Alumni History
When several members of the Class of 1943 met at the Blackberry Festival in McLoud, July 2, 1976, they asked others of the McLoud area to join them. And, as they visited they talked of having a McLoud High School Reunion the following year for the students that attended school while Mr. A.R. Babb was Superintendent in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s.
Therefore, the “McLoud Alumni Association” was formed. The first officers were: President: Alice Rose (Haley) Beeson, (’43), Vice President: Loretta (Turner) Wilkins, (’38), Secretary: Mary Margaret (Mitchell) Winkler, (’41) and Treasurer: Joyce (Held) Russell, (’40).
The first McLoud High School Reunion was held, July 2, 1977 in the McLoud High School cafeteria. Several other locations have been used in the past; Cinderella Motel and Holiday Inn, both in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The J.E. Walker Fieldhouse and the Jr. High Cafeteria, both on the McLoud school campus.
The reunions started out only for classes from 1913 to 1946, but soon became a reunion for ALL McLoud Alumnus, or anyone that had attended McLoud for one year. A reception was held along with an evening banquet. The reception was discontinued in 2014.
A Redskin Remember Honor Roll Program was organized in 2004, by then President, DeLisa (Davis) Anderson to recognize past Teachers, School Personnel and/or Board Members in appreciation for their dedication to enriching young people’s lives. A plaque sits in the trophy case in the J.E. Walker Fieldhouse that lists the honorees. New honorees are added each year.
A Scholarship Foundation was formed in 1998, by then President of the Association, Dennis Harris. Due to his early death the Foundation folded. In 2010 this Foundation was reorganized by then President of the Association, Phyllis (Lawson) Campbell and it is still active today as the “McLoud School Foundation”…(mcloudschoolfoundation@gmail.com). The Foundation has awarded many college scholarships to award winning seniors of McLoud High School and they support teachers with monetary grants. The McLoud School Foundation is a 501 C 3 organization where the Alumni Association is a non-profit, but not tax exempt under the IRS code.
Delbert Henderson a 1960 graduate and Auctioneer held Auctions from 2010 to 2016 to raise money to support the Association’s gift giving to the school. They now depend on donations and volunteers to continue this great work. They work with the school each year to donate to their greatest need. The Alumni has donated thousands of dollars over the years to benefit a variety of classes or groups. The school so appreciates all the Association can do to support them.
The Association did not hold the annual Reunion in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID, but resumed in 2022 at a new location. The new Intermediate Cafeteria at 866 S. Arena Rd. in McLoud. They hope to continue to use this new facility for future Reunions, in conjunction with the Blackberry Festival where they originally started in 1976.