Talk of the Town - Whitley County

(Talk of the Town photos by Jennifer Zartman Romano) Above, Washington Center School alumni and guests gathered last Sunday for their annual all-class reunion. Below, Ardella Reust recounts her memories of starting school as a six-year-old in 1933. 

By Jennifer Zartman Romano

It has been a handful of years since the doors closed on Washington Center School. The last elementary students left the building in the 1990s and the last graduates of the high school there donned their caps and gowns in the 1950s.

Still, all these years later, the tremendous Washington Center School spirit could be felt last Sunday afternoon as graduates marking several decades gathered for their annual all-school reunion at The Eagle’s Nest Event Center.

A committee comprised of Marie Hockemeyer, Carolyn Kelsey, Joyce Butler, Dick Miller, David Schilling, Pauline Scott and Galen “Johnnie” Johnson planned the event once again this year, urging classmates to come together to share memories of the old days at Washington Center.

In all, 112 guests attended the reunion including several groups of siblings who had all attended the school. Two former teachers, Dora Belle Dreyer Carroll and Dorotha Mullett Sheets, also attended. The women were also graduates of the school.

Pauline Scott and Ardella Reust lit two candles and conducted a memorial service for classmates who had passed away.

Reust then recounted her memories of attending school for the first time as a six-year-old.

It was 1933 and she remembered getting her hair cut, wearing a dark dress and a pair of shoes that leaked. She also remembered carrying a lunch bucket with a butter and jelly sandwich and a cookie inside – and that she rode the school bus two and a half miles to school that day. Reust then read from the book “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” a story she recalled her teacher, Mrs. Yoder, reading to her.

“I didn’t understand that story then and 75 years later, I still don’t,” she said with a laugh.

Reust said she never had given her teacher an apple, so reaching into her satchel, she retrieved one and gave it to another teacher, Dora Belle Dreyer Carroll who was in attendance.

Committee member Pauline Scott then recognized graduates whose classes were celebrating milestone years.

The oldest graduates in attendance were Verlin Kehmeyer and George McDonald. The two were classmates in the Washington Center High School Class of 1933.

Teachers in attendance included Dora Belle Dreyer Carroll and Dorotha Mullett Sheets. Carroll and Sheets also graduated from the school in 1934 and 1936, respectively.

Several families attended the reunion together, including two large groups of siblings. The Mulletts, including Jack Mullett, Thora Mullett Lefever, Marguerite Mullett Yohe and Dorotha Mullett Sheets, and the Gambles, brothers Duane, Verlin, Dale and Gerald, all attended together.

Following the recognition of classmates, the entertainment for the afternoon was revealed – the Mizpah Shrine Chanters who crooned a number of songs and delighted the audience with their mix of song, comedy and theatrics.

All Veterans in attendance were asked to stand during the performance, while everyone sang, “God Bless America.”

One of the highlights of the afternoon was the appearance of “Elvis” who sang and visited with ladies around the room, and danced with Pauline Scott.

In closing, as a nod to the school spirit they all still share, classmates sang the school song.

Following the program, graduates shared their memories with classmates around the room. A table of photographs and memorabilia brought about review and discussion for many.

Next year’s reunion has already been scheduled and will take place on Sunday, September 19, 2009, at The Eagle’s Nest Event Center. Graduates or students who attended Washington Center School at any time over the years are invited to attend the reunion and share their memories together.