Submitted by Donna Blegen, SVHS Class of ‘59
SPRING VALLEY, WI — The Spring Valley High School (SVHS) Class of 1959 held their 65th reunion at Kindred Table Restaurant in downtown Spring Valley on Thursday, August 1, 2024. There was lots of reminiscing about the fact that Thompson’s Cafe was in that same building when we were in high school. It was one of our favorite hangouts back in the 50’s.
1959 was an interesting year, according to Wikipedia. “On January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. January 3 – Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state. February 3 – A chartered plane transporting musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper with pilot Roger Peterson goes down in foggy conditions near Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all four on board. The tragedy is later termed “The Day the Music Died.” March 18 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Hawaii Admission Act, granting statehood to Hawaii.” As the Class of ’59 is graduating, “May 28 – Jupiter AM-18 rocket launches two primates, Miss Baker and Miss Able, into space from Cape Canaveral in the United States along with living microorganisms and plant seeds. Successful recovery makes them the first living beings to return safely to Earth after space flight.” 1959 was a good year!
There were 54 Spring Valley High School graduates back in 1959, with 24 of us still surviving. Thirteen of the 24 attended the reunion, along with several spouses. Attendees included our valedictorian Wayne Hendrickson of New York, New York and salutatorian Mavis Youngren of Lake City, Minnesota. Wayne entertained us with stories about his memories of life at SVHS. Mavis kept us laughing with jokes during her “sit down comedy” routine.
While missing the many who have passed away and those who were not able to attend, it was good to be together again sharing our memories and catching up on our lives as octogenarians!
