New Year's Shout Out.

A New Year’s shout out to the nine classmates who were able to contribute to our Legacy Fund in 2023. It’s hard to do big things all at once, but one can do just about anything step by step. Very nice that our classmates took a few steps for us in 2023.

Our Legacy Fund has now passed the $60,000 mark. Our 55th anniversary goal is an ambitious $100,000. We'll get there ... step by step.

If 2023 wasn’t a good year for you to take a step with us, perhaps 2024 will be. We have a long way to go on our collective effort, and we can use every classmate's help.

Best wishes for a happy and especially a healthy 2024!

(January 17, 2024)

CELEBRATION OF LIFE: CONNIE BEZY THOMAS  

Connie Bezy Thomas of Washington Indiana passed away on Monday, September 11th. She was in the care of hospice, surrounded by her family. Until the last two days of her life, Connie was laughing, smiling and sharing family memories. 

In lieu of a funeral service, a celebration of Connie’s life will held.  All family members and friends are invited to gather and share their memories. 

Saturday, Sept.16, 2023
11AM to 4PM 

American Legion Post 
501 E Main St., Washington 

(Sept 14, 2023)

CLASSMATES SAY GOODBYE TO DON BRAWLEY

According to Don's wishes, several classmates enjoyed the good meal that Don provided at the Eagles on Saturday, March 25. It is sad to say goodbye to another classmate, but we think Don would have been pleased to know how many lives he touched. Goodbye Don. And thanks for the good meal.

Front: Vicki (Collison) Bubalo, Rebecca (Pegler) Brawley, Connie (Bezy) Thomas, Denise (Hill) McCarthy, Debbie (Klingensmith) Hamdan, Larry Brawley (Class of 1968)
Back: Doug Lemmon, David Brown, Nolan Delaney, Dan Gress, Lon McMurtrey, Tim Armes, Hak Haskins
Not Pictured: Chris McLemore, Kathy (Branaman) Arnold, Darrell Murray, Tim Lett
(March 25, 2023)

50 + 1 CLASS REUNION RECAP

We had 34 classmates and 14 plus ones show up during the events of the day. We also saw many of our fellow Class of 1972 classmates. We’re looking forward to seeing more of you in the future.

We now have several pictures posted of the 50+1 Reunion. If you have pictures and have not uploaded them, please do. If you’re not sure how, please contact Eugene O’Bryan at eobryan@cox.net or text/call 602-363-4115.

INK OVATION COPIES NOW ON WHS '71 WEB SITE

We are announcing that most copies of our school years' Ink Ovations are now on the class website for all to peruse.  They are located near the top, in the side menu bar of the web page,

50th REUNION GROUP PHOTO

After many classmate requests for help in identifying those in the 50th reunion group photo, classmate, Rick Schue responded and did an excellent job of adding identifying numbers to each individual and adding a chart with the names associated with those numbers.  Many thanks to Rick and anyone who assisted in identifying classmates. Click on this link to take you directly to the group photo, or it can be found under Classmate Photos, Reunion Group Photos.

WASHINGTON TIMES-HERALD SERIES ON CLASS OF 1971

Here's the links to the Washington Times-Herald "Memories from the Class of 1971." This week, Denise (Hill) McCarthy closes out our Washington Times Herald series on the exceptional Class of 1971 with a recap of the 50th reunion including the Legacy gifts, activities and special events.

Oct. 1:    Class of 1971 wraps up reunion weekend
Sept.20: Class of 1971 creates a legacy fund
Sept.18: Guitar man
Sept. 11: My Baton
Sept. 2:  Angel with a Locker Loop
Aug. 28: When Art Became Life 
Aug. 21: Advice for a New WHS Graduate
Aug. 14: Drugs, Murder and Shootouts
Aug. 7:   Skipping Band Practice
July 31:  Becoming a Hatchet was Easy
July 21:  Girl or a Car -- Car Won
July 09:  It's a Question of Chemistry
July 01:  My Life as a Teenage Rockstar
June 26: Memories from the WHS Class of 1971
June 04: WHS Class of 1971 - 50th Reunion

50th REUNION IS HISTORY!

