‘It’s like one big family’ — Rockwell class celebrates 65th reunion
Published 12:00 am Saturday, October 5, 2024
Members of the Rockwell High School Class of 1959 at the reunion pose for a class photo as they hold their 60th reunion banner. They are, first row, from left, Loy Morgan, Sybil Penninger Baker, Christine Bame Graham, Mary Ida Hodge Yost, Ann Brown Miller and Gaynelle Galloway Funderburke. Back row, from left, Joe Freeze, Brenda Heglar Cooke, Robert Goodman, Carolyn Cauble Hartung, Bronnie Morgan, Mickey Holshouser, Jerry Morgan, R.L. Mills, Charlie Earnhardt and Sandra Beaver Mills. — Karen Kisttler
Robert Goodman, seated, and Jerry Morgan chat during the reuniion. — Karen Kistler
Sybil Penninger Baker, left, and Carolyn Cauble Hartung take.a minutes to pose for the camera. — Karen Kistler
Classmates and spouses enjoyed visiting with one another during the event. Seated are R.L. and Sandra Mills and standing are Christine Graham and Mary Ida and Carl Yost— Karen Kistler
From left, Brenda Cooke, Iris Shipton and Loy Morgan spent time visiting during the reunion. — Karen Kistler
Groups gathered around the tables to fellowship. -- Karen Kistler
Classmates visit during the event. — Karen Kistler
ROCKWELL — They are classmates and friends, but more than that, they are like family.
That was the feeling of those who attended the 65th reunion of the Rockwell High School Class of 1959, which was held Sept. 28 in the fellowship hall of Rockwell First Baptist Church, Hillcrest Drive.
Most of those who attended are from Rockwell or the surrounding community; however, some came from a distance to be there including Mary Ida Hodge Yost and her husband Carl who traveled from Ohio and Loy Morgan from New Bern and Christine Bame Graham and her daughter from Greensboro.
“It’s really a treat to get to come,” Mary Ida said.
The Yosts previously had a winter home in Granite Quarry but just recently sold it, she said. “So this is the first time we’ve come down and stayed in a motel, but it’s a treat to come back.”
Near or far, the classmates come to be a part of the reunions and see their friends and enjoy the time together.
Graham said being able to come back is “wonderful, just to see their faces again.”
Morgan said he couldn’t remember the last one he has missed. And when asked what brings him back each year, he said, “these people. Being here is great.”
That was the consensus around the room, that being back with their friends was something they looked forward to.
Gaynelle Galloway Funderburke said that it was wonderful to be with these friends and said, “I look forward to this.”
R.L. Mills and his wife Sandra Beaver Mills are both members of the class and shared how much they enjoy being with their fellow classmates.
“I’m just glad to see everybody,” said R.L. “We all get along so good. It’s like one big family.”
“It’s wonderful,” added Sandra. “There’s just so much love around this class.”
With a smile, Mickey Holshouser said “it’s great” to be there. His wife Nancy shared that he had not been able to attend last year as she said, “he passed away and they brought him back. He’s tickled to be here this year.”
Robert Goodman said with a grin that “everybody looks a little bit older than they did when we were in high school,” but he did add it was fun to see everybody.
There were 53 members in the senior class and of that number, 27 are still living.
Some spouses of those classmates who are deceased were also in attendance, and one, Iris Shipton, expressed how much it meant to her to be invited to the special event.
“This class is very special to me,” she said. She said her husband, Larry Shipton, “was in this class and he always loved it and they’ve invited me every year to come and I enjoy them so much.”
Multiple people shared that they were the last graduating class of Rockwell High School and several added some additional facts about the class including Mary Ida’s mother, Ruth, was one of the first grade teachers and she herself participated in musical events at school, going on to be a music professor. For Loy, he said he was in the last class and his dad, Chester Morgan, was in the first graduating class there. And Robert Goodman said he used to drive a bus for a couple years.
Morgan also noted they had a football team and a boys and girls basketball team.
“It was just a little old school, and we had some good, good teachers,” he said.
Carolyn Cauble Hartung and Sandra Beaver Mills shared that the school had a mascot, and they were the Rockwell Rockets, and their class colors were green and white, which were the colors that were used in the decorating for the reunion.
Sybil Penninger Baker provided some history of the school noting that it was built in 1928 as a consolidation of 18 one- and two-room schools in eastern Rowan County. It was open continually through the school year 1958-1959, as students from the Rockwell area were joined in each freshman class with students who had attended Morgan Elementary School. In the fall of 1959, East Rowan Senior High School opened as a consolidation of Rockwell High School and Granite Quarry High School.
Visiting continued around the tables as the group enjoyed a catered meal, and then they took the opportunity to have a class photo taken. Several of the members held a banner that classmate Joe Freeze made for their 60th reunion, which included the wording of “Let’s Not Forget Each Other” that classmate John Trexler came up with to place on the banner, said Baker, and those who could attend that reunion signed it.
When thinking about the class of 1959, Brenda Cooke said with a smile, “65 years, that’s just unreal,” as others added, it doesn’t seem like 65 years.
