Reunions are a time for renewing friendships, meeting family members and reminiscing about days gone by. Summer and fall are popular times for families and classmates to get together for reunions.
Delores Rose, left, and Lucile Jordan, got together for their 82nd class reunion. The two graduated from Hancock High School in 1936. Photo by Katie Erdman
For Delores Rose and Lucile Jordan, their class reunion this fall was even more precious. They graduated from Hancock High School in 1936 and got together to celebrate their 82nd class reunion.
Now if you do the math, you will realize that these classmates have hit and passed the 100-year-old mark. A third classmate, Bernice Barsness, was planning to join them for the reunion but sadly passed away just weeks short of the gathering.
Delores Agar and Lucile Weidler were classmates at Hancock High School and good friends. Their graduating class included fifteen students. They have had a few reunions through the years but none more special than this one.
Delores grew up on a farm four miles south of Hancock. For her first eight years of school, she attended a country school about a mile and a half from her home. She would walk to school and was often frightened by a neighbor’s animals. The cows would get out often, and she was quite scared of the bull.
Kathy Meierding, daughter of Bernice Barsness, holds a picture of her mom. Bernice had planned to attend the reunion but passed away before the event. Photo by Katie Erdman
After completing eighth-grade, Delores spent the next four years living with her aunt and uncle, Margaret and Mert Turner. Her uncle had the barbershop in Hancock, and they were pleased to have her stay with them during the school year.
Delores swore she would never marry a farmer, but love prevailed. She met Clarence Rose at a dance, and the two were married two years after she graduated. For the next several decades they farmed south and east of town and raised five children.
Lucile grew up three and a half miles southeast of Hancock and also attended country school for eight years. During her high school years she stayed with the family who owned Nelson Mercantile. She worked in the home, where she cooked, cleaned, washed clothes and took care of the children. Later, she and her sister, Irene, lived in one room in the Podratz home, where they also did housework, and Lucile would set hair for people receiving 25 cents for a set.
Lucile was busy in high school, as she played piano and organ for special occasions including school dances. She was part of a singing trio who won first place in a state contest. Lucile, Dorothy Apitz and Marian Fenton sang all over and were offered a job in Minneapolis. However, on the last day, Marian’s mother decided her daughter should not take the job, and it was very tragic for all three girls.
Lucile also worked on a farm for her sister, Emma Tonn, who had three children. She attended high school basketball games and got to know Jack McArthur, who she said was “sweet on her.” Jack played ball against a Morris team that included Philip Jordan whose father was a professor at the university in Morris. Jack graduated and moved to California, and Lucile started dating Philip.
The two were married and farmed for a short time. War days hit, and Philip left the farm and went to South Dakota, where he was on a crew building igloos. These buildings were placed in the sand for ammunition storage. The company eventually moved to Idaho, and the Jordans followed.
The class reunion also served as a family reunion for the two remaining members of the Hancock High School class of 1936. Photo by Katie Erdman
Soon, they moved to California, where Philip was classified 4F in the draft and was never required to go. He took a job working for the city of Richmond and stayed there for 32 years. They raised a son and two daughters in California. Philip and Lucile moved to Idaho with their daughter Lyndel in 1981. Philip died in 1989 while working in California helping his grandson. Lucile continues to live in Idaho with her youngest daughter.
Both classmates have numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren and even a few great-great-grandchildren. They struggled to give numbers as the count just keeps going up.
Lucile traveled to Minnesota in September with her three children and two of her grandchildren. They spent time with extended family members and one afternoon visited with Delores Rose at Skyview Plaza. The two had a great time talking about the past and sharing some of their memories with family. It was a reunion to remember, not just for the classmates but for all the children and grandchildren who were present to witness this novel event.