Forty-eight classmates and their guests plus four of our WHS teachers attended one or more of our nine reunion events. When 50th reunion planning began in 2017, two goals were set: 1) provide lots of time and opportunities to talk with our classmates, and 2) have as many classmates attend as possible. We nailed the first goal, but, sadly, covid disrupted our plans for the second.

Nevertheless, it was a fun and exceptional 50th reunion. Although the 50th is history, we have the pictures to document the fun had by the classmates who were able to attend. Click here to see pictures from our 50th Reunion Events. And if you took pictures at an event, please upload them to our website so that other classmates can see them too.
(Sept 20, 2021)

BILLBOARD VIDEO

We'll never have another Class of 1971 billboard, and it is scheduled to be taken down Monday, Sept 20. For classmates living outside of Washington, here are a couple videos to give you a sense of its beauty.

WHS Class of 1971 Billboard Video 1
WHS Class of 1971 Billboard Video 2

LEGACY FUND WINNING TOUCHDOWN!

It is something our class can be proud of and at the same time baffled at how we were able to do it. With a big thanks to 54 classmates, we scored the winning Hatchets touchdown by raising over $50,000 for our Class of 1971 Legacy Fund. For years and years to come, our Legacy Fund will be generating grants in our name. Congratulations to all. We have accomplished something truely remarkable. An exceptional Class of 1971. Thank you!
(Sept 9, 2021)

2021 LEGACY GIFT VOTING COMPLETE & WINNER SELECTED

It's exciting! Forty-four classmates cast their votes to determine the first ever winner of the Class of 1971 Legacy Gift. Voting on the nine worthy nominees ended August 31, and the results are shown in the chart. The clear winner was "Help Replace Aging Band Instruments." Because this is our first ever Legacy Gift, the reunion committee also elected to fund the 2nd place finisher - Griffith Elementary 3D Printer. Both Legacy Gifts will be presented during our WHS Tour Event on Saturday, September 18.

A very unexpected but special treat awaits all who are able to attend the WHS Tour: The WHS Band will perform a short selection for us outdoors to show their appreciation of our Legacy Gift.

This year's gifts are the first ones of years and years of future gifts from the Class of 1971. Very, very Cool!!! 
(September 9, 2021)

MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS TO 50th REUNION EVENTS DUE TO COVID CONCERNS

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 6, 2021: The 50th Reunion Planning Committee met September 2, 2021 to discuss ways to reduce covid risk at our reunion events. The discussion resulted in making several changes to our 50th Reunion Events and Schedule. Please click here to read an announcement summarizing what has changed. Click here to see the updated reunion schedule.

WHS CLASS of 1971 BILLBOARD IS UP!

It's a little crazy likely all would agree. But it is kinda cool too. We can't say for sure that no other WHS class has done this, but it is a good guess that we are one of the few WHS classes to put one up. The billboard cost was split with the Class of 1991, which made it a good deal. Our billboard location in on Highway 50 Business on the east side of town near where State Street splits off to go by the bowling ally. The billboard is facing west so that you see it as you leave town. Classmate Charlie Chapman is our billboard designer. The first classmate to send in a selfie with the billboard will have their picture posted here on the website! 
(August 25, 2021)

WAMW RADIO STARS

Three classmates were interviewed on Washington's WAMW radio station during the Take 5 segment at 7:30am on August 6th. Debbie (Klingensmith) Hamdan, Dixie (Brady) Miller, and Cindy (Truelove) Reddick talked all things 50th Reunion. Vicki (Collison) Bubalo arranged the interview but was unable to join the fun due to an unexpected conflict. You can listen to the 5 minute interview by clicking here.

Cindy Reddick, Dixie Miller, and Debbie Hamdan in the WAMW radio studio.

WASHINGTON TIMES-HERALD SERIES ON CLASS OF 1971

Classmate Denise (Hill) McCarthy liked the idea of having a weekly article in the Washington newspaper about us, the Class of 1971. Not only did Denise think about it, she picked up the phone and called the Times-Herald Editor. The result was the editor agreed to run a weekly article about our class up through our 50th reunion in September. Three articles have already been published with more on the way. Articles will include an Introduction, an Overview, our Class Legacy Fund, and Reader's Digest versions of several of our Stories from Our Lives.Thank you Denise for shining a light on our 50th Reunion activities.
(June 27, 2021)

SUGARLAND SCHOOL TREAT!

