advertisement

Alumni turn out for Mundelein’s 50th homecoming parade

Alumni turn out for Mundelein’s 50th homecoming parade

A member of Mundelein High School’s first sophomore class, Jerrie Vaughan wasn’t about to miss Friday’s homecoming parade.

With her husband, Bill, she trekked all the way from her home in Hurley, Wis., for the event, reuniting in Mundelein with lifelong friends who also were among the school’s first students in the early 1960s.

“We’re spending the weekend, all of us together,” Vaughan said from her folding chair on Hawley Street.

Mundelein High alums from across the country are in town this weekend, celebrating the school’s 50th anniversary.

Many, including 1965 graduate Penny Hanus, took tours of the school Friday morning. It hasn’t changed much, Hanus reported.

“Biology — I knew right where I sat,” Hanus said of her old science classroom. “I saw my locker. I was amazed.”

The afternoon’s parade was a highlight for Hanus, Vaughan and other graduates, some of whom marched or rode in the procession.

Brian Thatcher, a retired Mundelein High guidance counselor who also was the first class president in 1961-62, was the parade’s grand marshal. He happily waved to the crowd from a classic car.

Also in the parade was the Rev. Phil Blackwell, the valedictorian of the first graduating class.

Mundelein High opened in 1961, in the same district as Libertyville High School. Libertyville High broke away and formed its own district in 1964.

More anniversary events are planned for today, including:

Ÿ A golf outing at the Village Green Country Club in Mundelein, which starts at 6 a.m.

Ÿ A rededication ceremony set for noon.

Ÿ A gathering and jazz band performance in the school courtyard, from noon to 4 p.m.

Ÿ A party at the Libertyville Sports Complex, from 5 p.m. to midnight. That event is sponsored by an alumni group.

A second golf outing is set for 6 a.m. Sunday at Village Green.

For more information, visit www.d120.org.

  Two returning members of Mundelein’s Class of 1963 — Sandy Thorsen of Mundelein, left, and Patience Disney of Grand Rapids, Mich. — throw candy during Friday’s homecoming parade. photos by Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com