craigdailypress.com

A glance back 60 years at the youth attending high school in Craig shows that in many cases, things haven't changed that much.

Chuck Cline recalls when his junior class challenged the senior class in 1945 to a game of steal the flag.

"It was called 'sneak day' and it occurred every spring," Cline said. "It was a tradition. We were always a close class."

The juniors, in charge of defending the flag, greased the flagpole and prevented the theft by the seniors.

When the junior class celebrated by taking a day off from school, the school district superintendent was not happy.

"He made the class stay after school for the rest of the year," Cline said. "We stayed in with Mrs. Oswald, the math teacher."

Similar memories flowed at the 60-year reunion of the class of 1947 on Saturday at the Holiday Inn of Craig, where about 20 visitors and residents of Craig gathered.

Cline said that a number of veterans from World War II returned to school and graduated with the class of 1947.

The event, organized by Glen Sherman after a reunion took place at his home in 1987, was months in the making.

"I started in January sending out invitations," Sherman said. "We have people from Wyoming, Utah and California here."

A number of attendees Saturday were graduates from other Craig High School classes.

Ralph Bond, class of 1943, met his wife, Helen (Roe) Bond, at a local bakery where Ralph was delivering milk, and she was working at the bakery.

Helen remembers life at the high school 60 years ago.

"There was a dress code where girls had to wear dresses, and that presented a problem on fire-drill days because you had to slide down a big tube on the outside of the building," she said. "They would warn all the girls to wear pants on those days."

Montie Burgess and June Collins, class of 47, recall their class being the largest ever at the high school, with nearly 60 students graduating. They also remember there were no sports for girls against other schools, only volleyball in gym class.

"We took a trip to Grand Junction for a band competition," Bond said. "That was the big trip of the year: going to the big city."

Bond sat with Burgess and Collins at the Saturday dinner. The three girls have been friends since the second grade in Craig, nearly 70 years ago.

Friendships such as these are behind the reunions organized by Sherman every 10 years. He thinks he might try another five years from now.

"A lot of these people live right here in Craig," Sherman said. "I feel good enough to try again in five years."

Sherman also organized a Sunday tour of the Criminal Justice Center for the class of 1947, something close to the heart of the former Craig police chief.

Dan Olsen can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 207, or dolsen@craigdailypress.com.