Sandusky High School’s Centennial Reunion

The Centennial Reunion of alumni of Sandusky High School was held on May 28, 1955. Tickets to the banquet were sold for $2.00 per person.

Reunion events included a band concert on the Sandusky High School lawn at 4:00, dinner at the Junior High School at 6:15, a program at Strobel Field at 7:45, and a dance at 9 p.m. at the Junior High featuring the fourteen piece band of Jimmy Dulio. During the program at Strobel Field, several special people were introduced to the crowd.

Charles E. Frohman served as the Master of Ceremonies. Principal Wallace Glenwright and Mayor Richard Fuller both gave remarks of welcome. Former school administrators James T. Begg, Frank J. Prout, Karl E. Whinnery, and Wayne C. Blough were introduced. Retired teachers attending the reunion were Miss Lucy Carter, Miss Elsie Denham, Miss Bessie Taylor, Miss Edith Howell, Miss Berta Jackson, and Miss Marie Reiff. Superintendent Carl L. Mackey spoke to the Sandusky High School alumni, and several musical numbers were presented. Harold C. Kaufman directed the A Cappella Choir and led the choir in three songs, including “Halls of Ivy.” The combined band and choir of Sandusky High School performed the Battle Hymn of the Republic. The program ended with a musical benediction sung by the high school A Cappella Choir.

The Sandusky Register Star News of May 28, 1955 contained a special feature devoted to the Centennial Reunion.

A copy of this special edition newspaper is housed at the Sandusk y Library Archives Research Center. Included in the special feature are pictures of graduating classes, a history of the one hundred years of Sandusky High School, and brief biographical sketches of outstanding graduates of Sandusky High School. An article entitled “A Century Stream of Teaching at Sandusky High” began with this paragraph:

Tennyson’s quotation “Men may come and men may go, but I go on forever,” referred to a little flowing brook, might also be applied to the stream of education which has been flowing through Sandusky High School for the past 100 years, and which, from all indications, will flow on indefinitely.

The newspaper issue contained commemorative ads from many businesses, including this advertisement from the Ohio Bell Telephone Company.

Sandusky High School’s A Capella Choir

This is the Sandusky High School A Capella Choir during the 1957-1958 academic year. The A Capella Choir was organized in 1934 by Miss Eulalie Shaw. In 1947 the Choir was heard over a local radio broadcast for the first time, and the Sandusky Rotary Club presented the choir with thirty-seven handbells in 1960.  

The fiftieth annual Christmas concert was presented by the A Capella Choir of Sandusky High School on December 19 and 20, 1983. Over twenty holiday songs were sung at the concert, with the final number being the Hallelujah Chorus from the “Messiah,” which was dedicated to the memory of former choir director Harold C. Kaufman. A special program was created for the Golden Anniversary concert of the Choir was created by Mr. Charles T. Mayer. It featured drawings of the directors of the A Cappella Choir from 1934 to 1983.

This key to the illustrations appears inside the front cover of the program.

A history of the A Capella Choir is found in the 50^th Anniversary program, along with the story of the Sandusky High School choir robe. The first robing ceremony took place in 1953. 

Here is a picture of the first A Capella Choir, from the 1934-1935 school year:

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the rich history of the Sandusky City Schools. Several archival boxes are devoted to graduation programs, photographs, and many other historical items. Concerts by Sandusky City School students in band, choir, and elementary music classes have been enjoyed by local residents for many years.