Arthur Foulkes
The Tribune-Star
CLINTON —
With Clinton’s Little Italy Festival in full swing this weekend, it might not be surprising to see members of the Clinton High School class of 1955 buying lottery tickets bearing the lucky number 55.
That’s because Saturday marked the 55th-year class reunion of the Clinton High School Wildcats class of 1955, which, amazingly, had 55 boys and 55 girls.
“We said, ‘You can’t miss this reunion,” said Jack Fenoglio, one of the organizers of the special event, which took place at The Castle restaurant in Clinton. “The stars are all aligned.”
To mark the occasion, about 30 – more than 25 percent – of the 110 graduates of the class attended the reunion, some coming from many states away.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” said Donna DeMosse, who traveled from Plano, Texas, to be with her former classmates and friends.
Meanwhile, Franklin and Luella Griffith drove all the way from Elm Grove, La., to attend. “It took us about 12 hours” to make the trip, said Luella, who was a member of the Clinton High School class of 1960. Her husband, Franklin, was a member of the Clinton Wildcats class of 1955.
Clinton High School, which was open from 1921 until 1977, served students in grades nine to 12. The students came to the school from Clinton Junior High School in the town of Clinton as well as more rural Vermillion County elementary schools.
Large black and white pictures showing students from the rural schools were on display in the dinning room at the restaurant. Those photographs showed members of the class of ’55 as eighth-graders at Sacred Heart, Universal, Fairview, Crompton Hill, Central and Jacksonville elementary schools.
“All I can say is, it doesn’t seem possible” 55 years have passed since graduation, said Carol Kost Carey, who traveled to the reunion from her home in Missouri. “The class has gotten rowdier with age,” she said smiling and looking at the room full of her chatting classmates.
“Some of us have been together since the first grade,” said Lil Campbell of Clinton.
When the class of ’55 was in high school, downtown Clinton had many attractions that no longer exist, several people at the reunion said when asked whether their hometown had changed. The town used to have several shops, drug stores, movie theaters and other places for young people to spend time, they said.
“It was wonderful growing up in the ’50s,” said Rudy Theisz, now of North Terre Haute and an organizer of the reunion.
After enjoying drinks and a meal, the class of 1955 planned to release five gold and five black balloons into the air outside the restaurant. The balloons, in the school’s colors, were to represent the 28 members of the class who have passed away over the past 55 years.
The last time the Clinton High School class of 1955 met was in 2008. Many of those at Saturday night’s reunion said they have attended nearly all of the reunions since the first one in 1965.
“It’s a lot of fun and we stay in touch,” said Curt Barcus, another member of the class of 1955 and one of those still living in the area who get together socially about once each month. “It’s like family,” he said.
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
