WESTLOCK – Where were you in ’72?
For 168 Grade 12 students of Westlock High School (now R.F. Staples School), May 5, 1972 was their graduation in the old gymnasium. On Saturday, May 15, a total of 78 of those students gathered back in Westlock for their 50 -ear reunion.
While that was less than half of those who graduated, the committee consisting of Vicki Perrault- Seatter, Debbie Pearce-McCoy, Carol Matechuk-Van Ruskenveld and Brian MacLeod, spent many hours in their attempts to contact them.
Sadly, 38 of their classmates have passed away.
“Another 32 classmates we simply could not find contact information for, and so, to my knowledge, they never did receive notice of this reunion,” Vicki Perrault-Seatter told her classmates and spouses at the dinner held that evening at the Westlock Inn.
“Approximately 40 to 50 of those we contacted were not able to come because of health issues, family gatherings, or prior commitments, but otherwise would have come. Some were not interested in attending, for whatever reasons, which we respect.”
While some members of the class of 1972 still reside locally, and some not that far away, several came from quite a distance. But none as far as Denise Limoges-Kreffer, who came all the way from Westville, Nova Scotia. Others came from Abbotsford, Duncan, Nanaimo and Prince George, B.C.; plus Alberta residents from Calgary, Strathmore, Didsbury, Edmonton, St. Albert, Stony Plain, Devon, Fort Saskatchewan, Sherwood Park, Barrhead, Camrose, Red Deer, Bonnyville, and Egremont.
Considering all are now in their senior years, having 78 return after half a century is quite an accomplishment. At the time the 1972 class was the largest to graduate from high school in Westlock, and perhaps they still hold the record. Sixteen of those grads married classmates, and those eight couples are still married!
The committee of four began meeting in early February this year to plan this special event. Perrault-Seatter, who had organized a couple of previous reunions, had a list of names with e-mail address and telephone numbers from them, but many have now retired, so numbers have changed. Co-organizers spent many hours in their attempts to locate and contact their former classmates. Their first letter went out March 12, and the committee met weekly, updating who they had contacted and if they were coming.
But they went far beyond that. They had to organize a venue for the evening banquet, and for the evening, they set up tables around the Pembina Room at the Westlock Inn with photos, songs, a remembrance table with photos of classmates who had passed, along with a Memorial Book of obituaries, and high school memorabilia. That included the Graduation Ceremonies program from May 5, 1972. Some even brought their grad dresses, though, as Perrault-Seatter noted that evening, “not quite brave enough, or foolish enough, to model them. But our matching earrings still fit, so that’s a win.”
Around the tables that evening, there was lots of reminiscing and memories of the high school years and of classmates and teachers, various antics and challenges. All great memories.
Earlier in the day, about 30 of those who had come for the reunion went to the Spirit Centre, where two former classmates, Wes and Joan Latimer, oversaw some pickleball; introducing many to the game for the first time.
After all the hard work and planning, the Class of 1972 Reunion Committee, with the approval of those attending the evening banquet, will be donating proceeds from the evening of $1,000 to Westlock Continuing Care - Comfort Unit, towards purchasing a leather vibrating recliner chair.
“I want to encourage other high school classes to take the challenge and plan a reunion — they are a lot of work for sure, but the result is amazing. Personal contact is the key for people to come and the memories last a lifetime.”