Sugarland alum Tim Wildridge found four more Sugarland class pictures -1st, 2nd, 7th & 8th grades - and they are now on our class website. Please let us know if you know the name of unidentified classmates or if you see a name typo. It is sad that at our 50th reunion this September there is no Sugarland school building for the Sugarland alums to tour!

TEACHERS MENTIONED THE MOST?

Teachers can have a big impact on their students. And many students remember some of their teachers even 50 years afterwards. That caused us to wonder, who are the most remembered teachers from our high school days?

This is not a scientic study, but classmate Steve Ahlfeld took on the task of counting the times a teacher was mentioned by name in our Senior Yearbook picture blurb, and also the times mentioned on our class website. This, obviously, is not a full accounting of all of our classmates, but it is useful to see trends. Click here to see the lists of the Most Mentioned Teachers.

MAY 28, 1971 - WHAT WERE YOU DOING?

In case you missed this, here's what Charlie Chapman posted on Facebook.

TENTH STORY FROM OUR LIVES NOW AVAILABLE

With thanks to Bonnie Griffith Brown for her story, we now have ten Stories from Our Lives on our website. They are all fascinating with many different topics. Mrs. Lord surely would be proud of her former students. There is still room for your story, and time for Mrs. Lord to be proud of you too.
(April 11, 2021)

HATCHET HOUSE: A SOUTHERN INDIANA GEM

Martha (Pridemore) Seal via Denise (Hill) McCarthy saw this article in the Indianapolis Star on March 2nd about our high school gym. If you have not see the article, it almost takes you back to when we first saw the gym as freshmen in August 1967. One of our teachers - Don Spillman - is quoted in the article, and he has been the announcer at the gym for 50 years now.

HOW TO SEND PRIVATE MESSAGE TO A CLASSMATE

If you don't know a classmate's phone number or email address, you can still contact them using a website feature to send private messages to classmates who have registered for our class website. If you haven't discovered this feature, here is a quick tutorial on how to use it. May be useful if you want to send the author your reaction to a "Stories from Your Life" story.  
(January 31, 2021)

STORIES FROM OUR LIVES UPDATE

The first stories have arrived and are on our class website! Find out what Hak Haskins and Tim Wildridge have shared with their classmates. They both get a nice shiny Gold Star for submitting the first ones. You also have a story or two to share with your classmates. We'd love to add yours to the collection. 
(January 27, 2021)

ADDITIONAL NORTH SIDE CLASS PICTURES 

Sarah (Trousdale) Sandage recently found four gems and shared them with us. Check out the four new North Side School class pictures added to our website. Find the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th grade class pictures of classmates such as Gene Lundy, Sarah Trousdale, Nona Franklin, Debbie Gress, Beverly Mattingly, Lou Schnarr, Rhonda Pegler, Judy Holman, Rebecca Pegler, Susan Brown, Doug Lemmon, Linda Wise, Tim Roark and Kathy Branaman. Do you have a missing class picture in a dusty box somewhere? We'd love to add it to our grade school class picture collection!
(January 14, 2021)

REQUESTING STORIES FROM YOUR LIFE 

It’s been 50 years since we graduated from WHS. You now have 50 years of life experiences. You have wisdom and lessons learned. You have stories to share. And we want to read them.

We are requesting for you to write a story or two on topics related in some manner to our school days. You have lots of latitude. To help you come up with story topics, below are some suggestions. You are not limited to this list; you are free to pick whatever topic you desire. 

• Was there a specific event in high school that you remember?
• Did a teacher, coach or WHS staff change your life?
• Did a classmate older or younger influence/inspire you?
• If you were an office helper, any funny stories you could share?
• If you were a Future Farmer, Future Nurse, Future Teacher....what career path did you take?
• How did participating in sports influence your career?
• What shop project, Home EC or Artwork project/recipe do you still have?
• What Band or Thespian behind the curtains story would you share?
• What school event do you remember fondly?
• What little known fact about you would surprise classmates now?
• Is there anyone from WHS you would really like to connect with?
• Do you believe in regrets? If so, do you have any?
• Knowing what you went through, what was it like having your children go through high school?
• Is there a lesson you learned in high school that you still use 50 years later?

