Those representing LaSalle High School graduates from the 1930s shared hugs and memories Friday evening, July 25, at the All Class and Community Reunion at Little Bear East Arena. They are a few of the 3,800 students who have received diplomas from the school since 1892. Pictured are (front row, from left) Glenn Gustafson of St. Louis, Missouri, Class of 1938; Elva Nelson of St. Ignace, Class of 1938; Edwyna Chatelle Nordstrom, Class of 1933; (back) Jeannie Hart of St. Ignace, Class of 1939; Edythe Ritter of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Class of 1939, and Rose and Nels Robert Nelson of St. Ignace and Arizona, Classes of 1938 and 1939. Missing from the photograph is Marvin Winkelman of St. Ignace, a member of Class of 1935. More than 600 people traveling from 25 states and Ontario filled Little Bear East Arena and Conference Center in St. Ignace Friday night, July 25, in hopes of seeing the familiar faces of old friends.

They weren't disappointed. Held every five years, the LaSalle High School All Class and Community Reunion drew people from as far east as Maine and New York, from Texas and New Mexico to the south, Idaho and Washington to the west, and many states in between.

LaSalle High School graduate Terry Smith of St. Ignace, from the Class of 1956, shows Kathy Marshall, secretary at the school, his mother's class ring. His mother, Agnes Closs Smith, married Elvin Smith, and was a 1930 graduate of the school. That year marked the first class to be graduated following the construction of a new addition to the Spring Street school. This is the second time the event has taken place. Sponsored by the St. Ignace Community Foundation with help from St. Ignace Area Schools, planners say attendance was down by about 300 people from the 2003 reunion. They attribute the drop in attendance to the combination of a weak economy and high gas prices.

Those who attended found it challenging to make their way into the arena without bumping into an old friend or neighbor. Hugs and handshakes filled the hallway.

Inside the arena, class signs marking the graduating year were posted on the protective hockey boards that encircle the arena. Tables were set up and designed by classes. Many included old photographs and album covers of favorite songs played during high school years.

Other tables displayed silent auction items donated by area businesses, organizations, and members of the community. School memorabilia items were popular. A section of center court gymnasium flooring was offered to bidders in a silent auction, along with a varsity jacket, varsity letters, and photographs of the St. Ignace Girls State Championship teams in 1999 and 2000.

Representing the class of 1933 was Edwyna Chatelle Nordstrom, the earliest LaSalle High School graduate in attendance Friday night. Mrs. Nordstrom of St. Ignace will turn 93 years old in September.

"I graduated at the height of the Depression," she recalled, "and my folks, bless their hearts, were able to send me to college. Wasn't I one of the lucky ones?"

She attended Michigan State College, now named Michigan State University, and earned a degree in economics.

After graduation, she returned to St. Ignace to help her parents. They owned the local newspaper, then named The Republican-News and St. Ignace Enterprise. Mrs. Nordstrom remembers doing book work and occasional writing for the publication until it was sold.

At that time, she said, everyone in St. Ignace knew each other, since few people were moving during the Depression.

Glenn Gustafson was a 1938 graduate, who recently moved closer to his son in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended the reunion and now says he hopes to visit St. Ignace at least once a year.

Graduating in 1939, Edythe Ritter now lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and comes to St. Ignace once a year.

"I was born and raised here," she said, "so I have to come back once a year."

Mrs. Ritter was happy to see her long-time friend, Jennie Hart, also a 1939 graduate. The women greeted each other with hugs. They have been friends since kindergarten.

Rose and Robert Nelson were graduated in 1938 and 1939 and were married just a few months after graduation in August. They live in St. Ignace in the summer and Arizona in the winter. This year, they are celebrating their 69th wedding anniversary.

The $30 registration included catered foods and soft drinks. A cash bar was offered by the St. Ignace Ambassadors. Before the reunion, people were invited to tour LaSalle High School on Portage Road.

The all class and community reunion is held every five years. Organizers already are planning the next reunion for July 6, 2013.

Proceeds from the event are placed in the alumni fund of the St. Ignace Community Foundation.