Website Team

Website Manager: Mary Beth Johnson (Howe)
Backup: Rob Mechaley
Editor: Paul Jensen

Date November 1, 2023……… our 55th reunion was a BLAST!

We had 57 classmates and 23 spouses gathered.  30 of us were from Rapid City and 9 were from other parts of the state.  There were 18 from out of state - IL, NE, WA, CO, AZ, MI, ND, TN, 2 UT, 2 OH, 2 CA, 2 OR, 2 TX, and England! What a bunch of nice people that we went to school with!   

The Friday evening weather was perfect for our indoor/outdoor gathering at Hart Ranch Golf Club House. The conversations flowed easily.  It was a treat to showcase Lintz Brother’s Pizza and Armadillo’s Ice Cream.  Thank you Jim Lintz and sons and Mike Brummer and son!  Nice job!!!  Randy Kanago ordered more perfect weather and donuts for our Saturday walk around Canyon Lake Park. Thanks for the beautiful morning, exercise and more conversation.  Saturday evening at the historic Alex Johnson was a walk in the past right downtown Rapid City.  We celebrated being together after 55 years and enjoyed dinner and drinks.  We were treated to Rocky Mountain Chocolates for dessert thanks to Gary and Kendra Larson the owners!  What a delight!

Date September 12, 2018 ……… Only 1 daysto go!  
Our Reunion Numbers! (not countng thursday only)
     156 classmates sign up (not counting Thursday Only)
      72 guests
      228 total

Movie & Pizza… 217
Armadillos… 219
Meet & Greet… 218
Banquet… 228
Brunch/Dedication… 205

Fri golf… 15
Motorcycle ride…19
Presidents Adventure… 26
Downtown Art Walk… 37
Cemetery Visit… 41
Sat. Golf… 12
Bicycle ride… 14
Hike “M” Hill… 22
Stroll along creek… 41
RCHS tour… 103

Date March 2023……………. 55th reunion plans are taking shape!
     In a couple of weeks out website tab "55th Reunion Plans" will be added for your viewing and we will be updating it as plans are finalized.  We want to keep you updated as much as possable as we move forward until we actually post the EVENTS for out September 8th & 9th 55th Class Reunion in May. Sandra Lashley (Yeoman) is in chanrge of out 55th reunion this year, it is a big job and we thank her for taking on this task.

I have reached out to a few classmates checking for updates about their mailing address.  If you did recieve an email from me, I would appreciate a quick response and I will be trying to call some classmates this weekend. The reunion committee is planning to send out "A Save the Date" postcard this month, I am am trying to make sure addresses are correct. Thank you to the classmates that have already responded to my email.  I will also be sending out a blast email when the reunion committee is ready to post the "55th Reunion Plan" tab page.
Please Note: We have lost another classmated and I will be posting that information also.

Date January 2023……………. from the web-team, Happy New Year!
     Remember to check our website, there has been a few additions and posts made. We would still like to see some holiday photos!
     It has been some time since my last report, and I am still looking for our missing classmates. I do know where some are, they just do not want to commit. The ony change from my last report are the number of classmates we have sadly lost.

Our numbers for the beginning of January 2023...
  53   Missing
425   Signed in with email
  95   No email
  28   Want no contact
143   Died
744   TOTAL of which 691 classmates are now accounted for.

Thank you to our classmates who updated their profle address or let me know so I could change it...to keep our information current!
REMINDER... If you change your address or email, please let me know so I can update your profile or you can update it yourself. Please take time to look through our missing list, we need you help location classmates, our motto is still "No Classmate Left Behind."

Date June 2022……………. from the web-team
     It is June and summer should be here... What happed to spring? Remember to check our website, there has been several additions and posts made. There are some interesting "Flood Stories" and I would still like to hear from other classmates.
     I have been sending out research letters... we gain a few, but sadly we have also lost a few.

Our numbers for the beginning of June...
  53   Missing
431   Signed in with email
  94   No email
  28   Want no contact
138   Died
744   TOTAL of which 691 classmates are now accounted for.

     If you change your address or email, please let me know so I can update your profile or you can update it yourself. Please take time to look through our missing list, we need you help location classmates, our motto is still "No Classmate Left Behind."

