July 8 , 2021 The Beacon • 15

The 132nd West Lafayette-Ridgewood Alumni Banquet was held June 5 at Ridgewood Middle School in the gymnasium with 225 attendees .

The spacious gymnasium provided comfortable seating and social distancing for those attending . The tables were decorated in the school colors of orange and black with flowers and an assortment of candies . Alumni President Barbara Bickle Wilson ( RHS ‘ 66 ) welcomed the alumni and guests . She introduced current alumni officers : Carol Masters Bobbitt ( RHS ‘ 69 ), first vice president ; Kathy Crouso Hendricks ( RHS ‘ 70 ), second vice president ; and Sandy Shaw ( RHS ‘ 76 ), treasurer . Susan Shaw Gordon ( WL ‘ 64 ), secretary , and Cathy Frederick McCrea ( RHS ‘ 65 ), promotions and publicity , were unable to attend .

The banquet dinner was prepared by Schumaker Farms Catering with assistance from the Ridgewood vocational agriculture students .

Due to the cancellation of the banquet in 2020 , there were several classes honored this year including 1940-41 , 1950-51 , 1960-61 , 1970-71 and 1980-81 . Rev . William Groves ( WL ‘ 59 ) gave the invocation . Following the meal , the business meeting was held . The four scholarship winners from the Class of 2021 were introduced by treasurer Shaw and included Javan Belt , Mason Mizer , Bryce Prater and Zachary Prater .

Jason Prater was the stand-in for his sons as they are already attending the Ohio State University football training camp . Each recipient was awarded $ 1,000 and was acknowledged for their accomplishments and future plans .

Prizes were given to several attendees including table flowers and several door prizes . Door prizes were donated by Knob Hill Design , Pearl Valley Cheese , Unusual Junction , Wilson Furniture , Garden Patch Greenhouse , Annin Flag

Co ., Schumaker Farms , Yellow Butterfly Winery , Ridgewood General Store and Community Hospice .

The honored classes were recognized , and each member was presented their own class representative flower . Justin Seibert of Seibert Photography was present to take pictures of attendees and classes .

Alumni were honored . There were no attendees from the classes of 1940 or 1941 ; however , there are two surviving alumni from the Class of 1940 that were recognized for their longevity : Velma Hart Hoffman and John Kenneth Bontrager .

The Class of 1950 included Gene Apple , Esther Maxwell Crouso and Jessie Summers Marlatt-Russell .

The Class of 1951 included M . Lee Dougherty , Edgar Lower , Marjorie Schweitzer Lower , Helen Green Overholt and James Pollock .

The Class of 1960 included Judy Schumaker Blair , Marilyn Dunlap Gress , Russell Gress , Orville Groves , Suellen Ehrich Husted , Bobbi Emerson Lawrence , Lorena Matchett Long , Barbara Rusk McCutcheon , Robert McElfresh , Mary Lou Miller Overholt , James Overholt , Linda Hill Porteus and Marvin Shrimplin .

The Class of 1961 included Ellen Porteus Anderson , Dennis Bluck , Jane Thompson Fleming , William Hendricks , Hollis Milligan Hura , Ruth Emerson Kistler , Wilbert Lapp and Joyce Duling Sees .

The Class of 1970 included Linda Aronholt Moore , Frances Carter Myers , Kathy Crouso Hendricks , Dan Croy , G . Allen Darr , Linda Durben Mason , Sandy Firster Kennedy , Paul Frye , Janet Griffith Hahn , Sharon Hardesty Smith , Debbie Hughes Colvin , Francis Lahna , Deena McClure Gray , Christene Warren Levengood , Diane Schlegel Sharrock , Mark Sharrock , and Nancy Zimmerman Lahmers .

The Class of 1971 included Bill Adkins ,

Peggy Barstow Caudill , Irene Crouso Miller , Cheryl Gallagher Wright , Kathy Hart Reid , Michelle Householder Funk , Rhonda Howell , Teresea Lawrence Derr , Robert Long , Cynthia McClure , Brenda McCrea Ianniello , Alan Miller , Randy Moore , Raymond Roof , Elizabeth Sharier Herrell , Sharlyn Shaw Smith and Christine Sheneman Fleming .

The Class of 1980 included Larry Frye , Rod Norman , Tammie Sharrock Mullett and Martin Tallman .

The Class of 1981 included Rene Deshong Warren , Jacqueline Eberwine Washington , Chris Haines Underwood , Theresa Hartley Norman , Lisa Hill Butler , Darla Norman Williams , Dennis Todd , Becki Wilden and Bob Zinkon .

President Barbara Bickel Wilson presented the following nominations for the 2022 officers : President Carol Masters Bobbitt , First Vice President Kathy

Crouso Hendricks , second vice president had no nomination , treasurer Sandy Shaw , recording secretary Barbara Bickle Wilson , corresponding secretary Sally Ann Shaw Hickman , archivist / historian Susan Shaw Gordon , and publicity and promotions Cathy Frederick McCrea .

With no nominations from the floor , Linda Hill Porteus moved to approve the nominated slate of officers , and Shelly McCormick seconded the motion . The motion carried .

Special recognition was given to Robert McElfresh for traveling the farthest from Bluffton , South Carolina , and Betty Castle McCrea ( WL ‘ 47 ) and Norma Jean Regula McClure ( WL ‘ 48 ) were recognized as the oldest alumni attending the banquet . Sales of the 50 / 50 drawing brought in $ 460 , and the winner of $ 230 was James Domer .

The next alumni banquet will be held June 4 , 2022 .

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