~courtesy of The Scranton Journal
The Paton Consolidated High School class of 1962 was the last to graduate from the school with 17 members, including eight girls and nine boys. The following year students attended the school of their choice with the majority going to Churdan. The classes of 1963 and 1964 graduated from Churdan Community School before the schools reorganized to become Paton-Churdan.
The Paton Alumni Association has held an annual reunion banquet for many years on the first Saturday in May. The banquets were held in the school gymnasium, moving to the Shriver Community Center as the numbers dwindled with the aging alumni.
The Class of ‘62 celebrated its 55-year reunion on Saturday, May 6, in 209 Main in Paton, along with alumni from other classes.
The afternoon started with a trip down memory lane at the Paton Public Library which houses the class photos from all previous years.
Cocktails were enjoyed at the restaurant with many photos taken and old acquaintances renewed.
Attending the reunion from the class of 1962 were Luella Bancroft Miller, Boone; Bill Bertelli, Fishers, IN; Judy Darling Wilson, Paton; Jerry Erickson, Paton; Wanda McCarty Lindsey, Jefferson; Mike Schilling, Springfield, MO; Loren Shriver, Estes Park, CO; Judy Tonkinson Wessels, Manson; Raymond “Breezy” Wilson, Farnhamville, and Dick Wiseman, Ankeny.
Unable to attend were Madelyn Christensen Pegg, Las Vegas, NV; Margery Fields, Battle Creek, MI; Ardis Wolf Houston, Paton, and Dennis Lindgren, Jefferson City, MO.
Three members of the class are deceased: Carl Pemble, Dick “Yogi” Blair and Bryce Carl Bear.
The class is good about attending their reunions. At their 25th, they had 100 percent attendance. At the 50-year gathering, all but one came to celebrate. This year 10 out of the 14 graduates made the effort to attend.
Two of the group’s teachers joined the class in Paton. Robert Meyer of Rochester, MN, was head of the commercial department, teaching bookkeeping and accounting, office practice, typing and shorthand. The class’ fourth grade teacher was Donna Haeberlein Blair of Jefferson.
The Paton school was torn down in 2002. On the site stands a brick monument encasing the cornerstone and memorial bricks of many alumni. The committee in charge of the monument included Jack Fredrickson, Yvonna Klocksiem, Galen Lindgren, Doyle Carlson, Ralph Riedesel, Judy Wilson and the late Dick Blair. The project took 15 years to complete. Two benches have been added under the arch of the monument.