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Date May 2022……………. from the web-team
     Spring is just around the corner and it is almost May! Remember to check our website, there has been several additions and posts made.
     I also want to thank our classmates who took the time to email me their FLOOD STORIES... I am still taking them, it has been very interesting!
     Be sure to read the class of 1966's review of their 55th reunion and class of 1971's 50th review.  I will also be contacting the class of 1967 for their review this fall after their 55th reunion. These reviews will help us in planning for our event next year!
      Still researching classmates with Jerry Thovson's help... Mailed out 20 letters to classmates we think the address is correct and we hope they well decide to join. If you have any ideas where classmates are, please use the Contact Us button to let us know! Trying to give it one more big push before our 55th reunion and at that point we will have decided we gave it the best effort we could!

  Many classmates were affected by this major event, and have a story to tell. 
     If you want to tell your story, please email me your story along with a picture if you have one.  (mb.johnson49@icloud.com)
     I will then add it to the "Flood Stories" tab.  The reason for this is because the stories can be long and this program doesn't work well with copy and paste. It has to be in RTF which I can change it to, then paste the story for you.

Date December 2021……………. from the web-team
Our numbers for the beginning of December
  69   Missing
430   Signed in with email
  88   No email
  25   Want no contact
133   Died
745   TOTAL of which 675 classmates are now accounted for.

     If you change your address or email, please let me know so I can update your profile or you can update it yourself. Please take time to look through our missing list, we need you help location classmates, our motto is still "No Classmate Left Behind."

Date October 2021……………. Fall is HERE!!
      First we want to thank everybody for their donations to our “Cobbler Helping Cobblers” summer campaign, WOW… the class of 1968 really showed their support! Thank you!
     Second, I wanted to inform you of some new activity on our website… I am adding the obituaries that we have to the Classmate tab, in their profile and under comments… now all classmates will be able to read the obituaries that we have in our books. This is going to take me awhile, one alphabet letter at a time, I just did through the letter “B” tonight.  This will be a good winter project!

Date August 2021……………. September is almost HERE!!
     First we want to remind everybody of our Coffee/Donute Connection Wednesday, September 1st at the Canyon Lake Park west entrance off of Park Street.  We hope the weather is nice and we have another great turnout!  Please plan to attend       
      Second I am excited to report we have more Rapid City classes using Classquest as their official website… class of 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71.  This will makes it easier to keep in touch with other classmates!!  The class of 66 is having their 55th class reunion and the classes of 70 and 71 are doing their 50th.  So if you have any brothers of sisters in these class, please tell them to go to ClassQuest, then SD and then click of the Class website to get sign up for reunions the weekend of September 10 & 11th.
     I will be watching closely to see what events worked best, what were their favorite locations and other fun activities.  This may give us some new ideas for our 55th.

Date June 2021……………. summer is HERE!!
     I forgot to take a photo at our June Coffee-Connection, but we had a nice size group and classmate Nancy Ellwein joining us, hope to see her again.
     We confirmed our reunion dates for our 55th which will be the weekend of September 8th & 9th of 2023, with an open pre-reunion night the Thursday before. Please post your ideas of activities or events you might like to have on our website under the "55th reunion ideas" tab.  Both Rapid City High School classes of 1966 and 1971 are having reunion events in September this year and both have websites through ClassQuest.  Help spread the word if you have brothers/sisters or friends from those years. I also believe classes 1965 and 1970 are having a reunion, but they are not on ClassQuest... hopefully they will consider it in the future, it would make having combined reunions a lot easier.
     Our Summer "Cobblers Helping Cobblers" campaign is off to a great start, at our June Coffee-Connection meeting we had received 12 donation from classmates in response from our May blast email. Gary Larson read several of the classmate notes that came with their donation. Under the website tab "Helping Cobblers" we are posting the campain donors as the contributions come in.  If you do not see your name there and you sent a check, please let us know... letters do get lost in the mail!  We are so bless to have such a strong support for our Cobblers, thank you!

