The Neosho High School Alumni Association will hold its third all-school reunion as part of this weekend’s homecoming celebration.
“The reunion is one way of going back and keeping in touch, just remembering their school,” said committee co-chair, Evelyn Harmon. “Regardless of what year you graduated or if you didn’t graduate, but went to Neosho for any length of time, we still consider you alumni.”
Reunions are held every five years with the committee marking its first all-school reunion in 2000. A database holds 14,000 names and committee members try to keep the list current.
They depend on alumni to let them know when addresses change and will be at the football game Friday night to take down names and addresses and to visit.
“They should register so we can get their name on the mailing list,” Harmon said. “We’ve had several people say, ‘Well, I didn’t get any information.’”
When she asks if they have moved, the answer is almost always yes.
“It is important that they keep their address current with us,” she said.
Classmates from South Carolina, Texas and Florida and many different classes are coming back into town for the reunion. Festivities start with a float in the homecoming parade Friday afternoon, followed by a chili supper and the homecoming game.
“Some of them have ordered mums, that used to be the thing for your date to buy you a mum for homecoming,” Harmon said. “I don’t know that they do that anymore.”
Pre-registered participants need to pick up their packets from the committee from 4-6 p.m. inside the NHS cafeteria or after 6 p.m. at the south gate of the football field.
Saturday the group will have breakfast at the Civic, tour the town, the agriculture building and a yearbook display at the Newton County Historical Society one-room schoolhouse. Then they will paint reunion hill to leave their mark on the town.
“The Civic will be open all day for classes to hold what I call a mini-reunion,” Harmon said.
Several classes have plans to meet and do things together. More than 300 are expected at the banquet Saturday night. The committee chose to honor Richard Tink, former business instructor at NHS who is celebrating his 90th birthday this year.
Two bands composed of NHS graduates will end the night, one on the Square, one in the Civic, as attendees visit. Nearly 500 people have attended each of the two previous reunions.
