Class members have been gathering at local restaurants to reminisce and catch up with each other the past couple of days. On Tuesday they enjoyed cake for their 70th year and boarded a school bus to tour the city, including visiting sites of old and new schools, and visit Pioneer Village Museum in Burlington.

Gary Knudtson, who has been chairing the committee for recent class reunions, said the class once met every 10 years but bumped that up to every five years at the previous reunion. About a dozen graduates also get together at a local restaurant in Minot every month.

Knudtson expected 18 to 20 class members to attend at some point during the course of the reunion this week. Most are living in North Dakota but two couples came from Minnesota and one couple came from each California and Wisconsin.

Personal or spousal health concerns kept some from attending. Since April 2022, the class added 11 members to the roll call of those who have died over the years, Knudtson said.

Jill Schramm/MDN Harold Solberg, of Wisconsin, attaches a gold graduation tassel to the decorations on a cake at his class’s 70th anniversary celebration Tuesday.

Knudtson said of the 195 class members, 189 members graduated together in 1953. However, even some of those who never graduated, for whatever reason life handed them, have been passionate about taking part in the reunions, he said.

Lyle Snyder of Hazen, who turns 89 today, originally was in the class of 1952 but lack of interest in school led him to drop out prior to his senior year. He re-enrolled to avoid disappointing his mother and graduated in 1953.

“If it wouldn’t have been for my mother and my wife and a bunch of other people, I probably would have never gotten an education at all. But because of them, I went through school. I went through college. I became a nurse anesthetist, and all because of a bunch of women that keep pushing me on,” Snyder said. His message to youth ever since has been to never think about quitting but get an education.

“This is the best class I’ve ever seen,” he said, noting that for him, the Class of 1953 was literally family. “I had two uncles that were in the same class and a brother and a cousin.” All have since passed away.

Wayne Sanstead, Bismarck, said his election as class president lit his fire for serving in public office. He ran 16 times for North Dakota offices, winning 15 of those races and serving as state representative, state senator, lieutenant governor and superintendent of public instruction.

This week’s reunion has included classmate spouses and friends from other classes.

Richard Pederson’s wife had been a member of the Class of ’53, and he had always attended reunions with her. Although she died in 2013, Pederson, who lives southwest of Minot, still came this week to celebrate with the class.

Bob Wefald, a N.D. Attorney General in the early 1980s, represented his older brother, Knut, who was unable to attend. He read Knut’s message, sharing memories of the traditional hazing of 10th graders in Minot. Knut Wefald had moved to Minot in 10th grade from a small South Dakota town that included 9th grade hazing in its traditions.

“So I was fortunate to go through two separate hazings,” he wrote.

Class members also shared fond memories of former teachers at Central Campus, which housed both the junior high and high school. The Class of ’53 had the distinction of being the 50th graduating class from Minot High School.

A former teacher herself, Audrey Lilly of Minot said what stands out as she looks back is the respect students had for their teachers. Jacky Smith of Minot said school was a positive experience.

“I loved chemistry class. I went on to be a nurse,” Smith said.

Smith and Lilly, who serve on the reunion committee, also remembered pep club and the downtown teen hangout, a burger place called Uptown Nook. They recalled several school formals throughout the year, along with a Sadie Hawkins dance in which girls invited boys.

“We always had to wear dresses to school,” Lilly said. “If it was cold in the winter, if you wore slacks underneath, you took them off and put them in your locker.”

Some class members had started their education in rural, one-room schoolhouses. Many went on after high school to attend college and a number of them served in the military.

Sanstead credited the class reunion committees for working to ensure a sense of togetherness never waned in 70 years.

“What a joy it is to be able to be together as the Class of ’53,” Sanstead said. “I don’t know how many classes that would have this record, but I don’t think it would be many that could say they’ve gotten this far.

“The upshot of it is we’re looking to 75 (years) because this committee is a livewire committee and will get the job done for us as a class,” he said.

No disagreement was heard from the committee.

“We’re going to try for it,” Knudtson said.