Back Row L to R:
Angie Beckmann Sweet, Darren
Grauerholz, Brian Fink,
DeeDee Krein Coppoc
Class of 1998
L to R: Justin Bearley,
Josh Levin, Dustin Dibble
Brian Fink of the Class of 1988
welcomed the 186 guests at the
Kensington High School Alumni
Banquet Saturday evening held at the
Kensington Legion Hall. Senator
Janis Lee gave the invocation before
the dinner that was prepared by
Legion and Auxiliary members was
served. The Thunder Ridge Dance
Team assisted with the serving. The
Hall was festively decorated with
Goldbug banners, trophies, and
memorabilia.
The program opened with reciting the
Pledge of Allegiance. Honor classes
ending in "eight" were introduced,
and the roll call of
remaining classes followed. Ted
Levin of Kensington, Class of 1938,
was the oldest graduate present.
Special recognition was given to J.S.
Wagner and his wife Betty. Mr.
Wagner was Superintendent of
USD-238, Kensington for 32 years. A
power-point presentation that was
prepared by Lynn Taylor, husband of
Gina (Arment) Taylor, Class of 1988,
of Lenexa.
At the short business meeting, Bev
Grauerholz and Ron Rahjes spoke of
the need for future storage and
display of the many trophies and
banners of the Goldbug era that is
necessary because of the
consolidation of the Kensington and
Eastern Heights school
districts into the Thunder Ridge
Schools. They solicited ideas from
the assembly to be written on cards.
The banquet concluded with the
singing of the School Song.
The following list of those present
for the banquet listed by classes
(not including spouses) were
prepared by Gina (Arment)
Taylor. Class of 1938--Ted Levin,
Kensington; Class of 1941--Lois (Schoeni)
Hrabe and Ruth (Sawyer) Wolf, both
of Kensington; Class of 1942--Thelma
(Vibber) Mahlman, Smith Center;
Class of 1945--Dolores (Kilmer)
Beckman, Denver; Class of
1946--Eulonda (Dettmer) Hagman
and Evelyn (Grauerholz) Levin, both
of Kensington; Class of 1948--Ruth
(Smith) Levin and Juanita (Wangerin)
Reneberg, both of Kensington, Don
Schoeni, Grover, OK, Twila (Vibber)
Metcalf, McKinney, TX;
Class of 1949--Darlene (Leitner)
Pierce, Howard Grauerholz,
Kensington; Class of 1951--Eulagene
(Kilmer) Wathen, Denver, Duane
Smith, Kensington; Class of
1953--Joanne (Strohmeier) Miller,
Phillipsburg, Stan Billings,
Kensington; Class of 1954--Kay
(Davis) Burns and Larry Burns,
Phillipsburg; Emory Lentz, San
Marcos, CA, Leeann (Smith) Smith,
Kensington; Class of 1955--Carolyn (Gemaehlich)
Billings; Class of 1956--Ken Ratliff
and Janice (Billings) Ratliff, both
of Kensington; Class of 1957--Max
Currey, Kensington, Terry Schoeni,
Overland Park, Leora (Grauerholz)
Smith, Salina;
Class of 1958--Linda Beach, Omaha, Juneil
(Thomm) McQueen, Liberal, Jim
Schalansky, Topeka, Bob Stockton,
Darold Grauerholz, Joyce (Mann)
Grauerholz and Lucinda Migalski, all
of Kensington; Class of 1959--Sig
Seeman, Lakewood, CO, Bethie (Watts)
Smith, Smith Center, Carolyn
(Freeman) Williams, Alton; Class of
1961--Shirley (Grauerholz) Smith,
Wichita; Class of 1962--Jan (Schoeni)
Zeigler, Superior, NE, Sharilyn (Struckhoff)
Currey, Kensington; Class of
1963--Margaret (Freeman) Beckman,
Independence, KS, Arden Schoeni,
Arlington, TX, Janis (Ferguson) Lee,
Kensington;
Class of 1964--Irene and Ijean
Hilbrink, Smith Center, Melinda (Hrabe)
Mazzarella, Colorado Springs, Sonja
Seeman, Wichita, Cheryl (Fiene)
Synoground, Smith Center, Donald
(Doc) Grauerholz and Donna (Norden)
Westbrook, Kensington; Class of
1965--Linda (Norden) Scheer,
Leavenworth, Curtis Beach and Bev (Wehe)
Grauerholz, Kensington; Class of
1966--Jerry Knight, Loveland, CO,
Mary (Freeman)) Arment, Athol, Otto
(Bill) Levin, Kensington; Class of
1967--Terry Knight, North Platte,
NE, Richard Synoground, Smith
Center, Steve Miller, Agra, Mary
(Beckman) Beach and Steve Rice, both
of Kensington;
Class of 1968--Mike Clarke, St.