Date May 2021……………. update from the web-team
     Last month I reported... It was time to try and and find some of our 89 missing classmates.  This number was reported back in February with at that time 661 classmates accounted for out of a class of 750 students. I have sent out about 50 letters trying to locate more classmates, and have had some responses, but they are slow coming in. I have taken 5 classmates off that did not graduate and I have had no luck finding, they were only in our area a short time.  We have now Located 672 classmated out of a class of 745, with a missing list of 73 students. It is sad to report our "In Memory" list is up to 127 classmates.   AGAIN... I appreciate all the information and help you have given me. Please use the Contact Us tab to reach me.
     Next month our BOD will be starting our summer campaing for "Cobblers Helping Cobblers" and they will be posting more information in our "BOD News" tab.

Date Aprill 2021……………. from the web-team
     Just a short message this month...
     Decided it was time to try and get our 89 missing classmates.  This number was reported back in February with at that time 661 classmates accounted for out of a class of 750 students.
     I have had a couple people use the Contact Us button with information about missing classmates or classmates who have died.. I appreciate all the information and help you have given me.

Date March 2021……………. from the web-team
     Just a short message this month...
     This past year has been tough on everyone, and for the class of 1968... we added 10 classmates to our "In Memory" list.
      At our March coffee, we had only 6 classmates join us... that is really sad when you think that we have 140 classmates living in the Black Hills area that I send emails to each month to remind them of our coffee.  We really would like to see a few new faces!
     Maybe we should plan a couple Coffee-Connections at the park this summer... everybody did enjoy being outside! What are your thoughts!

Date February 2021……………. from the web-team
     Good time for another quick update on our numbers because of recent changes.
     First, the website keeps a weekly tally of how many people go to our site (Hits) and a running total.
Total number of Hits… 397,848  People who visited starting from October 2018 (total number of Hits from the beginning).
Highest number HITS in a week… 15,283 People who visited our site the 3rd week in September (this is also to date the highest number in any week ever). I guess our classmates are staying home more during this COVID time...
Our numbers for the beginning of February:
  89   Missing
426   Signed in with email
  85   No email
  25   Want no contact
125   Died
750   TOTAL of which 661 classmates are now accounted for.
Note: If you change your address or email, please let me know so I can update your profile or you can update it yourself. This is important so we can keep our site and data base current.
Personal Note:  I would like to thank you for using the Contact Us button to inform me about a classmates who have died or help me with information to locate those who are missing.

Date December 2020……………. from the web-team
We wish you a very...

Date November 2020……………. from the web-team
     Good time for another quick update since everymore is staying closer to home.
     First, we hope you are all healthy and safe during this stressful time.
     I thought I would give you another look into some website behind the scene number you do not see and compare them to the total number given in July. The website keeps a weekly tally of how many people go to our site (Hits), how many pages are seen (Views) and a running total of the number of people (Hits) going our site.

Total in July… 168,210 People who visited starting from October 2018 (total number of Hits from the beginning).
Total in November… 356,935 People to date that have gone to our site through November (total number of Hits beginning to date).
WOW... We have had 188,725 visitors just from July 2020 through November 2020 (5 months).  I am NOT making these number up! I guess our classmates are staying home more during this COVID time... With ALL these visits, I hope you are reconnecting with friends and classmates!
Our numbers for the end of November:
  90   Missing
431   Signed in with email
  85   No email
  25   Want no contact
119   Died
751   TOTAL of which 661 classmates are now accounted for.

     You will notice the only change in our stats are the number of classmates that have died. I have to admit, I have slacked off and not done any research, but I do plan to pick that back up in 2021, and again any information you might have would be helpful.  There is one number in the stats you do not see, and these are the classmates that wanted totally off the data base... there are 10 classmates that were in the class of 1967 who were shirt a couple of credit for graduationg that year OR asked not be part of our data. I keep thes names separate so in the future we do not call they again.

Date July 2020……………. from the web-team
     Good time for a quick update to all before the 4th of July, and be safe this holiday weekend!
     I thought I would give you a look into some website behind the scene number you do not see. The website keeps a weekly tally of how many people go to our site (Hits), how many pages are seen (Views) and a running total of the number of people (Hits) going our site.

