PRESS RELEASE – The Stryker Alumni Association has been in existence since 1902, but due to a lack of volunteers, this may be the last year for the annual event. All SHS graduates, dating back to 1881, are automatically members of The Stryker Alumni Association.
From past minutes and newspaper articles, it appears that an annual banquet has been held almost every year since the Association was created.
Exceptions were during WWI, WWII and COVID. Stryker is one of the few remaining schools in the area that continues the tradition of honoring their past graduates.
The Association has struggled in the past 5-10 years in getting volunteers, as many graduates don’t live in the immediate area. The records show a total of 4,296 students have graduated from SHS since 1881 with 2,810 living graduates.
Current address records indicate we have at least one Stryker graduate living in every state except two! The oldest living graduate is from the class of 1943. Many classes hold a class reunion in conjunction with the alumni banquet.
The event is held close to graduation time and the current SHS senior class members are honored guests. Classes celebrating their 25th, 50th or 75th year are recognized and assigned a special table at the banquet.
The evening consists of a banquet, entertainment, awarding of scholarships and lots of reminiscing and sharing of memories.
Attendance has varied but ranges from 130 to 200 each year. It is always a great time to visit with not only your classmates, but others that were in school at the same time.
Many times, past teachers have been invited to attend and have enjoyed the evening. The school administration is very supportive of the Association and helps out with printing the invitations and programs and assisting with scholarship and project selections.
The constitution of the Association lays out the structure of the group and duties of the officers and various committees. A representative of the class celebrating their 25th year is appointed as President.
The vice president comes from the class celebrating their 24th year and will assume the presidency the following year.
The secretary and treasurer, along with the members of the Scholarship, Project and Auditing committees are appointed and can remain in these positions indefinitely.
Members pay $3.00 annual dues to offset postage expenses and can make donations that are awarded to the current graduates of SHS.
We have been fortunate that many dedicated graduates of SHS have stepped up over the years to fill these positions and plan the annual event.
After last year’s banquet, the suggestion was made to disband due to lack of interest and willing volunteers to help with the plans. We felt that lots of SHS graduates would step up and help if they were asked.
Some of the tasks include serving as secretary or treasurer, helping with one of the committees, updating addresses, preparing the invitation and affixing labels and stamps, planning the meal and program, monitoring returned mail, selecting the entertainment and setting up for the banquet.
This may involve a couple of in-person meetings. The most important thing would be to attend the annual banquet and support the Association.
So far, the response to the request for help has been encouraging, and we are starting a list of alumni who would be willing to help in any way.
If you are interested, contact Sue Buehrer at Buehrer5359@gmail.com or on Facebook. We will set up a planning meeting soon.
