my childhood spent growing up in Perry, the towering Perry watertower was an icon. It was located at 8th and Warford, which was only a few blocks from my childhood home on 10th Street.

Our first stop in Perry today was at the Violet Hill Cemetery -- where my mom and dad are both buried. It's hard to believe that dad has been gone for 18 years (since 2006) and mom has been gone for 8 years (since 2016).

While we were at the cemetery, I was surprised to find the gravestone for Tony Stuhldryer (my cousin Jessica's husband), who had died in an ATV accident in 2021, just a short distance from my mom and dad's gravesite.

And then one more thing surprised me -- I found the gravestone for my kindergarten teacher -- Ms. Ann Sackett and her husband, G. Robert Sackett not too far from my mom and dad's grave. It appears that my kindergarten teacher may still be alive and would be about 86 years old (see below).

Ann Marie (Bartley) Sackett was my kindergarten teacher when I went to Lincoln Elementary in Perry, Iowa. I am sure that many of my classmates also had her as their kindergarten teacher. Ann Sackett was born May 10, 1938, and she married G. Robert (Bob) Sackett on July 9, 1960 in Waterloo, Iowa. After law school, G. Robert (Bob) Sackett and his wife, Ann returned to Perry. In 1961, G. Robert (Bob) Sackett joined his father, George H. Sackett, Blake Willis, and Blake's son Ned Willis in forming the law firm of Willis & Sackett. Ann then became a kindergarten teacher. I always thought she was so tall -- mostly from the vivid perception of a curious five-year-old, but what was really neat was that she came to my high school graduation party. That was so awesome!

This got me to reminiscing a little bit more about the elementary teachers I had while going to school at Lincoln Elementary (for grades kindergarten through fourth grade) and Dawson (for fifth grade). Below is a list of each of my teachers by grade level:

* Kindergarten teacher - Mrs. Ann Sackett

* First Grade teacher - Mrs. Velma Olson

* Second Grade teacher - Mrs. Lily Mae Minium

* Third Grade teacher - Mrs. Madelon Carlisle

* Fourth Grade teacher - Miss Clarice Mains

* Fifth Grade teacher - Mrs. Esther Mack

After visiting the graves, we drove out to the Perry High School (see picture below) to meet up with some of my classmates between 5:30 -5:45 p.m. to participate in the decades-old tradition -- performed by teens and young adults alike -- of "Scooping the Loop" or "Shagging the Drag."

"Scooping the Loop" was a form of a bizarre social ritual, observed mainly in smaller towns in rural Iowa particularly over the weekend. On Friday or Saturday night, teenagers from miles away would bring their cars and drive in slow circles around the town square for hours at a time. (The town square was also referred to as the "Loop", hence "Scooping the Loop".) The ritual took place almost every weekend in Perry, because what else did we have to do?

Everyone who planned to participate in this ritual tonight was there and waiting in their cars or trucks, and then Mike Brelsford arrived in his truck and took the lead position. We then proceeded to drive the specified route. For our route tonight, we were to go West down Willis Avenue to 2nd Street, then follow Warford Street to 3rd Street, and back along Willis Avenue to the Armory parking lot and turn around (closest place to Dog 'N Suds which was one of our favorite hangouts). We were also told that honking at random cars was optional 😆 ha!

(This was basically the route we took to "Scoop the Loop" in Perry.)

"Scooping the Loop" wasn't just a reason to rebel a little bit, drive fast, meet girls or guys, it also served as one of the last acts of summer -- before we had to go back to school. We would have the tunes blaring on our car radio, our windows cranked down, while we partook in this decades-old tradition on a simply picture-perfect night and life was all good! And even though the looks of the cars today have changed, the music we like to rock out to now is also different, we all "scooped the loop" for one reason: the big adventure! And, even if that adventure only meant driving around in constant circles -- we knew eventually we would find what we were looking for.

The pictures above and below show our group "Scooping the Loop."

After "Scooping the Loop" twice, we then headed to Perry Golf and Country Club located at 352 330th Street in Perry, Iowa.  

