Way up north in the county of Cook, near the middle of the 20th Century, a group of 31 young and wonderfully hopeful students graduated from Grand Marais High School. They were the last class to graduate from the “old school.” Future classes graduated from the “new” high school and, later the name of the school was changed to Cook County High School. In August 2011, 60 years later, 14 of those very special young women and men who wore cap and gown and commenced into the world with ambition, determination, and an unflagging attitude that they would succeed, gathered for a reunion.
In August, they met at Nancy and Virgil Lindquist’s home on Devil’s Track Lake for a 60th reunion. They came with their old wonderful sense of humanity and humor and admiration for their fellow students. Oh, yes, they all moved a bit slower with a variety of body aches. For some there was a bit less hair to comb. And some displayed a “wee bit” of increase in their girth. But the terrific smiles and peals of raucous laughter with shared memories were reason and reward for the reunion. Attendees were: Bill Andersen, Shirley (Bloomquist) Kokal, Dick Bockovich, Marlene (Boostrom) Leonard, Paul Brandt, Bob Brazell, Nancy (Gunderson) Lindquist, Jim Hall, Bub Loh, Dick Lund, Charlie McElvey, Bill McNerney, Janet (Nelson) Hennessey, and Clyde Olson. There were nine other members of the class who were not able to attend due to conflicts: Dorothy (Backlund) Glaser, Jean Ann (Berg) Johnson, Lloyd Berglund, Janet (Jerick) Olson, Floyd Johnson, Shirley (Ott) Backstorm, Joanne (Rindahl), Carol (Sykes) Smith, and Jim Tveekrem. And there are eight members of the class who have “gone to their reward”—Ione Anderson, Barbara Burns, George Flavell, Carole Eckmark, Roger Larsen, Gordon LeGarde, Janet Lind, and George Stoltz.
As the group parted to return to their current homes, it was generally agreed,“Let’s do this again in 2021.” With the spirit of the Class of ’51, that agreement shall be kept—in spirit if not in fact. What a special group!
This Historical Reflection was submitted by Class of ’51 member E. L. (Bub) Loh of Bowie, Maryland.
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