Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, February 17, 2005

The Mount Ayr Community Class of 1965 will hold their 40th class reunion Saturday, July 2 at the Smith Sports & Spirits in Mount Ayr. The evening will begin with a happy hour from 5 - 7 p.m. with the meal at 7 p.m.

There will also be a casual get-together Friday, July 1 beginning at 5 p.m.

A pre-planning meeting will be held Saturday, March 12 at 11:30 a.m. at Smith Sport & Spirits in Mount Ayr. All classmates are encouraged to attend.

For more information contact Kathi LARSON BLUNCK or Jill THOMAS DAVIS.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2012

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, July 07, 2005

Six more seats for the Princess Theatre were donated when the Mount Ayr Community class of 1965 held its 40th reunion at Smith Sports & Spirits in Mount Ayr Friday night. The donation by the class is the largest donation by any single group so far. Kathi BLUNCK is shown making the presentation to Michell RICKER of the Princess Theatre Troupe board.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, August 11, 2005

The class of 1965, the largest class to graduate from Mount Ayr Community school, held their 40th class reunion over the weekend of July 1-2.

On Friday evening, classmates met at Smith's Sports & Spirits for a casual get-together to get reacquainted.

Atttending Friday evening were Raymond and Debbie SAVILLE of Louisiana; Linda TRULLINGER KONNATH of Ankeny; Diane SALTZMAN of Des Moines; Anna Mae KOBBE and John WITHERSPOON; Kay STRINGHAM YOUNG; Jane SNETHEN HOGUE; Steve C. ADAMS; Dave R. ADAMS; Barry MONAGHAN; Rebecca ROBERTS GRAF; Ann SULLIVEN McGREVEY; Jill THOMAS DAVIS; Carol SHAY SHELDON of Ankeny; Darrell and Sue Ann HARVEY HALL of Lenexa, KS; Ken and Maggie HUNT, Kathy PRENTIS WHITTMAN; Clarence Dale OLNEY; Judy BLUNCK SNEDEKER; Brian HUNTER of Omaha, NE; Gary and Kayla MAIN of Washington; Bill and Jean SHAFER; Bob BURRELL; Suzi JOHNSTON WEAVER; Dianne JOHNSTON HILL; Larry and Laura RINEHART; Bob and Louise PENCE; Al CROSS of Urbandale; Bob HALEY; Dan and Carol COULSON, Keith and Nancy SACKETT, Bill and Faye STULL, Jerry and Norma SHIELDS, Jim and Carol Ann McCREARY, James and Marilyn DAVIS SAVILLE, Judy STEWART BRAMMER and Bill and Kathi LARSON BLUNCK, all of Mount Ayr.

On Saturday evening the reunion banquet was held at Smith's Sports and Spirits. Everyone enjoyed the buffet meal and reminiscing about the school years.

Shirley HIGHTSHOE was in charge of taking pictures. Ken HUNT'S wife, Margaret, also took pictures. The pictures were later emailed to classmates.

Barry MONAGHAN served as emcee during the program and had groups competing for unsual gifts. Jill THOMAS DAVIS had a questionnaire about the years spent at Mount Ayr Community and shared a humorous joke.

A former teacher who attended, William HOHLFELD and his wife, Norma, of Des Moines was honored. He spoke about the class and his memories.

Kathi LARSON BLUNCK had the classmates vote for a king as they didn't have "kings" in 1965. All who received votes were presented with a certificate. The class queen, Janice CALDWELL SCHWARTING, crowned Barry MONAGHAN as the king.

There was a silent auction of items classmates brought from their area with part of the proceeds going to the Princess Theatre restoration.

Bob BURRELL spoke about the importance of donating to the restoration of Princess Theatre. The class purchased six seats for the theatre project.

A memorial table was set up to honor the deceased classmates with a vase containing a rose in memory of each person.

A card was signed for Pat LYNCH MAUDLIN who was at the time in the hospital battling cancer. A special prayertime was held for her. (Everyone was deeply saddend to hear of her passing and the class later sent a floral tribute to her funeral.)

Judy BLUNCK SNEDEKER made decorations for the tables and the memorial table. She also made the class books which contained information classmates had provided. Helping with registration, name tags, the Princess Theatre donations, class donations and class books were Dan and Carol COULSON and Kay STRINGHAM YOUNG.

