On May 28, the commons area at Marmaton Valley High School was the site of the 125h Annual Moran/Marmaton Valley High School Alumni Association banquet and annual meeting. There were 79 alumni and guests who attended the dinner catered by Cynthia Ludlum Ritchie.
Special recognition was given to the classes ending in 7 and 2. Additional recognition was given to the following: Alumni traveling the greatest distance, Dan Snyder from San Clementi, California; the oldest female graduate, Audry Maley (1951); the oldest male graduate, Gene DeMerritt (1952); and the oldest person serving in the military, Gene DeMerritt (1952).
Four scholarships were given. The Ralph Coles Memorial Scholarship for $200 went to Autumn Simpson. The Moran Alumni Scholarship for $250 was given to Autumn Simpson. The two $1,000 Joe and Cora O’Rourke Scholarships were given to Jenni Armstrong and Kendall Scharff.
The officers for 2023 were elected: President, Chris Elmenhorst; vice-president, Phyllis (Talley) Nelson; recording secretary, Myrna (Parsons) Wildschuetz; corresponding secretary, Sarabeth Foster LaRue; treasurer, Ann Morrison Houk.
Next year’s banquet and meeting will be held on May 27, 2023.
Those in attendance according to the year of their graduation are as follows:
1951: Audry Maley
1952: Gene and Delores McDermitt
1953: Beverly McAdams Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. Everett Gifford
1954: Norma Arnold Stahl,
1955: Wayne and Nancy Houk Chandler
1956: Wesley and Wanda Stephens, Gene and Joyce Goodsell Todd
1957: Don Higinbothem
1958: Judy Ensminger Welch, Paul Alumbaugh, Dan and Nanci Snyder, Harold and Linda Ludlum
1959: Karolyn (McAdam) Holloway, Joyce Smith Higinbothem
1960: David and Ruth (Houk) Spangler
1961: Melvin and Phyllis (Talley) Nelson, Barbara Roe Diehl, Doris Jean Upton Ganaway, Galen Smith
1962: Gail Ross, Carolyn Kay (Higinbothan) Naff, Melvin Vanatta, George and Leona Lust
Beezley, Darrell Thompson, Bob Welch
1963: Ann (Morrison) Houk, Albert Alumbaugh
1964: Stanley and Donna (Dougherty) Grisley, Dee Ann (Donald) Parsons, Polly Upton Sells, Bob and Sharon Ensminger
1966: Roger Houk and guest
1967: Rick and Idris Doughtery, Myrna (Parsons) Wildschuetz, Lloyd and Nancy Houk, Arvin and Kathy Roe Clemans, Dallas and Donna Houk McCoy
1969: David and Catherine Lust
1970: Gary Ludlum
1972: Glen and Ronda Wolfe
1974: Barbara Maley Watkins
1977: Terry and Sherry Lust
1978: Chris and Sherry Elmenhorst
1979: Jeff Sager
1983: Gary and Sharon Henderson, Jim and Brenda Houk Armstrong