ESCANABA — The 1956 graduating class of the Escanaba Senior High School is having its 70th class reunion this summer, with a casual get-together on Friday, August 28 at the Eagles Club and dinner on Saturday, August 29 at the Island Resort and Casino.

The first reunion for the class was held on July 2, 1966 at the Terrace and was attended by many, including Class Officers Robert Krause, president; William Bolm, vice president; Clyde Robinson, secretary; and Robert Chriske, treasurer. The first class reunion organizing committee consisted of 11 classmates, one of whom was Carol (Beck) Lancour, who became coordinator of future reunions.

The 10th reunion was followed by the 20th on July 31, 1976, at the Highland Golf Club. It was such a huge success that it was decided to have a reunion every five years, with the 25th held on July 4, 1981, at the Highland Golf Club; 30th on July 5, 1986, at the Highland Golf Club; 35th on June 15, 1991, at the House of Ludington; 40th on July 6, 1996, at the Days Inn; 45th on July 7, 2001, at the House of Ludington, 50th on August 26, 2006, at the Escanaba Country Club; 55th on August 20, 2011, at the Escanaba Country Club; and 60th on August 20, 2016, at the Terrace.

As of the 20th reunion, Lancour was joined by Ramona (Sopina) Larson as co-coordinator and producer of the reunion book. Lancour continued to organize reunions through the 50th when health issues caused her to resign. Larson then took over as coordinator and was joined by Rosemary (LaFave) Ray as co-coordinator/treasurer and organizer of the Friday night get-together with Lynne (Hansen) Magnuson.

By the 60th, the class reunions became more like large family reunions. A remembrance book documenting obituaries of classmates who passed away was developed by Charlotte (LaGesse) Millisor and has been updated for each reunion.

With the age of classmates being in the mid-70’s, it was decided to have reunions closer together. The 63rd reunion was held July 20, 2019, at the Island Resort and Casino; 65th on August 15, 2021, at the Island Resort and Casino; and 68th on August 10, 2024 at the Island resort and Casino.

By the 68th reunion, classmates were in their mid-80’s. Some were either handicapped, unable to travel alone or drive. These classmates were encouraged to invite a friend or relative to join them to help with transportation and assistance. This turned out to be a great solution, because not only did those who needed assistance invite a friend or relative, so did many of those who didn’t necessarily need assistance. The non-classmates joined in to help with volunteer activities.

The huge success of our reunions could not have been accomplished without the help of volunteers over the years: Kenneth West, Elmer Bessonen, Robert Bero, Shirley (Anderson) Bero, William Erickson, Maxine (Sheedlo) Jaeger, Joan (Kositzky) Johnson, Bonnie (Smith) Ayotte, Mary Jo (Pinar) Dahn, Beverly (D’Ambrosio) Ahola, Donna (Hendricks) Anderson, William Bolm, Victor Sopina, Garry Gillespie, Clyde Robinson, LeVonne (Flannery) Yelland, David Viau, Robert Chriske, Michael Needham, Thomas Hogan, Ben Karas, Elsie (Nelson) Caron, Sharon (Morey) Brown, Marlene (McMartin) Day, Janis (Nelson) Redman, William Redman, Charlotte (LaGesse) Millisor, Barbara (Neumeier) Davis, Mary (Zerbel) Dixon, Marlene (Dahlvik) VanFarowe, Delores (Lorry) (Anderson) Flath, Barbara (Gross) Budinger, Barbara (Olsen) Ford, Mary Lou (Royer) Lantagne, Gayla (LaPalm) Louis, Douglas Perry and Lawrence (Rick) Erickson.

The motto of the class of ’56, “Either we will find a way or we will make one,” was updated in 2001 to state, “Either we have found a way or we have made one.”

The class mailing list was developed from the names of those with a class picture in the “Escanaban”, which was the class publication, along with classmates who did not have a picture taken, but heard about the reunions.

All classmates continued to be accounted for except for one — a foreign exchange student who seemed to disappear. Thanks to the internet and continuous monitoring, that classmate was located after 50 years and is now on the mailing list.

We encourage everyone who was a part of the class of 1956 to join us on August 28 and/or 29. Please call Larson at 262-643-4586 or send an email to ramonav7773@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like more information.