The 7th CCHS ALUMNI FLORIDA BRUNCH will be held on March 2, 2008, the first Sunday in March.  The Florida brunch is for alumni of CCHS and residents of Whitley County, Indiana.  Ted Gruver, Founder and President of the CCHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION announced the brunch will be held in even years (every other year), so no brunch is planned for March 2007.

For more information or to update your e-mail address for the CCHS ALUMNI FLORIDA BRUNCH, e-mail Ruth Ann Bowie Davis with a copy to Ted Gruver

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Information on other CCHS alumni news is posted on the CCHSAA web site www.cchsaa.org

The Columbia City High School Class of 1940 held its 65-year reunion on Aug. 19, 2005, at the Eagle's Nest. The theme was “Christmas in August” with favors and caroling. Pictured are those in attendance (with guests).

Front row from left are Pauline (Karst) Perry, Mary Jane (Kneller) Caudill, Mary Alice (Gates) Pugh, Gwendolyn (Barsh) Barsh, Lucille (Fisher) Rondot and Inez (Boggs) Waugh.

Back row from left are Vera (Kneller) Ramsey, Phyllis (Snyder) Spicer, Alberta (Fry) Warrick, Treva (Bump) Sparling, Clarice Mitchell and Richard Ramp.

The Post & Mail September 22, 2005:

 
The Columbia City High School Class of 1955 held its 50-year reunion July 30 at the Eagle's Nest Event Center.

The evening was spent enjoying a lovely dinner and visiting with classmates.

There are 73 of the original 88 class members still surviving.

A moment of silence was observed before dinner for classmates that have passed away. They were a part of the class members' lives and always will be.

Faculty member Roy Kilby and his wife, also attended the gathering.

Classmates attending from out of town were: Shirley (Rosen) Bradley of Churubusco, Charles Bates of Oxnard, Calif., Homer Keifer Jr. of Woodburn, Charles Barnum of Kendallville, William Stidham of Gettysburg, S.D., Robert Crosby of Columbus, Ohio, Tom Jackson of Syracuse, Larry Cramer of Fort Meyers, Fla., Marthene Phend of Ohio, Judy (Langohr) Ebeling of Longmeadow, Mass., Lynn Pequignot of Fort Wayne, Sharon (Zumbrum) Beard of Bella Vista, Ark., Jackie (Barney) Lucas of Syracuse, Arlene (Hearld) Claxton of Vancouver, Wash., Sally (McKinney) Souder of St. Louis, Annabelle (Jenkinson) Washburn of Indianapolis, Lloyd Cramer of Grand Marias, Mich., Nancy Ropp of Decatur, Dar (Smith) Richardson of Fort Wayne, Ruth (Gustafson) Phillips of Dermott, Ark., James Briggs and Mary Ann Poffenberger of Dayton, Ohio, Gene Rodke of Urbana, Ohio. and Shirley (Overholser) Jeffers of Wabash.

Classmates also enjoyed a brunch at Smith's Coach Room on July 31.

William Wilder, 1959 Vocational Agriculture

The Post & Mail, Columbia City, Indiana, Friday, May 21, 1999

Erne, Wilder retiring after total of 57 years in local schools banquet

by Robin R. Plasterer

Together Bill Wilder and Leta Erne have 57 years of teaching at Whitley County Consolidated Schools and in June both will retire.  They were honored at the annual Whitley County Teachers Association retirement banquet.

Wilder began teaching science and vocational agriculture at Union Township.  In 1958, he moved to Columbia City Joint High School where he continued teaching science, vocational agriculture and industrial technology.  At the end of this school year he will have a total of 42 years of service.

Erne began teaching for WCCS in 1984.  She has taught reading, math, sixth and four grades at Jefferson, Marshall and Mary Raber elementary schools.  She completes 15 years of service this year.

Bill Wilder

Dean Warren, agriculture teacher at CCHS, paid tribute to his co-worker and friend.

"Bill was born and raised on a farm near St. Joe in an area known as Coburn's Corner.  The farm was deeded to his great-great-grandfather.  He came from a line of educators, his parents and grandparents taught for a combined 111 years.  Bill's grandfather taught for 45 years and served as a teacher, principal and college professor.

Bill's brother, Bob, graduated from Indiana University with a degree in social studies and is a coordinator at DeKalb High School.  His sister, Mary, graduated from Purdue and served as a consumer educator for REMC and at the Extension office," said Warren.

Wilder is married to Evelyn and they have two children.

He was among 17 students graduating from Spencerville High School in 1952.  Wilder attended Purdue and graduated in 1957 with a degree in agriculture education.  He received his masters degrees in education from St. Francis in 1963 and met the requirements for a director of guidance.

"Upon looking for his first teaching job, two positions were open, one at Coesse and the other at Shipshewana.  Since Coesse was closer he signed a contract for $5,004 for 12 months on the hood of Glenn Burn's 1953 Chevy.  The next year he joined Leon Alter as the second teacher of agriculture at CCJHS.  This was the first two-man agriculture department in the state of Indiana and is still uncommon today.

"Bill served for 25 years as leader of the Indiana Junior Horticulture Association.  He's active in Indiana Agriculture Teachers Association having served as president from 1960-69," said Warren.

"I met Bill in the summer of 1970 when I was taking a graduate course at Purdue and he was there for a summer workshop.  We began working together on Aug. 4, 1970 and we've been together ever since.  I'm sure as he retires he'll enjoy remembering CCHS FFA trips to Louisville, Ky., New Paris, Mississippi and Canada.  I know I'll never forget following Bill, LaVerne Schrader and Junior Studebaker at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour," he said.

"We took several trips to the FFA Center in Canada and I'm sure he'll remember our first trip to Carpenter Lake, Sandy's Sunrise Shores, Rock Lake Cabin, Prairie Bee Lake and the Falls of Carpenter Lake.  I'm sure he'll fondly remember the sorghum crop the FFA planted and harvested it at 11 p.m. to get to the mill at Baker's Corner, only to arrive home around 5 a.m. and teaching at 8 a.m.

"I'm sure Bill can talk of all the changes he's seen in his tenure but I know it's been fun and interesting to work with him for the past 29 years and I wish him well," concluded Warren....