Submitted by Al Delander, Woodville Class of ‘54
WOODVILLE, WI – The Woodville High School Class of 1954 recently met to host their 70th Class Reunion at the Phoenix Grill & Event Center, in Baldwin, Wisconsin. There were seven of the eight remaining Woodville High School graduates of the Class of 1954 who enjoyed getting together again in Baldwin for lunch. Here are the class members names from the 1954 yearbook, Chris Wangen, Walter Olson, Mavis Kalkbrenner, Carol Grinley, Janis Norvald, Kathryn Lund, and Al Delander. Marlys Legge who now lives in Minnesota, was unable to join us for this 70th reunion at the Phoenix.
The total number of graduates from Woodville High School in 1954 was 25.
After our 50th Reunion we tried to get together every two years. As our numbers have dwindled, we agreed about four or five years ago to start getting together every year now.
Woodville High School was merged with Baldwin in the early 1960’s.
70 years ago, 1954 was an interesting year with some of these many significant events per Google AI, including:
- Civil rights: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
- Cold War: The US and the Soviet Union were engaged in a global rivalry.
- Vietnam War: The First Indochina War ended, and the states of North and South Vietnam were formed.
- Polio vaccine: The first mass vaccination of children against polio took place in Pittsburgh.
- Social Security: President Eisenhower signed the Social Security Bill into law.
- Nuclear submarine: The US Navy commissioned the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine.
- Ellis Island: The main immigration port of entry in New York Harbor closed.
- Oral contraceptives: The first clinical trials of oral contraceptives began at Boston Lying-In Hospital.
- The Lord of the Rings: The three-volume publication of The Lord of the Rings took place.
