Almost 40 out of 72 members of the class of ’68 attended their 50th reunion in October.
UPDATES FROM ATTENDEES
Nelson Eberly ’68 was one of three students from Pigeon, Michigan. His parents made considerable sacrifice to allow him to attend for his senior year. Nelson sang in the Touring Choir with Marvin Miller, traveling to Iowa for the Mennonite choir festival. A few years after graduating from EMHS, Nelson married this writer’s sister. Today, he lives in Hartville, Ohio, has three children and four grandchildren.
Jeanne Hartman ’68 of Harrisonburg, was one of about 10 in the class to attend Park School in 7th grade, a nearby public school. Jeanne and the Park School students enrolled in EMHS for the first semester of their 8th grade year, then helped carry books from the EMC administration building to the new EMHS campus at their semester break. EMHS bought the Park School building in 1968 and turned it into an industrial arts building. Jeanne remembers being suspended for a day and a half for cutting her hair. She went on to attend business college, buying her own business at age 23. She currently lives in Broadway, Va.
Two teachers crisscrossed their careers for one year in 1967-68: Jay B. Landis and James Rush. Jay B. Landis taught English and speech at EMHS for 12 years, serving as senior class sponsor for the class of ‘68 and directing the senior class play, “The Thread That Runs So True.” Jay B. also helped launch the annual senior class service trip to Harman, West Virginia. In 1967, James Rush launched a 40- year career teaching history and social studies at the school. In his first year, he began requiring students to make a family tree, a practice that continues today.
Karla Showalter Souder ’68, pictured with
James Rush, long-time history and social studies teacher. Photo by Elwood Yoder.
Leo Heatwole ’68 grew up on a farm in the Harrisonburg area and lived at home during five years at EMHS, helping with the daily chores. He married classmate, Carol Ann Goshow ’68, the only couple to marry from their class. Their daughters Carmen and Christy graduated from EMHS in ’92 and ’95. Carol passed away from cancer in 2009.
Heatwole nearly got kicked out of National Honor Society because of his grades; an EMHS counselor advised him not to go to college. This galvanized him to graduate from college with a business major. Heatwole recently retired from a successful career as a banker and a financial advisor in the Harrisonburg area.
Karla Showalter Souder ’68 came from Broadway, Virginia. Though she lived just nine miles from campus, her grandparents established a fund to help pay for their grandchildren to live in the dorm. Karla’s senior picture shows a covering perched neatly on top of carefully combed hair; on her snowy senior trip to Washington D.C., she and all the girls wore bonnets. Two years later, administrators relaxed the requirement that girls wear coverings to school.