George, Tharran Gaines, Savannah,
MO, David Hrabe, Tempe, AZ, Kent
Lambert, Salina, Ed Norden, Canon
City, CO, Julie (Mankhey) Parsons,
Franklin, NE, Gloria (Beckman)
Sumner, Denver, CO, Ken Kuhlmann,
Samatra, MT, Joel Wagner, South
Hutchinson, Paul Bienhoff, Jeanne (Wangerin)
Bogart and Junior Hagman, all of
Kensington; Class of 1969--Garen
Kuhlmann, Smith Center, Milton
Detwiler, Athol, Marty Sweat,
Kearney, NE, Rob Bogart, Mark
Migalski, and Ron Rahjes, all of
Kensington; Class of 1970--JoAnn
(Gaines) Rice, Kensington;
Class of 1971--Paul Anderson, Omaha,
NE; Beverly (Wolf) Mills, Bonner
Springs, Carolyn (Vohs) Johnson,
Gaylord, Dean Panter, Athol, Kathy (Grauerholz)
Scobee, Wichita; Class of
1972--Lynette (Beach) Sprague, Alta
Visa; Class of 1973--Grace (Grauerholz)
Hainke, Kensington, Glenda (Gemaehlich)
Sturtevant, Milford, NE, Kent
Williams, Peabody; Class of
1974--Pat Clarke, Cheyenne, WY;
Class of 1975--Melva (Stutheit)
McDowell, Wichita; Class of
1977--Cheryl (Schoeni) Gibbs,
Overland Park, Beth (Wolf) Burns,
Kensington; Class of 1978--Scott
Horsfall, Hays, Karen (Brunow)
Panter, Athol, Linda (Billings)
Robinson, Smith Center, Rod Stutheit,
Overland Park, Ruth Ann (Attebury)
Williams, Peabody;
Class of 1981--Julie Grauerholz,
Hays; Class of 1982--Charlene (Fink)
Smith, Athol; Class of 1983--Kevin
Smith, Athol; Class of 1984-- Phil
Horsfall, Great Bend, Todd Kirchhoff,
Athol, Bobbi (Detwiler) Struckhoff,
Kensington; Class of 1985--Chris (Grauerholz)
Kirchhoff, Athol; Class of
1986--Kindra (Rust) Hrabe,
Kensington; Class of 1987--Kristi (Grauerholz)
Rothchild, Smith Center and Joel
Hrabe, Kensington, Class of
1988--Brian Fink, Beloit, Jamie (Dreiling)
Jackson, Salina, Tina (Ratliff)
Larison, Stamford, NE, Angela
(Beckmann) Sweet, Abilene, Gina (Arment)
Taylor, Lenexa, DeeDee (Krein)
Coppoc, Concordia, Dianna (Gemaelich)
Christensen, Phillipsburg, Darren
Grauerholz, Kensington; Class of
1989--Kathi (Osthoff) Boden, Smith
Center; Class of 1990--Jason Dibble,
Phillipsburg;
Class of 1991-Stephanie Arment,
Kansas City, Byron Graerholz,
Salina; Class of 1993--Bobby Bearley,
Minden, IA; Class of 1994--Crystal
Bearley, San Marcus, TX; Class of
1998--Justin Bearley, Cheney, Dustin
Dibble, Bonner Springs, Josh Levin,
Shawnee. Matthew Sidman, Kensington;
Class of 2004--Dena Panter, Athol;
Class of 2006--Joseph Burns,
Kensington; Class of 2008--Nolan
Burns.
Members of the CLASS OF 1958
gathered at the Senior Center Sunday
afternoon to renew acquaintances and
to visit. Present were Janice
(Ratliff) Miller and husband Gene,
Stockton; Jim Schalansky and wife
Janet, Topeka; Juneil (Thomm)
McQueen and husband Kerry, Liberal;
Lucinda Migalski, Darold Grauerholz
and Joyce (Mann) Grauerholz (both in
class) Robert Stockton and wife
Margaret, and Clifford Hilbrink, all
of Kensington,
Fourteen members of the CLASS OF
1968 came to the Senior Center
Saturday afternoon to visit and
reminsce. Four class members are
deceased. Present were Joe Wagner
and wife Diane, South Hutchinson;
David (Duke) Hrabe and wife Kathy,
Tempe, AZ, Kenneth Kuhlman,
Sumatra, MT, Gloria (Beckman)
Sumner, Denver, CO, Tharran Gaines
and wife Barb, Savannah, MO; Janna (Badenhoop)
Jantz, Littleton, CO; Ed Norden and
wife Janice, Canon City, CO; Mike
Clarke, St. George, Kent Lambert and
wife Pat, Salina; Julia (Mankhey)
Parsons and husband Wayne, Franklin,
NE; Joyce (Hudson) Lammers, Gaylord;
Junior Hagman and wife Nancy, Jeanne
(Wangerin) Bogart and husband Rob,
Paul Bienhoff and wife Deb and
daugher Leah, all of Kensington.
Steve Miller, Agra, Class of 1967,
stopped for visiting.
Nine members of the CLASS OF 1978
gathered at the Srader Center at
5:30 on Sunday evening. Present were
Scott Horsfall and wife Janna, Hays;
Audrey (Kuhlman) Swisher and husband
Kyle, Beloit; Ruth (Attebury)
Williams and husband Kent, Peabody;
Mary (Frase) Hansen and husband Bob,
Hastings, NE; Linda (Billings)
Robinson and husband Leonard, Smith
Center; Karen (Brunow) Panter and
husband Dean and Greg Kuhlmann,
Athol; Alan Grauerholz and Betty
(Ferguson) Sidman, Kensington.
The Class of 1988 hosted the KHS
Alumni and were busy making all the
preparations Saturday so did not
have an additional meeting. Eight
members attended the banquet (see
list above).
