The Wilmington High School class of 1961 gathered at Damon’s on Saturday evening, July 28,th to celebrate their 75th birthdays. The room was decorated with happy birthday balloons and several cartoons depicting the “fun of aging” adorned the dining tables. Tables along the wall held the large class composite many high school and grade school pictures and other memorabilia. A buffet dinner was served topped off with birthday cake for dessert.

This WHS Class of 1961 has had 11 class reunions in Wilmington, one reunion in Florida and four birthday parties celebrating their 60th, 65,th 70th and now 75th birthdays. There were also two trips several of the ladies in the class have taken together and they are planning another trip to Nashville next year to meet up with classmate Kathy Bowman Lauder, a Nashville resident. Information will be sent out to all ladies in the class when the plans are final.

Those attending from out of state were: Karen Vance Wood and Bob and Sandy King from Kentucky; Tom Wood from South Carolina, Don and Sandy Miley from Mississippi; and Carol Wallace Gibson from Tennessee.

Seventeen classmates and some of their spouses also attended breakfast at the General Denver Hotel on Sunday morning. Marilyn Stidd Curtis and her husband Gerry from Texas were not able to come on Saturday, but joined everyone for this breakfast.

Next reunion will be in 2012, the 60th anniversary of the WHS Class of 1961.

From left are: First row, Gary Dunn, Ann Hale Noftsger, Diane Edwards Ewing, Wayne Fulton, Gail Brester Langham, Bonnie Moore Mathews, Ken Curtis, Jim Hunter; second row, Charlene Myers Boggs, Ken Quigley, Bob Valentine, Anne Telfair Clippard, Don Miley, Beverly Liming Roe, Roger Foster, Burt Damron; back row, Gary Heeg, Charlie (Dick) Swearingen, Carol Wallace Gibson, Doris Wiget Cochran, Leva Grant Bath, Ken McCoy, Karen Vance Wood, Tom Wood, Mary Alice Snyder Bryan, Bob King, and David Halley.

http://www.wnewsj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2018/08/web1_WHS-61-75th-Birthday-2.jpgFrom left are: First row, Gary Dunn, Ann Hale Noftsger, Diane Edwards Ewing, Wayne Fulton, Gail Brester Langham, Bonnie Moore Mathews, Ken Curtis, Jim Hunter; second row, Charlene Myers Boggs, Ken Quigley, Bob Valentine, Anne Telfair Clippard, Don Miley, Beverly Liming Roe, Roger Foster, Burt Damron; back row, Gary Heeg, Charlie (Dick) Swearingen, Carol Wallace Gibson, Doris Wiget Cochran, Leva Grant Bath, Ken McCoy, Karen Vance Wood, Tom Wood, Mary Alice Snyder Bryan, Bob King, and David Halley. Courtesy photo