Miller High School
Former students of Miller High School, along with spouses, friends and relatives, attended the last school reunion on July 15 at Miller. It was held in commemoration of the 85th anniversary of school alumni and to celebrate 33 years of learning at the school from 1922 to 1955.
The theme was the “last day of school picnic” using dinner buckets made for the occasion decorated with the school’s crimson and blue colors and a picture of the school. The “Proud Panther” mascot also was used in decorations, with a blue panther postage stamp used in mailings to alumnae.
Participants met at the Miller church and at the schoolyard for a final roll call and memorial service, led by school historian and mistress of ceremonies, Alberta Brinkman. The grand finale was the dedication and unveiling of the Miller High School memorial marker, which was made up of 258 bricks from the school, representing its 258 graduates. The unveiling honors were performed by the oldest and youngest alumni present, Anna Dickson Robinson Holmberg of Emporia, 100, who graduated in 1925, and Dale Dickson of Miller, who graduated in 1953.
Special guests at the reunion were former teachers: Winona Griffiths Rhoades of Emporia, Miller Grade School primary teacher in 1942 and 1943; Betty Jane Roberts of Miller, Miller High School, 1949 and Betty Roberts Blex of Miller, MHS, 1950-55.
The only mother and daughter MHS graduates to attend were Holmberg and her daughter, Joanne Robinson Pherago, who graduated in 1952.
Special recognition was given to the members of the MHS basketball team which won more Lyon County tournaments in succession (five) than any other school in the county, even though the school had one of the smallest enrollments and a tiny gymnasium, according to a report about the reunion. Team members attending were Kenneth Cripps, Calvin Holmberg, Willis Holmberg, Dee Bowden, Cecil Crim, Homer Melgren, Donald Sanders, Homer Melgren, Lawrence Parks, Louis Ptacek, William Dickson, Dale Dickson, Glenn Johnson and Keith Smulling.
Other alumni who attended were Lucille Lohmeyer Schlesener and Alberta Stolfus Brinkman of Emporia, Lois Shepherd Wheat of Strong City and Darlene Smulling Sutherland of Paola, from the class of 1938; Louis Ptacek of Shawnee Mission and Donald Sanders of Fairfield, Calif., class of 1939; Ruth Kaniper Lewis of Emporia and Wanda Smith Paxton of Osage City, class of 1940; Anna May Johnson Ptacek of Shawnee Mission and Willis Holmberg of Mesa, Ariz., class of 1941; Dee Bowden of Hoyt and Homer Melgren of Osage City, class of 1942; Kenneth Cripps and Glenn Johnson of Emporia, Calvin Holmberg of Osage City and Dorothy Ann Smulling Sullivan of Wichita, class of 1943; Lanore Kaniper Thompson of Osage City, class of 1945; Cecil Crim of Chanute and Doris Lee Smulling Gerstner of Emporia, class of 1947; Lawrence Parks of Miller, class of 1948; Shirley Johnson Parks of Miller, class of 1949; Lee Etta Cripps Holmberg and Keith Smulling of Osage City, class of 1951; William Dickson of Council Grove, Rose Schrooten Varner of Topeka and Wanda DeShazer Hodgson of Harveyville, class of 1952.
Families and friends who attended from Kansas were Mark and Nancy Robinson, Sarah, Hannah and Joseph and the Rev. Hansen Bryce of Admire; Robert and Shirley Williams of Allen, Karen Kaniper Boyce of Americus; Don and Janice Reinhardt of Bison; Roy and Jane Lashbrook of Bonner Springs; Cammy Oliver Onek of Cassoday; Velma Dickson of Council Grove; Priscilla Williams Pykiet of Douglas; Beverly Curry, Opal Sager, Curtis and Winona Rhoades, Ted Martin, Wayne Dickson, Diane Blex Mangus, Wanda Pollman, Gene and Jackie Cusic, Russell and Christy Jarvis, Tod and Jill Megredy, Hannah and Sarah, Howard and Eunice Gunkle and Jerry and Joann Stafford, all of Emporia; Raymond Hodgson of Harveyville; Katie Bowden of Hoyt; Pat English of Lawrence; Linda Holmberg Scott, Mary Oliver and Nancy Jones Standiferd of Lebo; Anna Dickson, Adelia Pearson, Josephine Hedberg, Richard and Sarah Porter, Paul and Paula Hedberg all of Miller; James Melgren of Olathe; Helen Louise Leeburg, Pat Smulling, Betty Melgren, Cathy Lieber, Dorothy Chisham, Jim Rudeen, Glenn and Connie Fager, James Thompson, Wally Drevits, Brad and Sherri Pollman, Ronald and Patricia Fredrickson, Bob and Betty Lindbloom and Steven Melgren, all of Osage City; Ann Hoglund of Ottawa; James and Marian Jones and Scott, Ben Price Jr., Gary and Donna Robinson and Carl Briggs, all of Reading; William and Betty Weaverling of Salina; Christopher and Barbara Greek of Shawnee; Willard Dickson, Greg and Sonja Hogland, James and Donna Sanders and Cydney, of Topeka and Vincent Hancock of Wichita.
Attending from out of state were Betty Holmberg of Mesa, Ariz.; Philip and Candy Reed of Kansas City, Mo.; Doris Petersen Holloway and Carl Petersen of New York City and Richard Melgren, Jake and Kevin of Friendswood, Texas.
After the reunion, letters were written to the planning committee, and Anna Ptacek wrote, “What a joy to have a dinner bucket lunch in Miller again! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches plus the other goodies were a real treat.”