Your story could be as short as a few paragraphs, or it could be 2 or 3 or more pages long. And pictures are welcome too.

Submitted stories will be posted on our Class website. It even is possible that your story will be published in the Times-Herald in conjunction with our 50th anniversary.

Although this sounds like a Libby Lord assignment, your story will not be graded. There will be no red pen markup. But your story will bring smiles to your classmates. And that, as they say, is priceless.

We look forward to reading your story!
(January 11, 2021)
 

JEFFERSON SCHOOL CLASS PICTURES GALORE!

Ruth Ann (Dougherty) Morrell won the Internet on Thursday, December 16, 2020. She submitted 8 Jefferson class pictures, including the Graduation picture of the entire class. See the 1st through 8th grade pictures of classmates such as Diana Gharst, Steve Frette, Dale Ficklin, Debra Klingensmith, Dan Gress, Darlene Petty, Jerry Jett, Kevin McCall, Venita Smith, Beth Kerr and many more! Many thanks to Ruth Ann for taking the Jefferson students back in time 60 years.
(Dec 16, 2020)

WHS LATIN CLUB BANQUET (April 1969).

Did you study Latin with teacher Mary Rust? If you did, then you are in for a treat. Sherry Fields Seat took a few pictures during the April 1969 banquet, and she recently found those precious pictures. Check out the Latin Club page to see your classmates when they were sophomores studying Latin. Carpe diem. Caveat emptor.  Ad astra per aspera. Sic semper tyrannis. Romanes eunt domus.

NORTH SIDE SCHOOL HELP NEEDED!!!

Rick Schue found a priceless picture of the North Side elementary school Kindergarten class picture from 1958-59. We need help from North Side alums to identify the 41 adorables in the class picture. Please send names of people you recognize.

AND, if you have missing class pictures, please send them too. Just click the "Contact Us" menu item on the left side to send the info.

SUGARLAND GRADUATION PICTURE. 

Eugene O'Bryan recently found a high quality picture of the Sugarland graduating class of 1967. It is an wonderful collection of talented students with their entire lives ahead of them. Or, as their motto says: THE GATE IS OPEN

SUGARLAND 6TH GRADE CLASS PICTURE

Classmate Tim Wildridge found his Sugarland 6th grade class picture, and it is now on our class website. Thank you Tim!  Without a doubt, it is priceless. Check it out, and see how many of these adorable 6th grade classmates you can identify without looking at the names list. Some of the classmates you will see include: Dewayne Duncan, Paul Grubb, Peggy Bryant, Cheryl Alford, Theresa Hill, Eugene O'Bryan, Sheila Huffmon, Jim Huntington, Virginia Williamson, Tim Lett, Kathy Theroff and, of course, the especially adorable Tim Wildridge.

Do you have a grade school class picture? If you do, it's priceless and needs to be added to our class website!

GRADE SCHOOL CLASS PICTURES PROJECT

With thanks to Gayle (Purcell) Leonard, we are off to a good start adding grade school class pictures to our class website. Gayle sent six West End class pictures, and Charlie Chapman previously submitted one South Side class picture.

We need your help in two areas:

1. If you have a grade school class picture, please send it to us so that it can be added to the website, and
2. For the class pictures already on the website, we need your help identifying unknown classmates, and verifying that the names we have are correct.

To see the grade school class pictures, click "Grade School Class Pics" in the left menu items list. Do you have one of the missing grade school class pictures ... maybe it is time to look through those boxes in the attic?

OUR YOUNGEST WHS TEACHER - DON SPILLMAN.

Mr. Spillman graduated from WHS in 1966 and was a WHS teacher our Senior year. That makes Mr. Spillman the youngest teacher we had at WHS. Martha (Pridemore) Seal and Denise (Hill) McCarthy and husbands were on a Flower Power cruise with Mr. Spillman recently, and they report that Mr. Spillman is planning to attend our 50th reunion extravaganza. That is the 3rd teacher who has committed to attending our reunion ... and several more teachers are expected! And, of course, Martha and Denise will be there too!

