Earlier this week, members of Ms. Halden's 1948 fourth grade class at Beamer Elementary School and then later the Woodland High School Class of 1956 got together at The Burger Saloon to celebrate a birthday, life and everlasting friendships.
On Thursday at noon, eight members of the Class of 1956, including Donnis Giles Stoner, Linda Somerton Eermisse, Esperanza Frescas Tapia, Neal Peart, Mike King, Herbert Schuler, Armand Jaques and Scott Owens, along with two wives Barbara Rothling Bodkin and Gaylene Nichols Gregg, congregated in downtown Woodland for lunch.
Peart, who has been coordinating these get-togethers, also happened to be celebrating his 86th birthday.
"We are a tight-knit group," Peart said. "The six of us guys get together about once a month, and everyone else gets together about twice a year, and we have been doing this for the past three years. We have all managed to stay pretty tight. Some have moved away, but they all come back to Woodland for this. We are getting elderly, so getting everyone here together is hard, but we have a great time. True friendship"
Along with being lifelong friends, the classmates also serve as a support group for both Rothling Bodkin and Nichols Gregg, who were there in place of their deceased husbands, Byron Gregg and Doug Bodkin.
"To be back with these people that we grew up with is such a wonderful experience," Nichols Gregg said. "They are all very supportive of me. Some of my best friends, whom I have known since kindergarten, are here. It was a very special day, and we should do it more often. Neal did a great job of getting us all together."
Following a few burgers and fries, the group busted out a delicious birthday cake and homemade ice cream for Peart and sang him a birthday song.
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