The last hurrah: Beaman High School alums reunite for the final time

When members of the final graduating class at Beaman High School received their diplomas in 1958, most of the current administrators and staff at what’s now BCLUW hadn’t yet been born. But even as the town of under 200 residents endured multiple consolidations in the ensuing decades, the reunions were always can’t miss events, attracting Wildcat alumni from across the country and packing the Beaman Memorial Hall to the brim.
           
As the youngest graduates are now closing in on 80 years of age, organizer Patty (Ashton) Reuter, a 1959 graduate of the first Beaman-Conrad class who now lives in East Moline, Illinois, made the difficult decision to hold the final reunion on Sunday with around 45 guests in attendance. During a subsequent interview, she lamented that back in the 1950s, the reunions would draw upwards of 250 guests, but those days have long since passed as the school itself drifts further into history and more alums die each year—25 of them have passed since the 2014 reunion.
 
The three oldest guests, Doris Colin, Veryl Hammond and Jim Rattray, were all honored with a few lighthearted comments about how young they still feel, and the group enjoyed a meal together before congregating for one final group photo. 
 
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