Total… 168,210 people to date have gone to our site (total number of Hits).
First week we I announced on face book we had a website
7/18/2017… Hits 42    Views 606
Highest record week of hits
12/17/2017… Hits 4,307    Views 7,132
Lowest week other than our first week
12/31/2017… Hits 119    Views 267
During our 50th Reunion week
9/16/2018… Hits 2,148,    Views 6,245
Last week
6/28/2020… Hits 1,227    Views 1,415

Date June 2020……………. from the web-team
    Our numbers for June have not changed much, but I did post more deaths this year than I thought I would.  We not only lost classmates, but teachers and many classmates lost a parent. It has not started out a good year considering we had to start social distancing too!
     With a little extra time on your hands, check out a couple stories added to the Pine Needle tab.  Also I added items to the tabs RCHS Photos and RCHS Stories.
     At our next Coffee-Connection we will finalize some more details regarding our "Cobbler in Need" campaign and the BOD will be sending out updates in a blast email and well as in the BOD News tab. 

Date April 2020……………. from the web-team
     Good time for a quick update with all of us staying close to home! Thought it was appropriate to post the story of our Junior Prom in the Pine Needle.  Personally I think it was the best prom decoration there ever was! Sad that classes do not go all out like we did! Do you still have that prom picture?  If so please post on our web site!!
     There are still quite a few members missing and we are asking for your help in finding these last classmates. Please go through our missing list and go on the internet to try and locate or find an obituary for any classmates not accounted for. 

Date March 2020……………. from the web-team
Our numbers for the beginning of March:
  90   Missing
434   Signed in with email
  87   No email
  26   Want no contact
114   Died
751   TOTAL of which 661 classmates are now accounted for.

     If you change your address or email, please let me know so I can update your profile or you can update it yourself. Please take time to look through our missing list, we need you help location classmates, our motto is still "No Classmate Left Behind."
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Date January 2020……………. from the web-team
     Happy 2020!  We want you to stay connected, so please remember to update your profile with current information. It is not too late to post your family Christmas photo or other favorite photos. We try and keep you informed of RCHS class of 1968 information and we appreciate when you keep us informed.

Date December 2019……………. from the web-team
We wish you a very...

Date October 2019……………. Notes!
Website Notes.....
     Sad news to start but classmate Mike Wipf died October 5, 2019.
     We were happy that he attended our 51st Mini-Reunion! Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
      A new tab "Central Cobbler Fund" has been added just under the donation tab. We presented a check to the Activities Department from the donations collected at our Mini.
     There is also a new photo in the Sports Photo section.
     Reminder to all that our 51st Mini-Reunion photos have been posted for your viewing. More to come about that from the BOD later.
     Did you know they updated the Central logo... go to Class Messages to see the updated COBBLER!

Date August 2019……………. Numbers!
Our numbers for the beginning of August:
  92   Missing
434   Signed in with email
  90   No email
  25   Want no contact
109   Died
750   TOTAL of which 658 classmates are now accounted for.

Post some fun vacation, travel and family photos!

Class President Jim Carrell has joined our website and is no longer on our missing list!
I repeat...We are now acceptng RSVP's for this one-night "Meet & Greet" and hope classmates who had so much fun last year will come again. Yes this is mostly for area classmates, but we hope classmates who could not come last year might consider this year.  We are also open to other classes!  You pay at the door, but please if you can RSVP so we can plan better on how much food will be needed. We are again going to have a silent auction table to help support the Cobbler Central High activity fund to help students in need. If you have any questions,  post them in the 2019 Q&A.
We did send out information to classmates who do not have emails. This helps us check addresses.  If you change your address or email, please let me know so I can update your profile or you can update it yourself.
We also want to keep our Memorial Book current and need to know when a classmate passes away.  Our motto is still "No Classmate Left Behind."

Date July 2019 ……………. 51st Mini-Reunion!!
     I hope everybody had a great 4th of July holiday, but September is just around the corner!
     I have just add the website tabs 2019 Lodging, 2019 Mini Q&A, 2019 Mini Reunion, 2019 attending list. Check it out!
     We are now acceptng RSVP's for this one-night "Meet & Greet" and hope classmates that had so much fun last year will to come again. Yes this is mostly for area classmates, but we hope classmates who could not come last year might consider this year! We are also open to other classes! You pay  at the door, but please if you can RSVP so we can plan better on how much food will be needed. We are again going to have a silent auction table to help support Cobbler Central High activity Fund to help students in need. If you have any question, post them in the 2019 Q&A.
     We will also be mailing out the information and a contact number to classmates who do not have an email address.