Shown above was one of the promotions for the 50th class reunion. Look at some of my classmates sporting bell bottom jeans -- so cool! And those I recognized in the above picture from left to right were Colleen Hiddleson, Ed Hurd, Eileen (Zollman) Watson, Bernie Beuter, Lacinda Labuda, Julie (Wetteland) Scheib, and Jeff Haberer.

Just "for  ole time sake," the Perry High School Classes of 1973 and 1974 joined forces for a joint class reunion -- with graduates gathering Friday, July 19 at the downtown Perry block party and meeting up again Saturday night at the Perry Golf and Country Club (see next few pictures below).

The reunions were combined because the class of 1973 didn't have a 50th class reunion last year, and asked if they could join the class of 1974 this year for their 50th. Since we were all friends in high school, it made sense, and now as we had gotten older, it had become a low-numbers situation for turnout at class reunions. Some 22 classmates of the Class of 1973’s total of 131 graduates attended the reunion, while 57 classmates of the Class of 1974's total of 146 graduates attended the reunion. 

Estimates indicate that typically only 20% to 30% of alumni attend their 50th high school reunion, however with only 112 members of the Class of 1974 still living, and 57 attending  -- we had an impressive 50.9% attendance rate! We have had 34 of our classmates pass away during the last 50 years -- with the first being Curt Bullock in 1979 and the most recent ones being Loyd Tate and Bob Thompson in 2022.

Shown below is the list of classmates that are gone but not forgotten:

We have 34 classmates gone, but definitely not forgotten!

Plans are already afoot for the year 2026. The Class of 1974 classmates are planning a "Turning 70 - New Decade & Birthday Bash" gathering to celebrate everyone turning 70 years old. The date is set for July 17 - 18, 2026.

Ok, so let's now get back to the festivities at the Perry Golf and Country Club tonight. After arriving at the Perry Golf and Country Club, we were asked to make out nametags (see picture below).

Classmates and spouses that I can identify in the above picture making their nametags from left to right are: Mary (Soumas) Nelson, Audrey (Blougher) Mohr, Mel Mendenhall, Cheri (Tice) Scheib, Mike Lind, Kelly (Dorman) Hill, and Corey Hill. 

Shown above is a sign the reunion committee made -- "Blessed to be Raised in Perry, Iowa, a.k.a Mayberry RFD." Living in the small town of Perry sometimes made us feel like we were in our own kind of Mayberry!

Each class had a special table set up displaying memorabilia -- including yearbooks, pictures, and newspaper articles (see above and below).

Shown below is a picture of some classmates looking at the memorabilia on the table -- from front to back is Pam (Williams) Haakma, Tony Martelli, and Diane (Vestal) Martelli. 

Also on the memorabilia table were pictures from the past reunions. Below is the picture from our 10th year high school class reunion in 1984 (I did go to this one. I am in the fourth row on the left side of the picture -- the fourth person in with blonde hair and wearing a dark blue spaghetti strap dress).

Shown below is the picture from our 15th year high school class reunion in 1989 (I did go to this one as well. I am the fourth person from the right in the second row of this picture, with blonde hair and wearing the white lace shawl over a dark blue dress).

Shown below is the picture from our 20th year high school class reunion in 1994 (I didn't go to this one).

Shown below is the picture from our 25th year high school class reunion in 1999 (I didn't go to this one).

I went around taking candid pictures of the different groups of people at the reunion in hopes of capturing a glimpse of all in attendance.

Shown above from left to right is Mike Lind and Peter Gelbowitz.

Shown above from left to right is Diane (Vestal) Martelli and her husband, Tony Martelli.

Shown above from left to right is Sherri (Stewart) Long and Julie (Behlings) Bitner.

Shown above from left to right is Kathy (Thomas) Lientz and Julie (Behlings) Bitner.

Shown above from is Mike Hulsebus.

Shown above from left to right is Diane (Vestal) Martelli, Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann, Rhonda (Roberts) Olson, Shirley (Blaisdell) Mendenhall, and Cheri (Tice) Scheib.

Shown above from left to right is Diane (Vestal) Martelli, Rhonda (Roberts) Olson, Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann,  Shirley (Blaisdell) Mendenhall, Cheri (Tice) Scheib, and Mary (Soumas) Nelson.

