'The Last Reunion.' Canton McKinley High School Class of 1950 meets for final time
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
CANTON − They're grandparents now, even great-grandparents, but that wasn't always the case.
Seventy-three years ago, they were teenagers looking forward to their futures and what life might hold in store.
Last week, eight surviving members of the McKinley High School graduating class of 1950 met at the Desert Inn for what they're calling "The Last Reunion." Instead of waiting two years for their 75th reunion, the group opted to gather now.
It's not that they don't enjoy getting together — some still meet for lunch once a month. It's not that they don't enjoy sharing memories and laughter. It's just ...
"We thought we'd better do it now," said Donna Snider Fowler, noting that their previous reunion in 2020 was canceled due to COVID.
Out of 305 graduates, she estimated that there are a couple dozen left. Some, she said, are in nursing homes.
Their first reunion was held in 1963.
Reminiscing with the McKinley High Class of 1950
In 1950, the high school student's fashion of choice featured Bobby socks, saddle shoes and skirts below the knees for girls, and long-sleeved shirts and dress trousers for the boys — with a belt.
Six years before Elvis changed everything, the top musical hits of 1950 included "Good Night, Irene, Goodnight," by the Weavers; "Mona Lisa," by Nat King Cole and "Rag Mop" by the Ames Brothers.
The past is bright; you could even say eternal. But the Class of 1950 knows what everyone eventually comes to learn: This life is not.
"Those were good years," Fowler said. "We behaved. We were respectful and we loved school. I was active in the orchestra."
In those days, Canton boasted four high schools to accommodate its burgeoning population of 117,000.
McKinley, which opened in 1918, was named after President William McKinley and his sister Anna, a longtime Canton City school teacher. Located at 800 Market Ave. N, it replaced the old Central and North high schools.
With its massive stone columns, fourth-floor solarium and an underground pool (no longer in use), the school was built to accommodate 4,000 students. Today, it houses social service agencies and the McKinley Life Care Center.
The current McKinley High was built in 1976, a stone's throw from Hall of Fame Village but for thousands of Cantonians, McKinley will always be the big building downtown.
The youngest member of the class is 90 years old
As the former classmates filed into the restaurant, several accompanied by adult children, the years gave way to smiles, hugs and chatter.
Donald Tarver, 90, was the youngest member of the class and the only male classmate in attendance. He was accompanied to the dinner by family and friends.
As a student, Tarver was a leader in the school's booster and drama clubs, and performed in the class play three out of his four years.
Asked to name his favorite teacher, Tarver and several others recalled the formidable Iris Haverstock, who taught drama, and Mary Hannah, who taught journalism.
"She yelled at me once when I forgot my lines," a laughing Tarver said of Haverstock.
Fowler recalled C.C. Smith, who taught chemistry.
"I was his lab assistant," she said.
Most of their elementary schools no longer exist
Nancy Willis Stephen, who also helped to coordinate the event and who grew up on Belden Avenue, is one of several alumni who became educators. In addition to other districts, she taught at Canton City Schools for 25 years, and served as a principal at Mason School.
"I worked with Paralee Compton," she said. "What a doll."
Most of the elementary schools they attended no longer exist. Harlene Schifman Smuckler, one of a small circle of classmates who attend monthly luncheons, noted that she went to Cherry Elementary School before heading off to McKinley.
She named Chuck Wright as one of her favorite teachers.
"When I got married and had kids, my son Bill went to his camp," she said. "His wife was a teacher, too."
'It's always nice hearing some of the stories about my dad'
Vivian Bernard Rogers and her late husband, John, were high school sweethearts.
"We met my sophomore year. He walked by my desk, stopped and winked. I winked back," she said with a laugh. "That's when we became a couple."
An all-Ohio quarterback for the Bulldogs, John "Johnny" Rogers was inducted into the high school's Football Hall of Fame in 1986. Under McKinley's legendary football and basketball coach Herman "Bup" Rearick, Rogers led the Bulldogs to a 9-1 season in 1950, losing only to the Massillon Tigers.
The couple had to wait four years after their graduation to marry until Rogers completed his service at West Point, eventually becoming a colonel, Vivian Rogers said. They went on to have 10 children, five of whom also became officers.
Mark Rogers, the ninth of their 10 children, accompanied his mother to the dinner.
"It's always nice hearing some of the stories about my dad," he said.
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.
On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
Who was there?
The McKinley High School Class of 1950 recently held its final reunion. The following people attended the event, held at the Desert Inn in Canton:
Donna Snider Fowler
Mary Hamilton Isla
Barbara Slusser Kreuz
Vivian Bernard Rogers
Harlene Shifman Smuckler
Nancy Willis Stephen
Judy Van Nostran Snyder
Donald Tarver
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton McKinley Class of 1950 meets for The Last Reunion