ANOTHER WHS TEACHER LOCATED.

Thanks to research by Steve Ahlfeld, we located a former WHS teacher who lives in the greater Raleigh, NC area. Do you recognize him from the picture below? He will be most recognizable to Tim Armes, Charles Chapman, Neal Cannon, Lon McMurtry, Chris McLemore, and Doug Lemmon as they all spent hours and hours in the basketball gym with Coach Ed Ransopher. Doug met him for breakfast recently, and Coach Ransopher has committed to attending our 50th reunion extravaganza on Sept 16-19 2021. At 78 years of age, Coach Ransopher looks great and is the golf coach at the local community college. (March 11, 2019)

CLASSMATES WITH NOTABLE BIRTHDATES

Here are birthday fun facts about the Class of 1971. (Updarted 3/19/2019)

Christmas Day: We have no Christmas day babies among us; Don Brawley is the closest being born December 26 along with Mary Fitzgerald Clauss.
New Year’s baby…yes we have one: John Hill born Jan 1, with Sherry Fields Seat born Dec 30 and Beverly Mattingly Waters born Jan 3.
Valentine’s Day: Missed being our Sweetheart by only a day...Sarah Trousdale Sandage was born Feb 15.
Leap Year baby: 1953 was not a leap year, but if it were, Tim Wildridge’s March 1 birthday would have had made him much, much younger than the rest of us.
Easter: Roberta Rang was born Easter Sunday, April 5.
4th of July: Ed Hart is the closest to being born on the 4th of July as he was born July 3. Mark Merideth and Charlotte Belcher Fox were born July 1. 
Halloween: Karl Kluemper is our Halloween trick or treat born October 31.
Thanksgiving: It changes every year, but in 1953 Thanksgiving was November 26, and we have two Thanksgiving babies: Sharon McLemore Hoover and Georgia Wilson Wells.

The most classmates with the same birthdate is 4, and it happens on one date, February 11, with Marilyn Bradfield Dyer, Mike Singleton, Paul Grubb, and Susan Brown McCall all sharing the same birthday.  There are 12 different dates where 3 classmates share the same birthday. The most popular month to be born is September with 30 classmates followed by December with 26. The least popular is April with 15 classmates.

Finally, for those who want to know more, Lou Schnarr (Sept 24), Butch Delaney (Sept 25), and Lynn Ritter Smith (Sept 25) may be the true Christmas babies when one thinks about their conception date!

Happy Birthday and Happy New Year to all of the Class of 1971 classmates as our 50th reunion extravaganza on July 31, 2021 steadily approaches!

(Note: Research by classmate Steve Ahlfeld form the basis of this analysis. Also, birthdays of 3 classmates (Virginia Elsey Burkhardt, Richard Edward Smith and Deborah Lynn Willis) are unknown and not included) 
(March 19, 2019)

FUND RAISING FOR 50TH KICKOFF

As we hit and pass our 65th birthday, it is rewarding to reflect on how blessed we were to have had our high school education and our high school friends to help prepare us for life. It also is a good time to think about how we can give something back as a class.

If you are in a position to help, there are two options where your financial assistance can provide a big boost. One option is helping to defray our multi-event 50th reunion costs, and the other is establishing an ongoing, long-lived Legacy Gift from our WHS Class of 1971. The Legacy Gift will be especially powerful, and it appears we will be the first WHS class to establish one!

To help our class "Build the Ladder by Which We Rise," click the "DONATIONS for 50th" menu item. Get out your credit card as it would be fantastic if you are able to help our class celebrate 50 years and to give back with our Legacy Gift. (October 17, 2018)

SUMMARY OF SEPT 17, 2018 REUNION PLANNING MEETING

You can read the summary of the September 17 planning meeting that was held at the Washington, Indiana library. Attending in person were Vicki (Collison) Bubalo, Darrell Wade-Murray and Doug Lemmon. Attending by phone were Hak Haskins, Rick Schue, and Denise (Hill) McCarthy. The next meeting will be in Spring 2019, and you are invited to attend in person or by phone. And after reviewing the Sept 17 meeting summary, your comments and questions are welcome.

