A full slate of high school reunions had been planned for summer and early fall. But like almost everything else, pandemic-year reunions have been scratched too.
Most of the classes planning reunions have either been postponed until further notice or rescheduled for the same weekend next year, which is what the Columbus High School Class of 1970 has done.
The Class of 1970, the 98th in the history of Columbus High School — renamed Columbus North in the fall of 1972 when Columbus East debuted — is one party-loving group. If the number of reunions were a competition, it would be hard to beat the 1970 grads. They have staged reunions every five years except what could have been a 15-year event in 1985.
A 10-member planning group has been working on the 50-year program since early 2019, hoping to create a memorable event for their class of about 750 seniors, one of the biggest in school history. Marybeth Von Fange Glick, secretary of the 1970 senior class, has been leading the effort as chairperson. Glick has been on the planning committee for every one of the eight reunions.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
With anxiety over the pandemic, however, “people were hoping we would cancel,” said Glick, 68, who retired from Cummins in 2014.
When the group pulled the plug on this year’s event planned for Sept. 18-19 at the Otter Creek Golf Course Clubhouse, there was only one surprise during the pandemic-influenced environment.
“It’s been a shock to me to be in the at-risk age group,” said Glick, referring to her 65-and-older demographic, which has the highest number of U.S. deaths from COVID-19.
The committee’s decision was posted May 22 on the class’ private Facebook page.
“Travel was too big of a hurdle,” said Linda Brown, 68, treasurer of the reunion committee and a 20-year member.
Brown, assistant manager of accounting for Mitsubishi Turbo in Franklin, said planners wanted to spare classmates from last-minute uncertainties.
With a June 1 printing deadline to order invitations, the committee waited as long as it could before cancelling for this year.
“We had only positive responses,” Glick said of classmates’ reactions.
Reminiscing about Friday and Saturday night drives around “the loop,” National Road to 25th Street, will have to wait another year. The Class of 1970’s 50+1 reunion has been rescheduled for Sept. 17-18, 2021.
With activities already planned, what’s left is connecting with hundreds of the alumni — a daunting task with few telephone landlines and the challenges of tracking down physical or email addresses.
As with their past three reunions, next year’s event will begin with a Friday night outing at Brown County State Park. Seated around outdoor tables, classmates will be able to enjoy food, drinks and music — sometimes performed by classmates — as memories are rekindled of life in Columbus.
An interesting part of the Friday night leg of reunion weekend is that nametags aren’t issued, an icebreaker for classmates to reintroduce themselves, Brown said.
Saturday activities will include a tour of Columbus North by the Bull Dog Alumni Association. Of 29 alumni installed in the school’s Wall of Fame since 2012, the class of 1970 is represented by Dr. Terry Schmidt, who has done humanitarian dentistry work around the globe after a football career with the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears.
The reunion schedule will leave time open for friends to make their own Saturday or Sunday brunch-lunch plans around the main event, a casual dinner at Otter Creek that could draw about 280, Brown said.
One of the highlights of each reunion is the display of poster-sized photos of high school life by committee member Ron Rice, who owns Signs by Ron.
Classmates can also expect a special edition of the Log yearbook, with a page for each classmate to supply information and photos. That’s being coordinated by Debra Richard, another planning committee member.
Attending reunions is relatively easy for most Class of 1970 alumni. Slightly more than half still live in Indiana and about one-third continue to call Bartholomew County home.
It’s a longer drive than that for Randy Nentrup, 69, but he doesn’t mind.
“I’ve been to all of them,” said Nentrup, of Bakersville, N.C., of his class’ eight previous reunions.
As he has typically done, Nentrup planned to drive one of his motorcycles on the 400-mile trip home.
“Seven and one-half hours, no big deal,” said Nentrup, who also rode a motorcycle to graduation 50 years ago.
Nentrup lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he has taught nursing at East Tennessee State University for the past 20 years.
“When I was in high school, I rode a motorcycle down to the Blue Ridge Parkway and decided I was going to move there and retire there,” Nentrup said.
True to his word, Nentrup found paradise in a town of 464 at 4,000 feet elevation, where it rarely gets warmer than 85.
But Nentrup looks forward to returning to Indiana to catch up with college friends, family members and high school classmates.
He and Gary Cooper of Thomasville, Georgia, rode together to the 45th class reunion on motorcycles — and Nentrup is revved up about returning for the 50+1 reunion.
Like Nentrup, Chuck Capps attended the 45-year reunion at the Harrison Lake Country Club in 2015. However, it was a 2,100-mile trip for Capps, who lives in San Diego, California.
Attending fulfilled a wish by Capps, 68, to experience at least one reunion.
“Truth is, I only saw one person that I remembered,” Capps said. “Chatting with her was nice.”
He was considering coming back for the 50th , “then the pandemic hit and all bets were off,” said
Capps, who retired 15 years ago and still has relatives in the Columbus area.
It’s too soon for Capps to say whether he we be able to attend next September, but planners are hoping he and others take a ride down Memory Lane — or 25th Street — one more time in 2021.
Retired editor Tom Jekel writes a weekly column that appears each Sunday on The Republic’s Opinion page. Contact him by email through editorial@therepublic.com.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Reunion resources” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Class reunion resources
Reunions for Columbus high schools planned for this summer and fall have been cancelled due to the coronavirus, according to local alumni groups.
The Bull Dog Alumni Association of Columbus website for Columbus/Columbus North updates alumni on the status of class reunions. Visit columbusnorthalumni.org
Columbus East alumni can notify Columbus East Alumni Association president Matt Steinweddle of plans by email: iusteiny@gmail.com
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Class of 1970 connections” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
There are several ways for members of the class of 1970 to interact with reunion organizers. Send address changes by email to treasurer Linda Brown at lbrown717@att.net or call 812-376-0182.
Classmates can also visit the Columbus Indiana High School Class of 1970 Facebook page and request to be added to the private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1489783094628729/
[sc:pullout-text-end]