Shown above from left to right is Jeff Stewart and Shirley (Blaisdell) Mendenhall. Joelle (Conklin) Miner is also shown in the upper left hand side of the picture.

Shown above from left to right is Corey Hill and his wife, Kelly (Dorman) Hill.

Shown above is Holly (Meier) Lester.

Shown above from left to right is Jim Fiori and Dawn (Hansen) Bach.

Shown above from left to right is Audrey (Blougher) Mohr and Holly (Meier) Lester.

Shown above from left to right is Nancy (Jenkins) Hillaker and Jeff Stewart. And the $1 bill in Nancy is an inside joke -- from back in their high school days. I'm going to share their story now . . . Nancy had lost a quarter in high school, and Jeff had found the quarter that belonged to Nancy, but he decided to keep it. Well fast forward 50 years later, tonight Jeff decided to pay Nancy back, so he gave her a one dollar bill to pay her back with interest! How funny!!! (See Nancy proudly displaying it above).

Shown above from left to right is Lila (Davis) Lind and Joelle (Conklin) Miner.

Shown above from left to right is Joy (Modlin) Farrell, in the middle is Dan - a guest of Holly, and Holly (Meier) Lester.

Shown above from left to right is Shirley (Blaisdell) Mendenhall, Joelle (Conklin) Miner, and Lila (Davis) Lind. 

Shown above from left to right is Jim Patten and Dan Northup.

Shown above is some of the band students from 1974. From left to right is Nancy (Jenkins) Hillaker, Holly (Meier) Lester, Kathy Pohl, Audrey (Blougher) Mohr, Jim Patten, Dan Northup and Christine (Menz) Greer.

Shown above from left to right is Linda (Waters) Gibson and Randy Gibson.

Shown above from left to right is Barb (Sheeder) Chevalier, Tony Martelli, Mel Mendenhall, Diane (Vestal) Martelli, and Shirley (Blaisdell) Mendenhall.

Shown above from left to right is Ron Sutherland, Blaine Meyer, Diane Meyer, and Kristi (Pohl) Sutherland.

Shown above from left to right is Mrs. Wilson, Jon Wilson, Jim Fiori, Pam (Williams) Haakma, Diane (Stout) Brown, Cheri (Tice) Scheib, and Mary (Soumas) Nelson.

Shown above from left to right is Kathy (Thomas) Lientz, Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann, Mike Brelsford, Mark McMichael, and Mark Grubbs.

Shown above from left to right is Rhonda (Roberts) Olson and Mr. Olson.

Shown above from left to right is Sharon (Fessler) Vines and Mr. Vines.

Shown above from left to right is Rhonda (Long) Blair, Sherri (Stewart) Long, Mr. Long and Mr. Blair.

Shown above from left to right is Dan Northup, Don Watson, Jane Patten, and Jim Patten.

Shown above from left to right is Eileen (Zollman) Watson, Christine (Menz) Greer, Audrey (Blougher) Mohr, Deann Zollman, and Dan Northup.

Shown above from left to right is Kathy Pohl, Ed Hurd, and Joelle (Conklin) Miner.

Shown above from left to right is Mr. Hattery and Ann (Collins) Hattery.

Shown above from left to right is Danny Stout, Mr. Grubbs, Sandy (Malm) Grubbs, and Barb (Sheeder) Chevalier.

Shown above are Dr. Paul Ruggle and his wife.

Shown above from left to right is Holly (Meier) Lester and Dan, a friend she brought with her.

Shown above from left to right is Karen Stewart, Peter Gelbowitz, and Jeff Stewart.

Shown above from left to right is Joy (Modlin) Farrell and Joelle (Conklin) Miner.

Shown above from left to right is JoAnne Modlin, Mary Ann (Modlin), Dale West, and Judy Albritton.

Shown above from left to right is an Coral Kuehl, Peggy Weubker, Julie (Behlings) Bitner, and Deb (Carr) West.

Shown above from left to right is Dawn (Hanson) Bach, Julie (Wettland) Schieb, and Randy Bach.

