Libby High School Class of 1961 Reunion

The graduating class of 1961 met recently in Libby to celebrate their 80th birthdays and a “Last Hurrah” joyous reunion.

In attendance from the 89-member class were 27 members of the 52 who still remain.

Class members, along with friends and family, enjoyed reconnecting and reminiscing about how times gone by. The evening's banquet program included a time-out to remember classmates who died too soon.

Phyllis Eide (Minde, Mackey), at 90-years-young, was a source of inspiration to classmates with her words of remembrance.

Phyllis was the class’s seventh and eighth grade music teacher. The class’s sing-along led by Nita and Tony Smith included songs from their junior high days with harmony that could only be enjoyed by the spirited participants. Roe Hatlen led the “Heads or Tails” award competition.

Sharelle Hayden Gehring led the class trivia competition and was honored for her years of service in keeping classmates connected by organizing the class’s many reunions and special events.

As a tangible way to honor the wonderful teachers who made a difference in their lives, the Class of 1961 funded two $1,961 Teacher Appreciation Awards. The awards will be given to two current outstanding Libby teachers, one teacher from the 1st through 6th grade, and one teacher from the 7th through 12th grade.

The Teacher Appreciation Awards from the graduating class of 1961 will be chosen by Libby High School’s current Senior Class. They will be presented by a 1961 class representative in the spring of 2024 at Libby High School’s Annual Award Assembly.

The Libby High School class of 1961 concluded their reunion by challenging other graduating classes of Libby High School to likewise make similar Teacher Appreciation Awards.

For younger classes, they advise that the occasion of their class’s 50th Class Reunion might be an appropriate time to acknowledge the amazing gifts that Libby teachers have given to the Libby students they have educated. For older classes, pick a date meaningful for the respective class.

It is the 1961 class’s hope that their gift will start a Teacher Appreciation Award tradition that other graduating Libby High School classes will follow.