Class of '68 remembers, 50 years later
The Humboldt class of 1968 visited the site of the victory bell on the school campus this past summer. The class used funds to purchase the original bell, which was in use until it broke last spring. They purchased a commemorative plaque for the bell and Char Westphal purchased a "new" bell in memory of her late husband and former Wildcat coach, John Westphal. Photo courtesy of Michael “Mick” Hendrickson.
50 years later, 38 members of the class of 1968 and their spouses returned to Humboldt this past summer to attend their 50th high school class reunion and take a tour of their old school.
The Humboldt High School class of 1968 was small in number, 111 students, compared to considerably larger classes before and after. It was the second class to graduate from what some older people to this day call the new high school on Wildcat Road. Twelve members of the graduating class are deceased.
The high school at that time was just three grades, as the ninth graders attended classes at the middle school.
The class of 1968 was the first in Humboldt School history to hoist a state championship trophy, as the 1968 Humboldt Wildcat wrestling team captured the Class A team title. Student Council President Dan Sanders was one of the top milers in the state and signed a national letter with Drake University to run track.
Three of the class members had close associations to the school administration and faculty. Kathy Cram’s father, Del, was the high school principal, and Deede Rank’s mother, Helen, was the high school English teacher. Linda Maach’s father, Mason, was a high school teacher and coach.
“Humboldt was a great place to grow up. A lot of us moved away but there is something that always brings us back. The great thing is, that everyone stays the same pretty much,” Tom Swearingen, the class president remarked. To see more photos and read more about the class of '68, see this week's Humboldt Independent, the official newspaper of Humboldt County. Get your subscription by clicking on the link above.