Date June 2019 ……………. RC/BH Activity!
     This months message is for our Black Hills area classmates for website reference information about an area activity.

Guys & Gals: Our first Black Hills Area Activity will be “Sculpture In The Hills” on Saturday, June 22 in Hill City and Mary Beth Johnson (Howe) will be your host.  This is a very poplar free event that has been going on for 12 years. You will get a chance to meet and talk with 23 participating artists about their work under the BIG tent by the Alpine Inn. Presenting this year are artists from not only South Dakota but Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota and Montana. We will meet across the street at the colorful Farmers Daughter, between 1:00-1:15 pm.  You can check out her delightful outdoor decorative pieces while waiting for other classmates.  At 1:15 pm, we will view the artists entries and you may vote for your favorite “People’s Choice Award.”  We will they go on the Food-Sculpture walk at participating Hill City store and end at the Twisted Pine Winery which features regional wines and craft beers. Come join us for an afternoon of fun with friends!
(NOTE:  Scull Construction sponsors the 1st Place Best of Show award).

Date May 2019 ……………. Our Website Purpose!
    We’ve come a long way since late May, 2017 preparing for our 50th reunion. 
    We would like you all to understand our mission and purpose for the future:
1.)  We will continue to locate class members so you can all stay connected and we want to try and account for all members. We are NOT locating classmates only in hopes they will come to a reunion or event. 
2.) Our website is a meeting place for classmates to share memories, post pictures and email friends. 
3.)  The Website is here to support the Board of Directors and the Committees that put on reunions, events or activities by getting the information out to our members. 
    We need your help with two items to help reach our goal:
1.) There are still quite a few members missing and we ask for your help in finding these last lost classmates. 
2.)  We also want to keep our Memorial Book current and need to know when a classmate passes away.  Our motto is still "No Classmate Left Behind."
     Our site is now paid up until after our 60th reunion. We will keep the site beyond that as long as it serves a purpose.  RCHS1968 website first opened on July 18, 2017 with two classmates signed in.  We first informed our Facebook classmates of our official 1968 Class Website and encouraged them to sign on.  We had 42 visits that first week.  Fast forwarding nearly two years and we now have had a total of 115,220 visitors to our site. We are still averaging about 600-700 visits a week. Our goal is to keep you informed and your interest piqued so you will want  to check in and see what is new.  If you have anything of interest please let us know.  Each month, through our blast emails, we will keep you informed on current happenings. Sometimes our emails go out to all classmat

Date May 2019 ……………. Our snow birds are back!
     The Winter was too long!   Spring just started!   Summer will be too short!
 Our numbers for the beginning of May:
  95   Missing
432   Signed in with email
  91   No email
  24   Want no contact
108   Died
750   TOTAL of which 655 classmates are now accounted for!    
Post some fun Holiday and family photos!

Date April 2019 ……………. Things are starting to happen!
    Spring I think is here!  The winter was too long! Before you know it will be September! 
    The Reunion Group and The Website team are getting organized.
    The BOD/Reunion Group will be posting plans and will be sending out blast Emails to keep you informed.  We have an idea for a new summer activity for Black Hills area classmates and the Group has start organizing their thoughts for our “51st Mini-Event” in September.
     There is something new on the Website for you to check our and enjoy!  Click on the tab “RCHS Yearbooks” for a slide presentation of photos taken from our three yearbooks. 
We send out emails to 428 classmates!
CHECK OUT our Website Notes and RCHS Yearbook tab on our site.   
PLEASE remember to post your favorite stories and pictures!

Date April 2019 ……………. EARLY UP DATE!
     April is just a couple days away, but wanted to remind everyone that I will be deleting the 50th reunion information posted in the classmates profile to get ready for our 2019 "Meet & Greet."  So if you want to review the classmates tab now would be the time.  After our Coffee Meeting I will be deleting this information.
     Our numbers are the same as in March.  I took a couple months off, but did get 25 research letters out the third week this month to try and confirm some addresses. We would appreciate any HELP locating missing classmates!!!
    The first of March figures show we have had a grand total of 116,630 classmate and visitor views since the website opened.  We are averaging 600-700 views a week and this month the total was around 10,000.  We are happy with these numbers and are trying hard to keep the website active by posting updates and interesting information each month.  We would like to see classmates post more stories, comments and pictures.
     At our Coffee Connection, we want to see more classmates so we can start planning and getting organized for our September event! To our Black Hills area people, please mark your calender for Wednesday, April 3, and plan to come to Starbucks at AJ's downtown at 10 am for coffee and conversation!

