SIDNEY — The Sidney High School class of 1949 recently met for lunch at the American Legion hall here to celebrate the 68th year since their graduation.

The reunion committee were Jinny Shreves, Phyllis Piper, Patsy Maxwell and Norma Schlagetter. Of the original 117 class members, 61 are now deceased.

John Laws was commended for being named the Shelby County Senior Citizen of the Year. He led the group in prayer. It was announced that the two, $1,000, Class of 1949 scholarships were awarded this year to Sidney High School graduates Brandon M. White, who plans to attend Edison State Community College, and Kelsey Rossman, a student at Heidelberg University.

Notes from classmates who could not attend the luncheon were read.

In June 1949, the students had walked from the high school on North Street to the Ohio Theater for their commencement ceremony. It was the first year that graduation exercises were not in the school auditorium, and the decision to move to a larger venue was controversial.

Enjoying the reunion were class members and their spouses, John and Edna May Laws, Tom and Norma (Wells) Schlagetter, Dick and Phyllis Carey, Tom and Mivi Given, Ronnie and June Laughlin, Jean (Cox) Barhorst, Roy Bulle, Phil Ruese, Lois (Sullenberger) Schmidt, Jean (Hance) Verdier, Patsy (Sargeant) Maxwell, Jinny (Moon) Shreves, and Phyllis (Weissinger) Piper, all of Sidney; Bernard and Phyllis (Clayton) Clinehens, of Maplewood; Wilbur Molitor, of Russell’s Point; Ron and Shirley 9Lee) Stump, of Dayton; Herb and Ada Fogt, of Troy; Ruth (Dickhaut) Hartzell, of Cincinnati; Wayne Davis and his daughter, Martha Davis, of Powell; and Charles and Carol (Monger) Weidner, of Houston. Also attending was Brenda Ryan, of Cincinnati.

The class will meet again, July 19, 2018, in the American Legion hall in Sidney.