Those attending the reunion Saturday evening were Kay STRINGHAM YOUNG of Independence, MO who moved before we graduated; Diane SALTZMAN of Adel; Anna Mae KOBBE of University Park, MD and friend, JohN WITHERSPOON; Bob and Louise PENCE of Altoona; Bob BURRELL of Aurora, CO; Barry MONAGHAN of Guthrie Center: Ken and Maggie HUNT of Avondale, AZ; Herb and Suzie BASTOW of Hallsville, MO; Raymond and Debbie SAVILLE of Louisiana; Peg MOSIER and Daryl TORRIN of Denver; Darrel and Sue ann HARVEY HILL of Lenex, MO; Dan SICKELS of Yukon, OK; Suzi JOHNSTON WEAVER and Diane JOHNSTON HILL, both of Mesa, AZ, who are twins who moved after their freshman year; Steve C. and Linda ADAMS of Perry; Phil and Tam WEBB of Omaha, NE; Kathy PRENTIS WHITTMAN of Lincoln, NE;

Rebecca ROBERTS GRAF of Springfield, MO, who moved her senior year; David and Linda UMBARGER of Denver, CO; Lyle and Janet SNETHEN HOGUE of Hatfield, MO; Cathy REYNOLDS SHOESMITH of Carroll; Larry and Laura RINEHART of Ankeny; Bob and Linda HALEY and Dan and Jeannie BARKER of Benton; Larry and Marlene CRAWFORD of Indianola; Dave ADAMS and son of Clifton, CO; Bill and Jean SHAFER of Hennepin, IL; Jill THOMAS DAVIS of Des Moines;

Gary and Kayla MAIN of Bothell, WA; Bill and Linda TRULLINGER KONNATH of Ankeny; Jan CALDWELL SCHWARTING of Ankeny; Ann SULLIVAN McGREVEY of Fort Dodge; Bill and Verdenna PAYNE LAVRRAR, who moved away her seventh grade year, of Springfield, MO; Susan STANLEY of Grand River; Clarence Dale OLNEY of Redding and Dan and Carol COULSON, Jim and Carol Ann McCREARY, Jerry and Norma SHEILDS, David and Shirley SWANK HIGHTSHOE, Kathi LARSON BLUNCK, James and Marilyn DAVIS SAVILLE, Linda HARTMAN, Keith and Nancy SACKETT and Bill and Faye STULL, all of Mount Ayr.

After the Saturday evening reunion, several went to Lesanville for a late night get-together around a bonfire to roast marshmallows and visti. Those attending were Barry MONAGHN, Bob BURRELL, Bill and Norma HOHLFELD, Ann SULLIVAN McGREVEY, Becky ROBERTS GRAF, Jill THOMAS DAVIS, Dan SICKELS, Linda TRULLINGER KONNATH, Gary and Kayla MAIN, Linda HARTMAN, Jim and Carol Ann McCREARY, James and Marilyn DAVIS SAVILLE, Anna Mae KOBBE and John WITHERSPOON and Bill and Kathi LARSON BLUNCK.

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2012

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, October 14, 2010

The graduating class of 1965 held their very memorable 45th class reunion over the weekend of July 23 and 24. They had a total of 119 classmates who graduated in 1965.

Friday evening the reunion began with classmates meeting at the American Legion building for a casual social get-together with snacks served during the evening.

Saturday was filled with tours of the Princess Theater, Ringgold County Hospital, Lucky Lanes bowling alley and the Depot during the day.

Several classmates enjoyed participating in the Ayr Days parade Saturday afternoon. Many classmates rode on a wagon provided by James HULLINGER and pulled by Dan COULSON with their banner exlaiming "Mount Ayr Community Class with the Highest Yield '1965'" and other hand-held humorous signs. Riding in a Mustang convertible provided by Barry MONAGHAN were Ann SULLIVAN McGREVEY and Kathi LARSON BLUNCK and several classmates walked in the parade.

Saturday evening classmates met at the Mount Ayr Golf & Country Club for an evening of visiting and a delicious meal made and served by Jan FORD and her crew. Dr. Herb BASTOW began with the invocation before the meal followed by the class meeting. Emcee for the evening was Jill THOMAS DAVIS and she began the program with a welcome, introduction of teacher, Mr. and Mrs. Ezra RICE, attending, the thank yous and special remembrances of their passed classmates.

A humorous reading was given by Jill THOMAS DAVIS called "Did you ever think 45 years ago?"

Classmates attending introduced themselves and commented on the last 45 years of their lives. Everyone discussed the different ways the class would like to donate. The rest of the evening was a great social time.

Playing during each evening were DVDs put together by James and Marilyn SAVILLE, one being of interesting places in Ringgold county and one of the pictures from the 1965 class Ayrian book. These DVDs are available for purchasing.

