By CHUCK OFFENBURGER

SHENANDOAH, Iowa, Oct. 4, 2025 — If you’re lucky enough to be alive when your high school graduating class has a 60-year reunion, you by golly ought to celebrate.

We, of the Shenandoah High School Class of 1965, the largest ever to graduate here, did just that last weekend. We gathered back home in the southwest Iowa town that launched us, and still seems not only to tolerate us, but even love us.

As our class float, carrying about 30 of us, moved in front of the reviewing stand in the Shenfest parade Saturday afternoon, the parade announcer John Murren said, “And here is the Shenandoah High Class of 1965 — the biggest and best!”

I turned to my classmate Marv Belknap, riding next to me on the float, and said, “Oh my! We’ve been saying that for so long, people here are believing us!”

The Class of 1965 — well, some of us — at the 60-year reunion. (Photos by Mary Riche)

Here’s the truth: There were 147 of us who graduated in the ’65 class. We were the first wave of the Baby Boomers, so there were a lot of us. Six decades later, most SHS graduating classes have about 70.

As you can imagine, with all our bragging over the decades about being “the biggest and best,” some questioned us. In fact, about 10 years ago, John Greenleaf — who has become the new Spike Spargur as Shenandoah’s unofficial historian (after Spike’s death) — started wondering. He contacted his Class of ’77 classmate Connie McGinnis, then the secretary for the SHS Activities Department, and asked her to do some checking on the validity of our claim.

“As I recall, Connie reported back that your ’65 class is in fact the biggest,” Greenleaf said. “My memory is that there is one student difference between your class and the Class of 1978.”

My own recollection is that I was so happy after receiving Connie McGinnis’ report that I nominated her as an Honorary Member of the Class of ’65!

We had another grand reunion last weekend — 34 classmates and 18 spouses or other family members. Classmate Ed Crain came the farthest, from Walla Walla, Washington, “the town so nice they named it twice,” he told us.

We paused for homage to the 47 classmates now deceased.

Our memory board of deceased classmates, missing Jim Henshaw and Stephanie Kempton.

We were thrilled that two of our faculty members from long ago attended our Saturday night banquet — Elinor Sharp, who taught a half-dozen of our classmates in our elementary school years, and Keith Meyer, who taught and coached us in our junior high and high school years.

As emcee that evening, I noted that Miss Sharp is now 98 years old and thus the oldest person at our reunion. And the youngest there was Katelyn McQuerry, 29, of Wichita Falls, Texas, the granddaughter of our classmate Bob Mobley, who also lives in that Texas city. (We classmates made Katelyn and my wife Mary Riche official photographers for the reunion.)

So I asked Elinor and Katelyn to tell our class what they think of us, we 78- or 79-year-olds, and if they had any advice for us.

“Yes, I can give you some good advice,” said Miss Sharp, 20 years our senior. “Keep doing what you are doing right now — which is getting together, visiting each other, talking to other people, staying involved in your communities. And, people always seem to want to know how I’ve lived so long, so I can tell you one of my secrets — I eat a bowl of Cheerios every morning.”

Then I turned to Katelyn McQuerry, 50 years our junior. “Ditto what she said,” she began, referring to Miss Sharp’s advice to keep getting together, visiting people and staying involved. And how do we Class of ’65 members seem to someone of her age, including, of course, her grandpa. “Wellllllllll,” she said, “you do seem pretty old. But I will add this — I’ve had a good time being here with you all.”

I also called each of the classmates present to come to the microphone, introduce any guests with them, and give us a verbal snapshot of their careers and lives.

The part of that we will all remember is that classmate Gary Wright, now of Prescott Valley, Arizona, told us he spent “most of my career in the meat industry,” including with Oscar Mayer, “and that means I got to drive the Wienermobile.”

Chuck Offenburger and Gary Wright. Notice Gary’s recycled 50-year reunion T-shirt, made into a 60-year reunion T-shirt.

Later, Wright told me his Wienermobile experience was back in about 1979.

“I was with Oscar Mayer and the Wienermobile was introduced to the market for store promotions, parades and all that,” he said. “I believe they shipped the first one to Los Angeles where I was working. My boss and I got to drive it around and draw a lot of attention. I do want everybody to understand I wasn’t a fultime Wienermoble driver, but did get to drive it back then. Recently, I read that Oscar Mayer replaced the Wienermobiles with six new ones. I’d like to drive one again now, but I am too old.”