WHO IS THIS PERSON?

Do you know this 78 year old distinguised gentleman who was spotted recently on Main Street of Washington, Indiana? Cindy Truelove Reddick by coincidence happened to be our 79th classmate to join our WHS 1971 website this past week, and she said one of her favorite WHS teachers was this person! Check out Cindy's Classmate Profile to find out which WHS teacher this is. Oh, and very important, even though Cindy lives in South Carolina, she is planning to be at our 50th high school reunion extravaganza!!!

New Project - WHS Teacher Obituaries

We spent a lot of time with them, yet we knew very little about them. We suspect that most of them have died, and that a few are still living. Classmate Steve Ahlfeld has started searching for obituaries of our teachers, and he found Math and Driver's Training teacher, Eugene Smith. Who knew Mr. Smith had a basketball scholarship to Oakland City College and was a WWII Navy veteran? (Read his obituary by clicking the "Teacher Obituaries" link in the left column) It is a difficult task to find teacher obits without knowing their middle name or where they lived. If you can help, please contact Steve or Doug. 

IN SEARCH OF....GENE LUNDY!!!

Our fabulous 50th reunion is now only 3 years away. Currently we are finding missing classmates, and with the help of Denise (Hill) McCarthy, we determined that classmate Gene Lundy was living in Huntsville, AL. Hak Haskins formed an overland expedition consisting of Don Brawley, David Brown, and Doug Lemmon to travel to Alabama to find Gene. We are pleased to report that the expedition was successful! If you haven't already, you should read Gene's profile on our WHS 1971 website to find what Gene has done since high school. And Gene is planning to be at our 50th reunion!!!

WHS Class of 1971 Commencement Was 47 Years Ago May 28

50th Classmate Joins WHS Class of 1971 Website

DeWayne Duncan and Mark Johnston were the 49th and 50th classmates to join the website. That is progress! Charles Chapman gets credit for using Facebook to find Mark. Click the "Missing Classmates" link above to see classmates who have not yet joined. If you see classmates in the list that you know how to contact, please have them join too. 

April 16, 2018 Reunion Planning Meeting Summary

You can read the summary of the April 16 planning meeting held at Vicki (Collison) Bubalo's house. Vicki, Hak Haskins, Paul Flint, Kenny Wright, Darrell Wade-Murray, and Doug Lemmon attended. Your comments and questions are welcome.

North Side Elementary School Girls Eager to Take Big Step to Junior High

Front Row: Becky Pegler, Rhonda Pegler, Sandra Sumner, Diana Dodson, Glenda Lemmon, Martha Pridemore, Linda Jones, Judy Holman, Dotty Ramsey, Linda Wise, Donna Rayman, Chris Gwaltney, Susan Brown

Back Row: Cathy Trosper, Sarah Trousdale,Pam Beasley, Cathy Nalker, Janet Smith, Carol Slaven, Martha Jo Wilz, Jane Crow, Beverly Mattingly, Debbie Gress, Patty Bateman, Paula Draper, Nona Franklin, Roberta Rang, Jean Loudon

Picture from 1964-65 of Mr. Aydelott and Mr. Jones North Side School 6th grade Bosters. 

North Side Elementary School Boys Rate Exceptionally High on Cuteness Scale

L to R: Scott Schaffer, Doug Lemmon, Rick Schue, Lindsay Casper, David Abel, Mark Merideth

50th REUNION PLANNING HAS BEGUN!!!

Yeah, we know...Our 50th is 4 years away. But we think it will take 4 years to find all of our classmates!

Two key items from the first planning meeting:

1. Appears August 2021 is the best month for the 50th reunion. Do you agree? We want to pick the specific 50th Reunion date by the end of September 2017.

2. What would make our 50th Reunion successful? We came up with the two below. Do you agree? What would make the 50th Reunion successful to you? Do you have others to add?

   * Having nearly all classmates attend

   * Having loads of time to be able to talk with everyone