Date March 2019 ……………. UP DATE!
     March is the month we all remember!
     We want to let you know that both videos, the 50th Reunion Dedication and the new released SDPB 1968 Tragedy can both be watched in the TAB: "Spirit of Six". Also the story from the RC Journal about "Unexpected Loss" can be read in part under the tab "Spirit of Six Stories".
     Also if you want to review who came to our 50th reunion by viewing what is posted under their profiles please review the "Classmates" tab in the next two weeks.  I will be deleting this information in April to get ready for our next event this Fall: our "Mini-One-Night Meet & Greet."
     As soon as all the snow birds get back, a committee will form and plans can start.  The date has been set for Saturday September 14, 2019.  NOTE: This is also the weekend the class of 1969 is having their 50th reunion.  The class of 1969's Saturday Banquest will also be at the Best Western Ramkota right next to our Saturday Meet & Greet!  Could be a very fun NIGHT!
     Don‘t forget to also check out the Pine Needle posts from our high school years.  
     PLEASE remember to post your favorite stories and pictures.

Date March 2019……………. New numbers!
     I hope we have more visitors this month!
Total hits since the begining are impressive with a grand TOTAL to date with 106,736 HITS!!!!!
Our numbers for the beginning of March:
  97   Missing
432   Signed in with email
  89   No email
  24   Want no contact
108   Died
750   TOTAL of which 653 classmates are now accounted for!

Date February 2019 ......What happened?
     Not much!  I forgot and my energy level for research went down hill!  Not getting the number of "I found you" responses that I thought I would!  I need your help!!!  I just also noticed this has been the lowest month so far for visitor hits, averaging only about 500 a week this month.  Would you believe that during first week of January 2018 we had our highest hit of 6239 that week and again that is in just one week!  Maybe everyone is too busy shoveling snow; this has been a very long and cold February!
    I was wishing more classmates would post a favorite Christmas Photo!  It is still not too late!
Through your posts we keep the interest up and classmates will want to check back to see what is new! Please keep posting photos of your families and adventures!

Date January 2019……………. New Year and new numbers!
     We sent out 88 update letters this past month and put in a Coffee Connection reminder card to those letters going to our Black Hills area classmates.  This also helps us make sure our addresses are correct.
Our numbers for the beginning of 2019:
  99   Missing
431   Signed in with email
  88   No email
  24   Want no contact
108   Died
750   TOTAL of which 651 classmates are now accounted for!
The search continues!  We are going to research daily using as many sources as we can, up to July. We have sent out 25 searching letters this month with some success.  We will have given it our ALL for 2 years and will then stop unless we get some good leads.  We have signed in 4 classmates since the reunion, and are hopeful we will find more, but WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Date December 2018……………. New tabs for you to view!
We have several new items this month!
1.  Just mailed out a letter to non-email classmates with information and pictures of our BIG 50th reunion.  There are 80 classmates that do not have email and of those, would you believe 50 are in the Black Hills area!  We just had a "Coffee Connection" activity and it was decided to keep using Starbucks at AJ's downtown for this monthy greeting.  I quickly designed a postcard reminder of the "Coffee Connection” and included it in the 50 letters that go the classmates in the area. I hope a few will start to come. No classmates left behind.
2. Note: new addition to our Faceook tab, I have added websites from other classes.  These are not links, so you will have to type the website in your internet browser. I will add information as I get more.
3.  A new tab has just been added called "RCHS Pine Needle". It is easy to find, it is last in the list of other RCHS's.  From time to time, I will print stories from years 1965-1968 of the Pine Needle. The first one is a great story to start with, the story was printed the month of December. I remember helping with this major event, did you help?

