ALJ Alumni Tour and Reunion- Class of 1967

By: Bailey Rosenmeier
On Friday, September 22nd, the ALJ graduating class of 1967 had the opportunity to revisit the halls in which they once travelled as students eager to begin their lives in the real world. They were celebrating their 50th high school reunion.

As the group of alumni grew, so did the smiles, laughter, and exchanges of memories between classmates from years past. Some alumni even reported being more excited for the tour of their old high school than the actual reunion itself.
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Janice Lutes Gross, one of the organizers said, “It took a total of nine months to plan and organize the reunion, which amounted to 92 attendees in total. The tour of Arthur L. Johnson high school was just the first of many activities planned to kick off the reunion.”

During the classes walk through of ALJ, Mrs. Feeley and Mr. Bucior showed them around. They were thrilled when the football team lined the hallways and applauded them as they passed.  The festivities continued that evening as they were recognizes at the Johnson Crusader football game, who won over the Roselle Rams with a score of 23-13.

On Saturday, September 23rd, the alumni gathered at the Hilton in Springfield for the opportunity to reminisce with old friends they hadn’t seen for 50 years, “There were 350 seniors in our graduating class, and 1,500 students in the school,” Mr. William Duffy, an ALJ graduate and current community contributor, “Our class- we were baby boomers,” meaning they were born post World War II.

Mrs. Feeley, ALJ principal said, “It was a pleasure to host the 1967 class tour.  It shows the pride and joy in being a Johnson Crusader for life.”