Welcome Back!: How the Oldest Active High School Alumni Reunions in the Country Began

By Mary Carter
EAGLE TIMES CORRESPONDENT+
CLAREMONT, NH June 8, 2023–This Saturday, June 10th marks the 152nd annual Stevens High School Reunion in Claremont. Festive celebrations will include a parade with marching bands and class-crafted floats, followed by a group luncheon and an evening party with music and dancing.

One hundred and forty-one years ago, H.C. Fay, Editor of The National Eagle, devoted most of page three in his Saturday, July 8th edition to that year’s alumni reunion. Fay opened his comments as follows:

“Among the social events of this season, none have been more successfully carried out than the reunion at the Stevens High School building last Friday evening. Last year, a pleasant reunion was held by some of the graduates, but as a great majority of them failed to respond, the affair proved rather expensive to the getters up. But the ladies this year determined to throw aside the old formalities and embark in a new enterprise, serving refreshments in one of the rooms of the school, followed by literary and musical entertainments in place of the old form of toasts and responses.”

Fay reported that the first event of the evening was a business meeting called to order with President Miss M.E. Partridge presiding. Edward D. Reardon made a motion that the old organization be abandoned and a new one created, each alumnus being “considered a member until unwillingness was shown by not paying the usual fee.”

The motion carried. A committee was formed to draft a constitution and by-laws for the new alumni organization. Reardon was nominated president with Lilla D. Ide as vice president. It should be noted that Reardon and Ide became teachers at Stevens High, along with Evelyn Tolles who served on the committee. Another devoted committee member, Cora Stowell, was the daughter of entrepreneur George Stowell. Cora went on to study at the New England Conservatory of Music before marrying George Putnam, editor of The Claremont Advocate.

After the meeting, a quartet performed, headed by ‘musical professor’ Francis F. Haskill. Letters from absent members were read aloud. Professor Bingham, now teaching in Iowa, began his salute by stating: “Eighteen or so years before, Claremont knew it needed a school to prepare young people to act wisely in the great drama of life.”

The first graduating class of twelve received their diplomas on June 22nd, 1871. Miss Alice Bailey was, alphabetically, Steven’s first alumnus. Of the 23 teachers involved with Stevens since its opening, the 1882 alumni reunion honored the passing of one. Of the 122 students who had graduated by that same year, three had died.

The prayers, honors and formalities done, supper was served by underclassmen in ‘Room No. 2’ of Stevens, followed by dancing until “after midnight.” Some delights never change. From all of us at the Eagle Times, heartfelt cheers to this years’ Stevens High School alumni!