Date November 2018……………. REUNION attendence number posted!
Posting again this November to compare our attendence between the 40th and 50th reunions!
50th reunion attendance numbers
7 classmates that came to the 40th have died
24 classmates who came to the 40 but not the 50th
71 classmates came to both the 40th and 50th
80 classmates came to the 50th but not the 40th
2 had to cancel at the last minute (out of state)
Black Hills area numbers
13 classmates came to 40 but not the 50th
40 classmates came to the 40th and 50th
37 classmates came to the 50th but not the 40th

Date November 2018……………. The REUNION photos are posted!
Posting early November Website Notes to let you know I have finished downloading over 500 reunion photos!! It was a very, very long two days at my daughter’s house (faster internet service and I knew I would need her help)! I could not wait to see the pictures myself and really get to enjoy the moment!  They are under the tabs; "RCHS 50th, Thur-Fri" and "RCHS 50th, Sat-Sun."  At the top of each page are 4 links to the high resolution Main Event pictures you may download at no cost!!

Also, I have changed my email address and set one up just for the website.  So now when you use the contact button, it will go to my new "gmail" account just for the site.  I will also be changing my personal account later. It sure is nice to have a daughter that can HELP me with all this STUFF!!

Enjoy the reunion pictures!

Website Manager
Mary Beth

Date October 2018……………. The SEARCH of classmates continues!
"No Classmate Left Behind" is our goal!
We still need your help!!  Sandra just gave me Joe Gibson‘s phone number, and with that I was able to get his address in NJ.  I will be sending a letter off to him shortly.  I need to write a new one letter now that the reunion is over, that will talk about our future plans!

Here are our numbers to date:
106   died
106   missing
425   with email
88     no-email
25     want no contact
750  TOTAL

Date September 18, 2018……………. The BIG 50th is over!
It went by so fast!  Sitting behind the website table I didn’t get to say hi to as many people as I wanted, because I wanted to scan photos for classmates and put their photos on the site for them. It was also important to me to able to answer questions about the obituary book, take information on missing classmates and help classmates with their profile. After the pictures are all posted on the site, research for missing classmates will again start.  Sorting through and posting these pictures is going to take some time.
The goal of the website is to stay connected with our classmates!
Mary Beth.....  Also from the members of the Website Team and our much appreciated researchers!

Date September 12, 2018 ……… Only 1 daysto go! 
Our Reunion Numbers! (not countng thursday only)
     156 classmates sign up (not counting Thursday Only)
      72 guests
      228 total

Movie & Pizza… 217
Armadillos… 219
Meet & Greet… 218
Banquet… 228
Brunch/Dedication… 205

Fri golf… 15
Motorcycle ride…19
Presidents Adventure… 26
Downtown Art Walk… 37
Cemetery Visit… 41
Sat. Golf… 12
Bicycle ride… 14
Hike “M” Hill… 22
Stroll along creek… 41
RCHS tour… 103

Date August 17, 2018 ......... Only 27 days to go! You can also go directly to the events selection/payment page from the WELCOME page.  Just click on the Buy button above you picture in the right had corner after you sign in.

I am still signing classmates to our website, we have now accounted for 638 classmates out of 748.  One new registered classmate immediately signed up for the reunion, you just never know! We will not start actively searching again until after the reunion, since we are busy getting things ready.  We have created an obituary book of the classmates who have died and will keep it current.

If you want to see who has signed up, check the Reunion...Attending Reunion tab. Also, the reunion events and activities they are attending are listed in there profile under their picture in the Classmates tab. 

Date July 2018 ......... The countdown BEGINS! Did you notice the NEW countdown calendar on our "Welcome Page."  PLEASE register, the BIG 50th reunion is just around the corner!

A puzzle has been solved!  At our 20th reunion in 1988, Donald Ray Martin was reported as deceased and he has now been upgraded to missing!  He is living in Saint Paul, MN but there are several with that name in the area, so the search goes on.  With 127 still missing, we need your help finding these classmates so we can inform them of the reunion!

Date June 2018 ......... Online Registration is OPEN! Classmates section now contains all of our 747 classmates. Please check out the separate missing list and help us find a classmate, please use the contact button with information you know for sure is correct. We have done a lot of research already, but need your help! The numbers we have so far:

136  Classmates missing
407  Classmates sign in with email
 76   Classmates sign in with no email
103  Classmates have died
747  TOTAL classmates, of which 611 have been accounted for

Date May 2018 ......... Almost Fnished!  Almost finished with the registration form!  Should be complete by the first of June.  I goal is to reach the number 600 members accounted for  by the time we post the registration form. Next goal will to get more classmates to post pictures and comments in their profiles!