The 1965 classmates attending Friday or Saturday evening or both were:

Dr. Herb and Susi BASTOW of Hallsville, MO; Martha BEVINGTON PINE of Creston; Judy BLUNCK SNEDEKER of Norwalk; Bill and Carol CARTER JONES of Versailles, MO; Ron and Dianna CORLL ANDERSON of Osceola; Phillip and Sally DRAKE of Medford, WI; Carolyn EPPS TIFFANY of Newton; Mike and Terry GILES of Gransburg, WI;

Bob HALEY of Benton; Biran HUNTER of Council Bluffs; Diane JOHNSTON HILL and Suzi JOHNSTON WEAVER of Mesa, AZ; Mic and Karen KESTERSON of Tabor; Anna Mae KOBBE of University Park, MD; Steve LESAN of Kansas City, MO; Gary and Kayla MAIN of Redmond, WA; Gale MILLER of Milwaukee, WI; Verd and Cherri MITCHELL BAILEY of Estes Park, CO; Barry MONAGHAN of Panora; John and Mary Lou MULLENAX JUDD of Cromwell; Dale OLNEY of Redding; Bob and Louise PENCE of Altoona;

Larry and Laura RINEHART of Ankeny; Diane SALTZMAN of Adel; Bill and Jean SHAFER of Hennepin, IL; Carol Ann SHAY SHELDON of Des Moines; Dan SICKELS of Yukon, OK; Lyle and Janet SNETHEN HOGUE of Hatfield, MO; Ann SULLIVAN McGREVY of Fort Dodge; Jill THOMAS DAVIS of Des Moines; Bill and Linda TRULLINGER KONNATH of Ankeny; David and Linda UMBARGER and Phillip and Tam WEBB of Omaha, NE; Carl and Judy WYANT of Evansdale; Jack and Linda YOUNG WEESE of Des Moines; and

Judy BRAMMER STEWART, Bob and Teri CAMPBELL, Juanita CLARK ADAMS, Dan and Carol COULSON, James and Marilyn DAVIS SAVILLE, Dale and Diane DITTMAN CONN, Linda HARTMAN, Bill and Kathi LARSON BLUNCK, Jim and Carol Ann McCREARY, Royce and Judy ROE DREDGE, Keith and Nancy SACKETT, Jerry and Norma SHIELDS, Dennis and Donna STEPHENS, Bill and Faye STULL and David and Shirley SWANK HIGHTSHOE, all of Mount Ayr.

Janet SNETHEN HOGUE compiled the current information of the classmates in the class of 1965 booklet that was available Saturdayevening and could also be purchased by classmates unable to attend.

The class story written by Kathi BLUNCK and the pictures taken were put on Facebook.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2010

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, October 02, 2014, Page 1

Homecoming Week in Mount Ayr Community schools is in full swing. . .

[Page 1] An annual tradition of each year's Homecoming celebration is the recognition of the 50-year graduating class, and this year's honorees are the Class of 1965.

The 1964 football team, whose seniors graduated in 1965, is remembered as one of the more successful in Raider history.

The Raiders had a winning streak of 22 games dating from the fifth game in 1962 to a 14-0 loss to Creston in the final game of the 1964 season. In fact, the 1964 seniors ended up with a record of 33-3 over their four years in high school.

The dominance of the 1964 squad is revealed in the season scoreboard:

According to Barry Monaghan, the senior quarterback of the '64 squad, the Saydel game was heavily publicized by the Des Moines Register because of the Raiders' winning streak, the longest in the state at the time. Ironically, head coach Joe McNeil and assistant coach Doyle Thomas were unable to be on the sidelines at Saydel after they were injured in a car accident while traveling to watch former Raider Eugene Ricker play a college football game in Rolla, MO the previous week. Assistant coach Chet Roed directed the Raiders to the convincing 49-7 victory in front of Mount Ayr fans who had traveled to the game in eight pep buses.

The 1964 conference-champion Raiders were led by 12 talented seniors, including Monaghan, Andy Abarr, Stanley "Bird" Bryan, Dan Coulson, Ken Hunt, Jerry Knight, Gale Miller, Keith Sackett, Alvin Sickels, Bill Stull, Jon Thompson and Roger Trullinger.

Coulson and Monaghan were team captains, and they along with Gale Miller were named first-team all-conference.

The 1964 Homecoming queen was Janice Caldwell, and her court included Sharyn Giles, Kathy Prentis, Carol Shay and Mary Jane Smith.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2014

  Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, July 16, 2015, Page 5

Class of 1965

The Mount Ayr 1965 graduating class will celebrate their 50th class reunion the weekend during Ayr Days.

Members of the class will ride in the Ayr Days parade Saturday, July 18.

Later that evening class members will meet at the American Legion Building for happy hour at 5:00 p.m. followed by a meal served at 6:30 p.m. The event will conclude with a meeting about the class and classmates.

With 119 members, the 1965 class was the largest class ever to graduate from Mount Ayr Community High School.

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Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, July 16, 2015, Page 5

Class of 1965

The Class of 1965 from Mount Ayr Community School held their 50th Class reunion July 17, 18, and 19. With 119 students, it was the largest class ever to graduate from MACHS.