Shown above from left to right is Holly (Meier) Lester, Mark McMichael, Diana (Riley) Fink, Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann, and Ann (Collins) Hattery.

Shown above from left to right is Mike Brelsford and Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann.

Shown above from left to right is Kathy (Thomas) Lientz, Diana (Riley) Fink, and Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann.

Shown above from left to right is Kathy (Thomas) Lientz, Kathy Pohl, Rhonda (Overton) MacAuthur, and Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann.

Shown above from left to right is Mark McMichael, Diana (Riley) Fink, Mark Grubbs, Cheri (Tice) Scheib, Mike Hulsebus, Rhonda (Long) Blair, Kathy (Thomas) Lientz, and Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann.

Shown above from left to right is Kathy Pohl and Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann.

Shown above from left to right is Cheri (Tice) Scheib, Mary (Soumas) Nelson, Jim Fiori, Donna McDowell, and Pam (Williams) Haakma.

Shown above from left to right is Cheri (Tice) Scheib, Mary (Soumas) Nelson, Rhonda (Overton) MacAurthur, John MacArthur, Jim Fiori, and Donna McDowell.

Shown above from left to right is Diane Meyer, Blaine Meyer and Shirley (Blaisdell) Mendenhall.

Shown above from left to right is Kelly (Dorman) Hill, Corey Hill, and Kathy Pohl.

Shown above from left to right is Jeff Stewart, Rhonda (Roberts) Olson, Mr. Olson, Karen Stewart, and Peter Gelbowitz.

Shown above from left to right is Danny Stout, Mr. Grubbs, and Sandy (Malm) Grubbs.

Shown above from left to right is Mrs. Harland and Ron Harland.

Shown above from left to right is Diane (Vestal) Martelli, Linda (Waters) Gibson, Randy Gibson,  Barb (Sheeder) Chevalier, and Tony Martelli.

Shown above from left to right is Barb (Sheeder) Chevalier, Tony Martelli, Mel Mendenhall, and Diane (Vestal) Martelli.  

Shown above from left to right is Mr. Long, Mr. Blair, Rhonda (Long) Blair, and Sherri (Stewart) Long.

Shown above from left to right is Mr. Hillaker and Nancy (Jenkins) Hillaker.

Shown above from left to right is Karen Stewart, Peter Gelbowitz, Jeff Stewart, and Rhonda (Roberts) Olson with her back to the camera.

Shown above from left to right is Blaine Meyer, Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann, Mike Brelsford, Kathy (Thomas) Lientz, Lila (Davis) Lind, and Joelle (Conklin) Miner.

Shown above from left to right is Deb (Carr) West, Lila (Davis) Lind, and Connie (Knepper) Sheehy. 

Shown above from left to right is Coral Keuhl, Julie (Behlings) Bitner, Deb (Carr) West, JoAnne Modlin, Mary Ann (Modlin) Connor, and Lori Main.

Shown above from left to right is Mrs. Paul Ruggle, Ed Hurd, and Dr. Paul Ruggle.

Shown above from left to right is Ed Hurd, Mrs. Paul Ruggle, Dr. Paul Ruggle, Mr. Hattery, Ann (Collins) Hattery, and Kathy Pohl.

Shown above is Diane Stout.

Shown above and below are several of the tables of classmates at the reunion.

Shown above from left to right is Lila (Davis) Lind, Patsy (Smouse) Coleman, and Joelle (Conklin) Miner.

Shown above from left to right is Patsy (Smouse) Coleman and Cheri (Tice) Scheib.

Shown above from left to right is Patsy (Smouse) Coleman and Joelle (Conklin) Miner.

Shown above from left to right is Mike Lind, Lila (Davis) Lind, Mark McMichael, Joelle (Conklin) Miner, Holly (Meier) Lester, and Mark Grubbs.

Shown above from left to right is Peggy Weubker, Julie (Behlings) Bitner, and Deb (Carr) West.

Shown above from left to right is Mary Ann (Modlin) Connor, Paul Sheehy, Judy Albritton, Lori Main, and Coral Keuhl.

