Proud to be Hornets: Mendon hosts all-class reunion

Jef Rietsma
·2 min read
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MENDON – Five Mendon High School graduates were inducted into the district’s Hall of Fame during an annual, all-class reunion over the weekend.

Joseph Taylor, class of 1998; Gary Huff, ‘53; Keith Campbell, ’72; Monica Wagner, ’95; and Nathan Bombrys, ’93, were honored during Saturday’s program at the high school. The event drew more than 60 people.

Delores Hamilton, 92, was honored Saturday for her 75-year anniversary as a graduate of Mendon High School. The district held its annual all-class reunion over the weekend.
Delores Hamilton, 92, was honored Saturday for her 75-year anniversary as a graduate of Mendon High School. The district held its annual all-class reunion over the weekend.

Reunion organizer and alumni association president Pat Tompkins, class of ’76, said hall-of-fame members are chosen based primarily on their accomplishments and standing in community as adults.

Three of the five – Taylor, Huff and Wagner – were present for the honor, while Campbell and Bombrys were represented by family members. Campbell lives in Oregon, while Bombrys resides in Ottawa, Ontario.

Tompkins said the gathering was Mendon High School’s 144th reunion. Only twice – in 2020 and once during WWII – has the school district not staged an all-class reunion.

“My favorite part of the reunion is watching people greet each other after not seeing each other for a long time,” she said. “In some cases, that period of time was since last year, in a few cases, it’s the first time since high school.”

The oldest attendees were Shirley (Haas) Rouse and Mary (McClain) Spealman from the class of 1947. Meanwhile, Art and Sue Bombrys traveled the furthest, coming from the Upper Peninsula community of Brevort.

Delores (Zinsmaster) Hamilton, class of 1948, was acknowledged for the 75-year anniversary of her graduation.

Hamilton, 92, said her fondest memories include playing softball and pitching, and taking part in a donkey basketball game versus Three Rivers.

“It was important to be here today because they’re honoring the class of ’48 … there were 22 in our graduating class and I don’t think there’s anybody left but me,” she said. “The high school we attended, of course, was the original Mendon High School, the old building that got torn down a few years back.”

Hamilton also remembers being part of a team of students who staged a raffle. Proceeds paid for the installation of lights at the high school’s football field. She also remembered her junior and senior year proms were staged a few blocks from the high school, in the basement at St. Edward’s Catholic Church.

Tompkins, meanwhile, said the all-class reunion is a tradition that brings pride to the community.

“We’ve always been one of the smaller districts in St. Joseph County but we are a close group,” she said. “We’re all very proud to say we are Hornets.”

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Proud to be Hornets: Mendon hosts all-class reunion