MENTONE – The Mentone High School Alumni Association celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Mentone High School Class of 1974, the last class to graduate from the high school, with an open house Saturday.
The open house was held during the last day of the Mentone Egg Festival.
Alice Keirn, president of the Mentone Alumni Association, said that in previous years the association held a banquet, but wanted to do something different to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the last graduating class. The association hopes to continue with the banquets in the future.
During the open house, there were nine classes that had their own tables where things like yearbooks were displayed. Also, there was a display of all the basketball teams from MHS that won or went to sectionals and regionals. MHS won regional in the 1930s. Out in the hall, before getting in the gym, all the graduates from the 1880s to 1974 were listed.
Keirn said she hopes people attending the open house would be able to see some displays they wouldn’t normally be able to see otherwise.
She said one of the questions she received was in regards to Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation becoming a school corporation. She said some people think of 1975 as the first graduating class. However, Keirn said the school corporation was made in the 1960s, but there were two high schools.
Another question Keirn received was about Mentone’s colors. Mentone’s colors were black and orange until 1937, when it was changed to green and white.
Keirn said she’s been hearing a lot of people talk about memories they had about the school during the open house.
Class of 1974 alumni Jerry Hudson said he thought it was really great the open house was being held.

    Shown is one of the displays at the open house Saturday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union
  

“This year is kind of unique for us in that it’s 50 years for the last class. To be part of that class, I always joked with the kids that were upperclassmen. I always said, ‘You all tried to close it down, but we did.’ I mean it’s kind of special. Tippecanoe Valley has been here a long time, but this is still, this is where we experienced it all,” said Hudson, who is also on the Alumni Association. “It’s kind of special being the last class.”
Hudson said the gym is the only thing that is left of the high school and the time the freshman could get the basketball court for practice was at 6 a.m. So there’s songs that come on the radio he’d listen to while walking to practice at 5:30 or 5:45 a.m. He said MHS was a great place to go to school and wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Another ‘74 alumni, John Hart, said he thinks the open house was great and got to see a lot of the classmates that showed up.
The memory Hart shared was he was in band throughout junior high school and high school. During basketball games, they’d marched during half time and they’d run out on the gym floor and do a performance. They did a performance every basketball game and it was very challenging to learn different steps, but it was very enjoyable. During the summer, the band went and marched in different parades.
The event had a few sponsors, which included Creighton Brothers, Hartzler Funeral Home, Ace Hardware, Bourbon Pizza and the Mentone Chamber of Commerce.
Keirn said any funds not used for the open house will be used for things like putting money on lunch accounts for students who don’t have money, Boomerang Backpacks and special events.