ALUMNI WEEKEND 2001 - by Mary Ann Barker Frazee - frazeehl@getgoin.net Mother Nature certainly showered her favor upon MGHS Alumni who returned to Mountain Grove for the annual alumni festivities June 29th through July 1st. A bright blue sky with a smattering of white powder puff clouds set the stage for a Dixieland Jazz Band concert at Alumni Park on Friday evening and gave a repeat performance for the parade on Saturday morning with lunch following at the park. At least 8 classes had reunions of some sort, some encompassing 3 days while others chose a pot luck in the park or breakfast brunch at a local restaurant. The class of '61 had 28 members, plus spouses and 2 faculty members present for their reunion while the class of '51 had 52 members and 4 faculty members. Spouses and other guests brought their ranks up past the 100 mark and they filled 2 rows of tables at the banquet on Saturday evening. The class of 1976 did an excellant job of hosting the banquet and moved the program along at a fast pace so that no one had the opportunity to become bored. The parade on Saturday morning had the most units of any parade in recent memory. Featured were milestone classes, the Wright County Sheriff's mounted posse, the Shriners driving vintage Mustang red convertibles and the Alumni Band and the Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps. It was so long that it marched around the square twice. Alumni who participated in past Drum and Bugle Corps have begun meeting regularly and are in the process of trying to locate snare drums and bugles to be used at Alumni events. Under the supervision of Mary Helen Catlett Allen, the goup sent out a newsletter this year and is attempting to contact all past members. She is listed on this web site and if you or you know of anyone interested in the reunions, contact her for more information. On Saturday at Alumni Park, a lunch of smoked meats and side dishes was prepared and served by Major James Miller, Jr, MGHS JROTC instructor. Major Miller wanted to contribute something to Alumni Park, because he is impressed with it's concept and he has used the park at times in his work with the cadets. His generosity will add to the treasury of the MGHS Alumni Foundation and is deeply appreciated. Meals and Memories, a publication of favorite alumni recipes, school history and memories, was on sale at the park. Several alumni mentioned ordering the book at a later date. Those who plan to do so are urged to not delay as there are no plans to reprint the book. Send a check or money order for $25 to Meals and Memories, P.O. Box 586, Mountain Grove, MO 65711 Next year the class of 1952 will host the Alumni Banquet. 1951 Class members, Paul Gasperson and Mary Ann Barker Frazee relinquished the 50 year banner to Tom Bock and Marilyn Manchester Harris at this year's banquet and wished for them the kind of successful reunion they were experiencing this year. Alumni events seem to be gaining in popularity and the city of Mountain Grove recognizes the importance of alumni activities as the mayor, Jake Slayton, signed a proclaimation which set aside the entire week as Alumni Week. If you have not yet attended any alumni events, set aside the first Saturday in July as the date to be in Mountain Grove. Only, make sure to arrive on Thurday evening so as to not miss out on anything. At least 8 or 10 members of the class of 1951 attended their very first reunion. The most common remark heard was, "I'll never miss another one! This has been wonderful!" Follow their lead and plan now to attend in 2002!

2001 DRUM CORPS REUNION - by Mary Helen Catlett Allen - mallen@coin.org Friday, June 29 the second Mountain Grove Drum Corps Reunion was held at the media center at the Mountain Grove High School library. Attending were: Jack and Mary Helen Catlett Allen Tom and Sondra Isenburg Mahoney Dixie Isenburg Gaddis Nathan and Marian Maddox Reeder Janet Arnold Rainey Barbara Richards Kimes Dorothy Jean Biddle Langston Herman and Lounelle Bayless Sneiderman June Brixey Shannon Jewell Hicks Spurgeon Betty Bock Duvall Joyce Scott Anderson Marie Parker Brown Jean Spinabella Barbara Smith Harker Patricia Robinette Laura Nash Edna Hilt Jones Carol Coats Callahan Billie Hilt Brown Sandy Hilt Joyce Judy Hilt Heaussleebr Faye Hilt Courtney Nancy Ward Crewse Nancy Barton Wilson Ethel Allen Leach Dian Carpenter Barker Susan Carpenter Barnett Kay Sneiderman Robinson Carol Hutchinson Scott Virginia Francis Coats Carroll and Jo Childs Ed and Linda Coatney Young A pot luck dinner was enjoyed by everyone. We had visitation and a short meeting, and a collection was taken to defray some of the expenses. $231.00 was collected. T-shirts were for sale again as last year. It has been suggested that we order either caps or sun visors for next year with our logo on it. Ed Young came to take pictures again this year. Everyone that came will get a picture of the group. We all felt the absence of Evelyn Byrd Struble. We hope she will be with us next year. Our meeting was cut short by many people wanting to go down to the Alumni Park to hear the performance of the Dixieland Jazz group from Springfield. Next year, we'll plan to keep the center open longer for those who want to visit. MARCHING IN THE PARADE ON JUNE 30 We gathered at 9:30 on Saturday morning, June 30 to practice for the parade to be held at 11:00. People marching were: Sandy Hilt Joyce (our leader) Dixie Isenburg Gaddis, Sondra Isenburg Mahoney (they carried the drum corps banner), Edna Hilt Jones, (bass drum) Faye Hilt Courtney (snare drum), Mary Helen Catlett Allen (snare drum), Janet Arnold Rainey (snare drum), Patricia Robinette, Ethel Allen Leach (bugle), Marian Maddox Reeder (bugle), Billie Hilt Brown (bugle), Kay Sneiderman Robinson (bells) and Louese Reece Turner. Barbara Smith Harker and Jewell Hicks Spurgeon rode in a car driven by Joe Sneiderman right behind us. Joe is the son of Lounelle Bayless Sneiderman and the brother of Kay Sneiderman Robinson. Lounelle Bayless Sneiderman also rode in the parade representing the Class of 1939. The instruments we used that were acquired from Ebay were: two of the snare drums, the bass drum, the bells and one bugle which is owned by Sondra Mahoney. The two other bugles were loaned to us by Herman (Ed) Sneiderman and belong to the Mountain Grove Masonic Lodge. Janet Arnold Rainey rented a snare drum in Springfield, MO. Our sound wasn't too bad, considering we didn't have very much time to practice. Next year Dixie Isenburg Gaddis says she'll try to get cymbals. Marian Maddox Reeder is going to try to find her own bugle. So, hopefully our instruments will be growing. We had so much fun this year and learned that the class of 1951 captured us on film. What a hoot it will be to see us perform. I hope we can obtain a copy. We want to plan a continental breakfast before the parade next year. That will give us a little more time together. See you next year.

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