Mars Class of '49 plans what could be last reunion
It could be that time has finally caught up with the Mars High School Class of 1949.
The class is planning its 70th reunion for noon Saturday at the Springfield Grill, 7001 Crider Road, Mars.
And for the event's organizer, Elaine Brown, 87, of Valencia, this could be the very last time the classmates get together. Any future meetings could be derailed by the effects of age and lack of interest.
“All of us are around 88 years of age now,” said Brown.
“There are so many in my class now that can't attend because they are in wheelchairs or they are bedridden. It is really sad. This might be the last one we have,” she said.
Also getting people to commit “is like pulling teeth,” she said.
Brown has been the organizer of the class reunions since the two original organizers died, said classmate Charles Norton, 88, of Mars, former president of Mars Bank and former vice president of the Class of 1949.
“They were in charge for 25 years, and then they passed away and everything fell on my shoulders,” she said.
She suspects it was because being a secretary for her late husband's trucking company, William J. Brown Trucking of Valencia, gave her expertise with typewriters and computers.
“A lot of them fell out of the loop,” she said of her fellow Mars graduates. “They don't know how to use the iPhone or the iPad like their grandkids.”
“We worked together. She did the bulk of the work,” said Norton on this year's reunion.
“As vice president of the class I have been on the organizing committee. It was pretty big, but it's been whittled down,” he said by attrition. “Most of us are in the 88 to 89 year range,” said Norton.
Other members on the committee, Brown said, include Jeanne Humes Utz.
“I believe she had a picnic at her house for our very first reunion,” said Brown. “But we can't recall what year that was — the early 1950s I am sure.“We have had several picnics at her home since that time and she has always been on our reunion committee,” said Brown.“Also, the other two committee members this year are Carol Staley Nomides and Margie Cook Kennedy,” she said. “We have had many more over the years who are gone.”Or maybe it's age that makes so many of her contemporaries hard to pin down on reservations and RSVPs, said Brown.“It's just been aggravating,” she said. “I think we only had about 90 in the class, and we've lost track of quite a few of them over the years.“In 2018, we discovered that five or six had passed away,” she said.“A lot of them are scattered,” Brown said. “The ones we have coming, we have 26 of them, some of them with their children.“One class member is flying in from Montana, and another from Georgia. One of our members is blind and his daughter is coming with him from Illinois. They were at our reunion last year also.”The place and the time of the reunion are also concessions to the age of the class.“We have it at the Springfield Grill because for those with walkers and canes, it is easy to get into,” she said.“We have it at noon because many of them can't drive at night anymore,” Brown added.Still, both Norton and Brown look forward to catching up with fellow members of the Class of 1949.“It was a long time ago, but I remember I was in the National Honor Society,” said Brown.“I was pretty active in different things, particularly music,” said Norton. “And the class was small so we knew everybody.”That class is getting a little smaller with each passing year.Still, Brown has hopes for the future for the attendance at reunions of other, later classes.Brown said, “I might mention that all three of my children and 12 grandchildren graduated from Mars High School also.”
WHAT: Mars High School Class of 1949 70th class reunionWHEN: Noon SaturdayWHERE: Springfield Grill, 7001 Crider Road, MarsCONTACT: Organizer Elaine Brown can be reached via email at redcon@aol.com or by phone at 724-584-5901