Date April 2018 ........ Moving Forward! We are slowly moving forward towards locating more classmates.  Knocking on Rapid City doors has produced a good response and great pre-reunion conversations. Note: our classmate section now includes ALL classmates, this will make it easier to type a last name and hit the search button.  Those who have died have an "In Memory" candle instead of a picture, which directs you to look in the "In Memory" tab for photo and death date as that section is still arranged by date of death.

Date: March 2018 ........ Missing List!  We did a paid address search for some of our missing classmates and have just received the results.  Started by making phone calls and was able to add 10 classmates which brings the total to 440 classmates signed in.  We did have to add 3 classmates to those who have died, sadly rounding that number to 100.  We hope to reach out to more from our 1968 class through the new mailing.  For classmates that live in Rapid City, we have gone around and knocked on doors, it has added a nice personal touch.  Special thank you to Verdell Brand and Tom Collins for helping in this effort on WARM weather days.  I have temporarily removed the missing list from the website because I am sure there will be many changes and it is easier for me to do them all at the same time.

Date: February 2018 ...... thank you!  We have received several notes of thanks for the work we have done on the site, and we want to thank everyone for the positive comments and financial support to continue.  The Reunion Group is planning a fantastic list of events and activities for this special 50th reunion that you will not want to miss.  Remember, the website will be here after the reunion and will continue to try and locate more classmates.  The website will continue to keep you connected. Be sure and check our missing list and help with any information location someone you might know.

Date: January 2018 ...... IT IS OFFICIAL, Board of Directors for the class of 1968 has been selected and voted in.  The Board By-Laws were read and approved. The Board shall over see all actions of the website, the reunion group and special event committees.  To start the new year off, we have 340 classmates signed in and 434 accounted for.  We want to clarify to everyone exactly what the website team is.  We provide the network support for the BOD, the Reunion Group and all members of the Class of 1968 to enhance communications and coordination for all activities, now and in the future.

Date:  December 2017 .... EXCITING NEWS when AFS student Alejandro Amenabar signed in!  He left our classmates a visitors message:  "It is a great pleasure to contact my old classmates of 1968 from Chile.  I was an AFS scholar student due to your generosity to have me. Best regards to you all, Alejandro Amenabar."  You will note, our "Where are They Map" is getting bigger!
       We will have two mailouts this month.  The first will be to the classmates in South Dakota and after the holidays to classmates living out of state.  These will be letters with self addressed envelopes inside that are stamped and ready to be returned with member information.  We hope to have a good response!
    

Date: November 2017 ... CALL,CALL,CALL is the theme this month.  WE NEED YOU TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND ASK THEM TO PASS ON THE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SITE!  Classmates are not responding to our mail-out cards like we hoped and we have been trying to locate as many landline phone numbers as possible and CALL, CALL CALL!

Date: October 2017 ... Reaching out this month, we are sending out 400 postcards to addresses of classmates on our list.   Our theme of our website is "No Classmate Left Behind."  We are going to do our best to find all members of our class of 1968. We have added two new tabs on our Website, 1968 Reunion Plans and Donation/Donors... check them out!  We need money to help with the research of classmates and materials for mailing.

Date: September 2017 ... NOTE, Coffee Connection has changed location to The Rushmore Hotel (the old Radisson) on 8th and Main.  The time is still 9-10 am the first Wednesday of each month.  Everyone is welcome.The best is the parking, no problem!

Date: August 2017... REMEMBER we are creating this website so we can stay connected with classmates. (We are not the ones who will organize the reunion.)  In getting the site up early, we hope this will help with the efforts to organize our 50th reunion.  At this point there is not much interest, but we hope the website will change that. Please spread the word and encourage class friends to join!

Date: July 2017... PLEASE be sure your contact information is correct and write a short paragraph on what you have been doing.  Remember to save any changes you make.  Long lost friends can contact you through the website, but your email address does not show so your privacy is maintained.  It is a win-win situation. Please let your classmates know about our site.   Remember, you have to join this group so you can email friends and add pictures and other information.