At the reunion banquet, Wright was both eloquent and emotional when he went on to thank our classmates for pushing each other to learn, compete and excel in academics as well as activities. “There were so many of us, we had to learn to do our best all the time,” he recalled.

I tried to build on that in my closing remarks.

I recalled that “our teachers, coaches, directors and other mentors loved us as much as we loved them — most of the time,” I said. “We came through the Shenandoah schools at a special time of growth, prosperity and public commitment to education, K-12 and beyond.

“There were so many of us that every time we started a new level of school, they had to build new ones to hold us all. Our teachers, our parents, all the others, did so much for us, and we all now understand that. Our education gave us our careers, which have taken us all over the nation and around the world.

“And that’s why I am eternally grateful for where I came from. I hope you are, too.”

A whole lot of SHS memorabilia in the Depot Deli, where we had a breakfast Sunday morning.

I was asked about my gratitude earlier Saturday.

Moments before the Shenfest parade that afternoon, and I was feeling all the good feels of being home again.

Right then, Mike Peterson, the veteran news director of radio station KMA, put me on camera and a microphone. “Chuck, you’ve done a lot, seen a lot,” he began. “How does coming back to your hometown for your class reunion, and to be at this Shenfest celebration, and to see this parade again — how does all that measure up for you?”

Did I really answer him with what follows here? Yes, I did.

“Mike, at this time one week ago today, my wife Mary and I were in Milan, Italy, standing in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting ‘The Last Supper’,” I said. “To me, being here at home today is on the same level as that.”

I not only said it. I believe it.

Now, let me close with one other semi-religious vignette.

Right after I finished talking to newsman Peterson, I turned around and saw Rev. Jason Lee, the new young priest at my old home parish, St. Mary’s of Shenandoah, striding toward the KMA float to congratulate the radio folks on their station’s 100th anniversary. The station’s owners and a couple dozen current and former employees were grand marshals of the parade.

Father Lee, in his first pastorate, was wearing the priestly black trousers, black short sleeve shirt with a Roman collar — and a gleaming Shenandoah High ball cap in school colors of maroon and white.

“Father Lee,” I said after introducing myself as a former member of his flock, “it’s great to see you wearing that Shenandoah ball cap!”

He tipped it and said, “First thing I bought when I got to town.”

Amen.

 

Still writing, too.

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You can comment on this column below or write the columnist directly by email at chuck@offenburger.com.

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BELOW HERE ARE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE CLASS OF 1965 REUNION.

Decorating the class float on Friday night.

In the parade.

Another parade photo, with the SHS Marching Band leading the way.

Another class photo — this one outside The Sanctuary, where we had the reunion banquet Saturday night.

Signing in at the banquet — and watching a football game online, too.

In Shenandoah, we always remember the Everly Brothers, as you can see in this entry in the Shenfest parade.

 

Donuts downtown on Saturday morning.  Left to right, Jane and Gary Connell of Shenandoah, Dennis and Marilyn Castle of Lake Mills, Iowa,, and Marv Belknap, of Shenandoah.

 

Bob Longman, now of Sidney, enjoys a story in a group of classmates.

 

 

One gathering spot for our class is always the downtown bench we donated years ago.

 

 

Classmates Connie Burrichter Feyerherm, now of Council Bluffs, and Pam Book Belknap, of Shenandoah, found among the Depot Deli’s SHS memorabilia a photo of them as cheerleaders in our junior year of high school.

 

 

Doug Poland, an old Mustang now living in Winterset.

 

 

David Crawford, now of Villisca, and Gary Whitehill, now of Marion, in a chat on the class bench.

 

Classmates still in Shenandoah include Terry Castle (left) and Bruce Ketcham — and note Ketcham has had his face painted for the Shenfest parade.

 

 

Joellen Roberts Roffman, now of Iowa City, and Janet James Coudurier, now of Truckee, California.

 

Mary Ann O’Hara, now of New Orleans and Denver.

 

 

Connie Burrichter Feyerherm, now of Council Bluffs, Kathy Lorimor Ackerburg, of Esssex, and Sara Ketcham, of  Shenandoah.

 

 

Bob Longman (standing), now of Sidney, in a breakfast chat with Bruce Ketcham (left) of Shenandoah and Joellen Roberts Roffman of Iowa City.

 

 

 

Marv Belknap, of Shenandoah, was the donut man Saturday morning when classmates gathered around the class bench downtown.