Shown above from left to right is Mark McMichael, Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann, and Mark Grubbs.

Shown above from left to right is Paul Sheehy, Connie (Knepper) Sheehy, Judy Albritton, Deb (Carr) West and Mr. West.

Shown above from left to right is Randy Bach and Dawn (Hansen) Bach.

Shown above and below is the 1973 class reunion attendees. From left to right in the wheel chair is JoAnne Modlin and on her knees is Julie (Behlings) Bitner. In the first row from left to right is Deb (Carr) West, Connie (Knepper) Sheehy, Donna McDowell, Coral Keuhl, Mary Ann (Modlin) Connors, Lori Main, Peggy Weubker, and Deann Zollman. In the back row from left to right is an unidentified person, Keith Davis, Randy Bach, Jim Fiori, Dr. Paul Ruggle, Roger Stech, Kent Scheib, Ron Harland, and Dan Munsterman.

Sitting on the deck from left to right is Joelle (Conklin) Miner, Mark McMichael, Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann, Jim Patten, Jeff Stewart and Ann (Collins) Hattery. Next row and on their knees from left to right is Peter Gelbowitz, Kathy Pohl, Kathy (Thomas) Lientz, Pam (Williams) Haakma, Linda (Waters) Gibson, Cheri (Tice) Scheib, Sharon (Fessler) Vines, and Patsy (Smouse) Coleman with the walker. Next row from left to right is Ron Sutherland, Mike Lind, Rhonda (Roberts) Olson, Diane (Stout) Brown, Sherri (Stewart) Long, Holly (Meier) Lester, Diane (Vestal) Martelli, Barb (Sheeder) Chevalier, Mary (Soumas) Nelson), Rhonda (Overton) MacArthur, Joy (Modlin) Farrell, and Dawn (Hansen) Bach. And in the back row from left to right starting behind Sandy (Malm) Grubbs is Christine (Menz) Greer, Nancy (Jenkins) Hillaker, Blaine Meyer, Mark Grubbs, Dan Stout, Lila (Davis) Lind, Jon Wilson, Audrey (Blougher) Mohr, Rhonda (Long) Blair, Dan Northup, Shirley (Blaisdell) Mendenhall, Randy Gibson, Ed Hurd, Mike Hulsebus, Corey Hill, and Eileen (Zollman) Watson.

Shown below are pictures from other get-togethers with classmates for breakfast at the Hotel Pattee or for lunch:

Shown above from left to right is John MacArthur, Rhonda (Overton) MacAuthur, Jon Wilson, Kathy Pohl, Margaret (Sheehy) Wilson, Kristi (Pohl) Sutherland, Ron Sutherland, Jim Fiori, and Ed Hurd.

Shown above from left to right is Holly (Meier) Lester, Mark McMichael, Diana (Riley) Fink, Andrea (Ahlstrom) Germann, and Ann (Collins) Hattery.

Shown above from left to right is Christine (Menz) Greer, Nancy (Jenkins) Hillaker, Cheri (Tice) Scheib, and Eileen (Zollman) Watson.

And lastly, I'm including the senior class pictures of 1974 (see below): 

Shown above is the list of the 1974 -- 50th class reunion attendees.

Nostalgia is that warm, fuzzy feeling that I get when I think about fond memories from my past.

Seeing and reuniting with classmates from my teenage years after so many decades was delightful and deeply nostalgic. However, there was a bit of sadness thinking of those classmates who had died as well as missing classmates who could not attend for some reason or another. And, it was amazing how many years of catch-up we could cram into a couple evenings of socializing. For most of us -- as we near the 70 years old milestone -- is was a “come as we are, take us as we are” type of experience. We were just happy to be together, share memories and renew friendships.

From my experience at my 50th high school class reunion however, there were a few lessons to be learned:

1) Old friendships are pure gold.

Even though most of us lived in the small town of Perry and considered ourselves city folk, some of us were from rural areas and were bused into school every day. Still, somehow we all became friends in one way or another. We did just exactly what siblings often did too – we fought and argued, we laughed, went on field trips or to sports outings, played games, we teased and cried, and all the while we worked alongside each other. 

