October 31, 2020

The Raytown High Class of 1950 that had 75 graduates has held a reunion every 5 year since graduation. Because of COVID, their 70th reunion had already been postponed once and was in danger of being postponed again or cancelled. It was then that Raytown Educational Foundation offered to serve as the Zoom host so that these friends could continue to reconnect.

The reunion began with greetings from Superintendent Dr. Allen Markley. Howard Bell served as the Master of Ceremonies. The program began with remarks from two members of the class of 1949 followed by a choral rendition of “Those Were the Days” with special lyrics created by Elaine Eiserer. Next the seven members from the class of 1950 shared both memories of their time in the Raytown School District and their lasting friendships. Lastly, the “youngster” of the group from the class of 1961 shared his memories of attending school in Raytown. After two and a half hours of reminiscing, classmates reluctantly signed off.

On a special note, the Raytown High School Class of 1950 has four Raytown Quality Schools Hall of Fame members: Don Spencer, Phillip Greene, John Conway, and Howard Bell.

Conversation Snippets:
“I live far away, but I still feel close to Raytown.”
“I live in Georgia, but I still love Raytown. I have my Santa Fe Trail marker made by my dad and the Blue Ridge Presbyterian Church Boy Scouts hanging on my garden fence.”
“I thank God for every day.”
“I had to transfer my senior year, my life changed, but my heart has never left Raytown.”
“Connecting with you all has brought me back to the people I love.”