Vashon High School class of 1957 celebrates 60th reunion

By MADELINE PUZ For The Beachcomber • August 29, 2017 1:30 am
Top: VHS class of 1957 students who attended Vashon Elementary: Katherine Schenkle, Dennis McCormick, Marlene Ahlquist Simon and Charles Larsen. Bottom: VHS class of 1957 students who attended Burton Elementary: Sandra Hull O’Reilly, Donna Singer Berglund, Helen Reilly Brink, Virginia Swift, Laura Mae Smith Wojciechowski, Karen Faas Wheeler, Robert Hutchinson, Madeline Puz, Mike Bramer, Roger Stanley and Amos Hall. (Courtesy Photos)
Top: VHS class of 1957 students who attended Vashon Elementary: Katherine Schenkle, Dennis McCormick, Marlene Ahlquist Simon and Charles Larsen. Bottom: VHS class of 1957 students who attended Burton Elementary: Sandra Hull O’Reilly, Donna Singer Berglund, Helen Reilly Brink, Virginia Swift, Laura Mae Smith Wojciechowski, Karen Faas Wheeler, Robert Hutchinson, Madeline Puz, Mike Bramer, Roger Stanley and Amos Hall. (Courtesy Photos)

As befitting any class reunion, memorabilia was on display at the Vashon Eagles on Saturday, Aug. 12. A grainy photo from the Tacoma News Tribune of class members on the front lawn at the old brick Vashon High School announced the graduating class of 1957. Forty-four students were listed as graduating that year.

In a time when many high school classes have held only a handful of reunions, the Vashon High School Class of 57 just held its 12th reunion. In 1962, five years after graduation, class president Tim Stenek sent out invitations for a reunion at his home. He and his wife, fellow classmate Linda Lewis Stenek, hosted the informal gathering.

“Should we hold a class reunion once every five years?” Stenek asked the attendees that year. “Yes,” they responded. And so they have, never missing one.

In 2002, Stenek died in a work-related accident, but the class reunions did not die with him. Islanders Virginia Swift, Karen Faas Wheeler, Laura Mae Wojciechowski and Roger Stanley, who had assisted the Steneks with the previous reunions, took over after his death and have been the “non-committee committee” ever since.

Many of the events have been held at island locations from the South End Community Club to the Vashon Golf and Country Club and the Vashon Yacht Club. Only twice has a reunion been held off-island, and that elicited some grumbling, so even though many class members now live off-island, they are happy to return to their roots like they did earlier this month.

Eleven classmates have died in the intervening years, but 21 classmates were able to attend this month, some bringing spouses or other guests.

Photos were taken and, in a tradition that the Vashon Maury Island Heritage Association would appreciate, first the Vashon kids were posed for their photo and then the Burton kids. When they attended grade school, the Vashon kids went to the Vashon grade school north of town, while the Burton kids were at the school that overlooked Judd Creek. The class of ’57 has good-naturedly continued that long-ago school rivalry.

Photos will be taken and ribbings exchanged at the next reunion in 2022 to celebrate 65 years since graduating. No doubt the Class of ’57 will continue its tradition.

— Madeline Puz is a member of the Vashon High School class of 1957.