50-year reunion highlights diverse lives of classmates

By CANDACE JONES, Herald Staff Writer

A class of distinction or at least that is what some members of Ottawa High School's class of 1954 say about their peers. It's been 50 years since they walked the halls as students of Ottawa High School, but members of the class of 1954 said their friendships have stood the test of time. "I feel this class stayed together, we never had small cliques and we have always stayed connected," Kay Shaunghne, class member said. Shaunghne said 65 members of the 100-member class made it back for their 50-year reunion this weekend. The class members shared their life-since-high-school stories and how they have made names for themselves in almost every career. "I think the only profession we don't have is a medical doctor," Joe Lee, class member said. One class member's name known on a national level is Gary Hart. He served as a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1975 to 1987 and ran for president in 1984 and 1988. Today, Hart lives in the Denver area and runs an international law firm working with businesses all over the world.  He said despite all of his success he counts maintaining close friendships with his classmates as one of his greatest accomplishments. "We grew up getting to know each other. The show 'Happy Days' that's what growing up in Ottawa was like," Hart said. Francis Hubbard, now in Greeley Colo., said he left Ottawa to get an education, but felt it important to come back to see his high school friends. Hubbard served for 35 years as minister in five churches and 11 years as the superintendent of the Kansas Wesleyan Church.  "It's funny our senior year Gary Hart said he was going to be a minister and I said I was going to be a politician. We sure traded places," Hubbard said. Hubbard wasn't the only senior that year to change his mind about his career path.  Gerald Thompson, now of Grove, Okla., said he has had four careers.  "I started out as a paperboy for the Ottawa Herald," Grove said. "And I remember the 1951 flood when they flew the papers in from Chanute then we would fold them and then do our routes."  Since his days of newspaper delivery Grove has served as an Army Seargent, worked in the trucking industry and now works in the hardware department of Wal-Mart. Shaunghne, now back in Ottawa, also spent time in the military.  She earned the rank of captain in the U.S. Navy working in the medical services. She said she thanks her teachers for challenging her to achieve her dreams.  "It's taken me all over the world," Shaunghne said. Linda (Chism) LeMaster, now in Las Vegas, said she wanted to give back to the education she received at Ottawa.  She went back to school to get her teaching degree and taught at Lincoln Elementary.  "I got to teach at the school that I went to as a kid," LeMaster said. She also was instrumental in starting the elementary libraries at Lincoln and Eugene Field.   Lee said some of the other notable class members are:  Bill Mickey, now in Tulsa, Okla. was general manager of a Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which serves rural communities with electricity. He also worked as an oil company consultant.   John Martin, now in Overland Park, is a nationally known portrait artist painting corporate leaders, clergy and political leaders.   Jack Davis, now in Littleton, Colo., was the Director of Marathon Oil. He was unable to attend the reunion because he broke his leg hunting, Lee said.   "Other class members are nurses, teachers, housewives, business owners and much more," Lee said.  "But we don't look at each others' accomplishments. We look at each other as friends."