Powell is just a day away from the 110th all class reunion weekend and while there’s plenty of activities everyone can enjoy, Powell High School’s various graduating classes will also be breaking off on their own.

Reuniting after 50 years

The class of 1975, which will be celebrating the big five-o as they gather at the Heart Mountain Clubhouse starting at 5 p.m. Dinner will be at 6 p.m. with music going from 8-10:30 p.m. An expected 65 classmates and 41 spouses will be in attendance out of a graduating class of 150, class member Terry Schleich said. The class has a number of things planned to remember their time as Powell High School students, including meeting former teachers. A handful of the living teachers have been invited and will receive appreciation gifts and a free meal for the night, Schleich said. 

“They’re fun teachers, so this will be a hoot, having them here,” Schleich said. She had run into a former teacher at the grocery store and it occurred to her several still live in town; every teacher who was invited will be coming to celebrate with the class of 1975. 

Aside from the teacher and student portion, the class of 1975 will also take a moment to remember the 29 classmates who are no longer with them. Other than that, “there’s just going to be a lot of visiting, a lot of memories, a lot of stories. I’m sure somebody’s going to be drinking beer, it’s going to be a good group. We were a fun class and we could always find fun anywhere,” Schleich said. 

Saturday morning there will be an early morning walk around town before attending the celebration of life for classmate Ben Davila who died last year. Davila will also receive a musical tribute at 7 p.m. during the all-class event at the Park County Fairgrounds. 

“Everybody's had their trials and tribulations, and it'll just be a great night to come together and be able to spend one more day together,” Schleich said. “It ought to be fun.”

Seven decades
of yearly reunions

The class of 1949 will be breaking the mold and meeting at noon on Saturday in the office and rec room area of The Surrey. This year, four classmates and three widows will be in attendance. The class graduated with a total of 74 students, class member Donna Brasher said. Now, the class is down to nine alumni — six live in the Powell area and the other three live in California, Montana and North Carolina. 

Recently, Brasher found out a classmate, Harold Miller, who has since died was a distinguished professor at the University of Minnesota where he was the university’s longest serving dean at 27 years at the College of Continuing and Professional Studies. 

It made her proud that someone who got his schooling in Powell went on to become well known at the University of Minnesota, Brasher said. 

“I think they're maybe hoping there'll be enough of us to do it again next year,” Brasher said. “And I was thinking that, well, we're getting up there. This is probably the last one. But who knows that? We're a pretty strong family of classmates, and we may be doing that next year.”