We began by meeting Friday evening at Rumors Bar and Grill for a casual evening of visitng. Those who came were Judy Roe Dredge and Royce, Bill and Jean Shafer, Andy and Gay Abarr, Jane Snethen Hogue and Lyle, Gary and Kayla Main, Herb and Susi Bastow, Cherri Mitchell Bailey and Verd, Cathy Reynolds Shoesmith, Martha Bevington Pine, Bob Burrell, Carol Carter Jones, and Bill, Jane Mercer Sickels and Al Sickels, Diane Dittman Conn, Phillip and Sally Drake, Dan and Carol Coulson, Mary Creveling Williamson and Paul McKinney, Jerry and Norma Shields, Bob and Terri Campbell, Judy Brammer Stewart, Carol Shay Sheldon, Brian Hunter, Steve Adams, Shirley Swank Hightshoe and David, Dave and Martha Adams, Anna Mae Kobbee and Doug Newell, Dennis and Donna Stephens, Jim and Carol Ann McCreary, Linda Hartman, Keith and Nancy Sackett, James Saville and Marilyn Davis Saville, Jill Thomas Davis, Stanley Bryan, and Kathi Larson Blunck and Bill.

Saturday morning a few of the classmates met a Early Bird Restaurant to eat breakfast and visit.

Saturday afternoon several of the classmates rode on a wagon and in the back of a pickup belonging to Jim Hullinger. The attached banner read "Best of the crop of class of 1965 for their 50th reunion." Also riding in the convertible was Carol Ann Shay Sheldon who was the queen of Ayr Days 50 years ago. Carol was also a queen candidate for homecoming and Janice Caldwell Schwarting - not able to attend - was homecoming queen. Shirley Swank Hightshoe drove her restored 1977 Cutlass Supreme in the parade with her grandson and her mother, Marion Hervey.

Saturday evening we met at the American Legion Building for the reunion party. Festivities began at 5:00 for Happy Hour followed by a prayer given by Herb Bastow before enjoying a delicious meal catered by the Legion Auxiliary Women. Following the meal, we had a wonderful meeting during which everyone introduced themselves and caught us up on what they have been doing.

Barry Monaghan gave an entertaining presentation about the year 1965 and what was happening then. He followed with remarks about our graduating class which also included a musical and pictorial tribute to our deceased classmates.

Added names of those attending the reunion not mentioned previously are Barry Monaghan and Nancy Peters, Linda Young Weese and Jack, John and Karen Kibbe, Mike Giles, Carl E. Wyatt, Larry and Laura Rinehart, David and Linda Umbarger, Clarence Dale Olney, Mic & Karen Kesterson, Larry Crawford, Phil and Tam Webb, Linda Trullinger Konnath, Al Cross, Robert Pence, Sharyn Giles and John Betof, Mary Lou Mullenex Judd, Bill and Faye Stuff, Dan and Jeannie Barker, Juanita Clark Adams, and Cheryl Knapp South, Bob Creveling and Jerry and Vicki Knight and daughter Lisa.

Sunday morning several of the classmates and spouses or significant other met at the American Legion for breakfast and conversation.

It was a great 50th Class Reunion which even included a picture in the Record News of the classmates riding on the wagon in the Ayr Days parade.

Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News
Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2015

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Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, October 20, 2016, Page 5

Class of 1965

The Mount Ayr High School Class of 1965 held their 60 year class reunion May 27 and 28, 2016.

On Friday evening, we met at the American Legion building and enjoyed a delicious buffet catered by the American Legion Auxiliary. The group enjoyed visiting, picture taking and an update from the classmates present. Information was shared with the group from the following classmates who had written or phoned with regrets they could not attend: Kay (Willey) Swallow, Bill Saltzman, Marvin Pratt, Fred Staats, and Bob Pottorff. The group missed our Home Economics instructor, Grace Moser, who was ill and could not attend.

Several of the classmates attended the Alumni Banquet Saturday Evening at the American Legion building.

Those classmates attending from out-of-state were: Donald Hensley and wife Edith from Kansas City, MO; and Marcie (Rogers) Miller and husband, Loren, from Stockton, MO. Those attending from Mount Ayr were: Larry Brown and wife, Joen; John Campbell; Pattie (Culver) Foltz and husband, Phil; Louise (Faris) Stamper; Georgia (McHenry) Brand and husband, Paul; and Larry Sickels and wife, Linda. Other Iowans attending were: Gary Campbell and wife, Jean, from Leon; Betty (Endsley) Whitson and sister, Kay Moredock, from Newton; Beatrice (Grindstaff) Scoggie from Blockton; Leila (Hacker) Niday from Marengo; Hyatt Rice and wife, Darleen, from Creston; and Lester Junior Wion from Des Moines.

We missed the class members who were not present and hope all will be able to attend in 2018 or 2019 when we have our next reunion. The classmates who live locally will plan the next reunion.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, May of 2017