2) People are precious.

As I once heard in a sermon, “At the end of your life, the only things that will matter are faith, family, and friends.” I was so touched by some of the inspiring and warm conversations I had at the reunion, even though some with people I barely knew while in high school.

3) Life is short.

We have lost 34 of our classmates. We had many teachers who had really invested themselves in our lives -- seeing all our swagger and blusters, our shallowness and immaturity, and yet they loved us the way we were. We can all name several of our favorite teachers, but many of them have also passed away.

4) There’s a lot to be said for stability.

I went to the Perry schools my entire childhood -- from Lincoln Elementary (Kindergarten through 4th grade); Dawson for 5th grade; Junior High (located on Willis Avenue not far from my childhood home); and high school (as I walked every day to school rain, snow or shine). I alway wondered what it would be like to ride a school bus, and I had that opportunity throughout 5th grade as our whole class was bused to Dawson -- it felt like it was just our school, and in reality, it was. There’s a lot to be said for sameness and stability.

5) The high school "you" is not the real "you" that you will become.

We were all still youthful teenagers in high school -- and in spite of having a driver's license, and maybe an afternoon job, we were just beginning to accept responsibilities. The senior pictures we had taken were only a glimpse into the real person we would become in the future.  We had so much to learn and explore before we would become who we would truly be. We were then – and probably still are – a work in progress.

6) To our classmates, we will always look like we did a half-century ago.

For several of my classmates that was probably true -- as I looked at the 68-year-olds and thought that they hadn't changed a bit. They still looked and acted the same as they had in high school. We may even see each other as teenagers playing Elvis records in the school gym for a sock hop, cheering on the football or basketball team, or going on field trips. 

7) By now, we have grown out of showing off, or having to prove anything.

We no longer have to drive the coolest car or date the prettiest girl or handsomest guy. Nowadays no one even sees the car you drive. And I guarantee you, no one cares. That was strickly high school stuff -- trying to impress classmagtes with a car. By now most of us have retired and are enjoying life.

8) Peer pressure has evaporated and we can now truly be ourselves.

Now, we are not afraid to be an individual and enjoy life. We are ok with our beliefs in God and Jesus and are not afraid to share them. I thank my parents that I was brought up to believe in the Lord and attended the Lutheran Church and Sunday School regularly. I knew it was important to me and my upbringing.

9) Class members are pretty special people -- and even they were back in high school.

Everyone of our classmates had or has special talents and skills -- many of which we were unaware of back in high school. And now even though most of us are retired -- many were doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, almost any occupation imaginable during their careers. 

10) It’s never too late to repair a relationship, ask for forgiveness, or thank someone.

I had experienced some teasing in high school -- sometimes excessive, but at this class reunion I reached out and fortunately found others in my class that had also experienced something of a similiar nature. And although the teasing occured, we somehow during the years were able to get over it -- but by being able to share my feelings tonight, I was able to find solace and repair what had once been a bad situation. I know I felt some relief after visiting and receiving hugs from several of my classmates -- even though a few tears still welled up in my eyes and fell on my cheeks while talking to them.

During these last 50 years, we have definitely “grown up and matured.” In the time warp of the last 50 years since high school, we had all acquired a profession, married, and raised children. At the same time some of us had met with harsh trials, divorce and setbacks. Almost all our parents were now deceased. But now as we shared, we were much more interested in listening and catching up with each other. Life is great being retired, and we all seem to love it!

At this 50th class reunion, we tended to see our classmates and friends with our hearts, not just our eyes. Even though a casual observer may have scoffed as we reminisced about the times and places that no longer exist -- we still remember that these things did exist for us, especially during this special weekend. Indeed, time has stood still for the class of 1974!

I want to convey special thanks to those who financially provided for this wonderful Saturday night celebration and get-together of the classes of 1973 and 1974: Dr. Paul Ruggle for covering the cost of the pizza, Mark McMichael for covering the cost of the rental of the Perry Golf and Country Club rental, and Peggy Weubker for providing the cookies.

Mel and I are anxiously awaiting the next get-together and birthday celebration of the class of 1974 in 2026!

Shirley & Mel