WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 0, 1977, PAGE 3 Class of '56 celebrates 2Oth By BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer Many events ocurred during the County Town Carnival weekend this year some of which were in the carnival progran and some not. One of the special events which went largely unnoticed, except by those directly involved, was a 20th anniversary reunion of the Whitby District High School class of 1956. From July 29 to 31, members of the class of '56 and some from '55 and '57 were in Whitby to meet former classmates they had not seen for many years and to reminisce about the 'good old days.' The reunion got its start a year ago, when Fred Archibald, a pilot with American Airlines who lives in Boston, visited Whitby and reunion. Marion Irwin agreed to make the arrangements for the reunion and enlisted the help of two other former classmates, Eleanor Kidd of Whitby and Laura Morrissey of Pickering. Their first job was to find addresses of the members of the class of '56 and a letter was sent to all who could be contacted, in January 1977. A great deal of interest was shown, so a second letter was sent in May, said Mrs. Irwin. Çarnival weekend was seleted as the time for the reunion because there were other events happening in town, and it was a long weekend. The response was very good, said Mrs. Irwin, for 14 of the 23 graduates of '56, three of the 17 special commercial graduates, three -P ýL- 1-- ir CC - A Iý1' dropped in to see two of his of the class on '5ami tu[ former classmates Bill and of '57 attended. lncluding Marion Irwin. spouses and children, there Mr. Archibald wondered were about 80 participants what had happened to the iail. people he went to school Fred Archibald came ah with, and suggested a chass the way frof Boston and Macdonald came from Halifax. Others closer to Whitby, arrived from Ottawa, Dundas, Cambridge, Stouff- ville, Belleville and Toronto. One member of the '56 Brian Gibson, telephoned from California and Mary Lou (Jamieson) Bennett sent a letter from Australia. The reunion began July 29 with an open house at the Irwin residence at 333 St. Lawrence St. About 41 adults and children attended. July 30, after the County Town Carnival parade, a hot dog lunh was served at Red Wing Orchards recreation hall with games for the children. Volleyball games and a relay race were held between the adults and the teen-agers, and the adults won in ail cases, said Mrs. Irwin. The afternoon at the rec- reation hall was followed by a tour of the school, which was known as the Whitby District High School in 1956, and is now Henry Street High School. Twenty years ago it had 300 students and was the only high school in Whitby. Today it has more than 1,000 students and is one of three high schools in the town. That night 42 adults attended a buffet supper at the Whitby Curling Club, where old photographs were on display and each graduate stood up to tell what had happened in his or her life in the past 20 years. Three former teachers, Catherine Burwash, Jim Spears, and Peg Van Duren, attended the supper. s The evening closed with a toast to the future by Fred Archibald, who was respon- sible for the reunion in the place. On July 31, a supper was held at the Red Wing Orchards rec hall, with two more former teachers, John Breckenridge and Omer Edgeley in attendance. The members of the Class of '56 discovered that about 25 percent of their number had entered the teaching pro- fesssion. Of the remainder there were three secretaries, three business executives, two lawy- ers, two nurses, a lab tech- nician, a doctor, an airline pilot, a research scientist for the Canadian government, Bill and Marion (Hare) Irwin had been the only members of the class who married fellow classmates. All the others had married elsewhere. The reunion was such a success, said Mrs. Irwin, that the general consensus was to get together again in five years. Until that time, Mrs. Irwin's immediate dutes are The West Lynde Comm- unity Association's tribute to the hospitals of Whitby was chosen as the float with the best display of originality in the County Town Carnival parade. The Whitby Block Parents Association's float was the most representative of the Whitby Public Library's book worm, the most beautiful was the Whitby Girl Guides entry, and winners of awards for exceptional merit were the Canadian Scottish Club, Oshawa Shriners, and the 5th Whitby Beavers. The best marching group and best band was the Seneca Optimist Drum and Bugle Corps, and the best decorated entry by a child 12 or under was won by Leanne Plazek, 126 Lupin Drive. The judges for the parade were Terry Boyle, President of the Writers Guild of Durham Region, Harry Lott and Les Knight of the Whitby Seniors Activity Centre, and to send out an address list and copies of group photo- graphs taken on the weekend, to everyone who participated. Bert Heaver of the Whitby Theatre Company. A public service group, 'REACT' assisted the parade committee with five vehicles equipped -with citizens band radios to pace the parade and and assist in any emergency. The parade was organized and directed by the Whitby Kinsmen Club under Chair- man Ev DeHart. Other parade entries were the Whitby Brass Band, Whitby Majorettes, Fairview Lodge, Orillia Pipe Band, Carnival Queen and Princess- es, other carnival queen contest participants, Whitby Legion, Brooklin-Whitby Minor Soccer Association, Hyliters Drum and Bugle Corps, Miss Malta, Durham Region YMCA, Rotary Club, Whitby Fire Department. Thomas House of Music, Whitby Kinettes, Krescendos Band, Mississauga Drum and Majorette Corps, Optimist Kawartha. Cavaliers, and Whitby Garden Club. West Lynde C.A. best float i West!