Welcome to IVHS Alumni and Friends

Kerby Union High School 1924 - 1949

Illinois Valley High School 1949 - Present

IVHS Alumni and Friends History & Trivia Page


". . . generations are like high school classes. Each one has its own members, reputation and personality. It's why we go to reunions. We go to walk again with our friends in the world we created that is unique to us. No one else understands us better." Erma Bombeck.

Reunion 2006 brings bits and pieces:

  • Ed Field '86 is packing Spanish wine for their gift basket "Lost in Paradise" all the way from his home in Murcia, Spain.

  • Tom Butrick '66 has never been to a reunion, but he's apparently going to show up all the way from - Bend(?). Classmate Bob Lewis '66 sends greetings from Brazil, but can't make the scene this year.

  • The '46 class has a weekend marathon going on that would put many of the rest of us to shame. Starting 2 p.m. Friday, tripping into the dance Saturday night, and forging ahead to breakfast Sunday morning. Whew!

  • David Valenzuela '91 will be the new principal at Evergreen Elementary, "Way to Go, David"! Tristan Proett '91, and all the rest of the Proett alums, will be in town tossing a BIG celebration honoring dad. Happy 70th, Stan!

  • Bob Bottel '61 (who ustabe known as Dennis), after 34 years with Campbell Soup Company, in retirement is a consultant on Food Safety and Quality with several national food companies from his home on a marina near Fort Myers, FL. And guess what? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He writes a column for the local paper. Remember his mom's "Helen Help Us"? After math and physics at UofO, a JCLDS missionary in Finland, BYU, and 26 years training pilots, LT. COL. USAF (Ret.) classmate Terry Johnson '61 has landed in Eagle Mountain UT where he hangs out at the Missionary Department of the JCLDS church in Provo.

  • The Class of '56 is welcoming a crowd of '53 & '54 outtatown gatecrashers on Saturday night, but they had to promise to curtail their usual rowdiness or they couldn't come.

  • Randy Hubbard '76 and classmate Ken Swift '76 are herding a goodly bunch down the river Saturday morning.

  • Among the 34, including 14 of the 32 grads, at the Class of '51 dinner Saturday nite will be Bill Kester '51, class president all those years ago, who has vowed not to be long-winded with his MC chores! He'll arrive from Dana Point CA with two of his youngsters. Louis Banta '51, attending his second reunion, is meandering over the hill from Lincoln City, and Larry Wright '51, who probably has never missed one, will be there from Santa Rosa. Joining in will be Ron & Doris Hall Stewart '50 from DuPont WA. Doris was IVHS's first student body president.

  • The 96ers are expecting a big bunch on Carlos' enclosed deck Saturday night, but if you REALLY want to know what they're up to check out the Illinois Valley High School forum on myspace.com., and you might keep an eye on The Rock over the weekend!


  • The passing of E.V. Cooke (4/8/12 - 6/14/06) ends an era of Valley history, indeed a family history traced back to the 1500's in Kent County, England and intertwined with some notable participation in US history since 1638. "Unc" as he was affectionately known by a wealth of nieces and nephews, many of them alumni, leaves an Illinois Valley legacy of "workers, builders, storytellers," his words from his reminiscences published last year. A tribute by a nephew, Jack: "He was the last of the gang we grew up looking up to: Curly, Ole, Zippy, George, Tycer, Nealy, Trefethen, Allen, Krauss, Logan, Sowell, Dunc, Wells - one helluva bunch of guys. With all their faults, and they had some, they will go down in our history books as unstoppable. Through Depression, war, winds and floods, they fell timber, built roads, blasted tunnels, and moved equipment to impossible places. But most of all I remember the laughter, the parties, the practical jokes. They were a great bunch to trail with - any trail. We'll never see their like again." Jack Cooke '53 and brother Frank '56 will be in the Valley for Reunion 2006.


  • National Guard Captain Noel Hoback '87 and 20 troops from Grants Pass arrived in Afghanistan June 13th along with a large contingent from all over Oregon. He will be there at least a year. Noel reports running into alums rather often. SSG Chad Lewis '97 is in Afghanistan with the 41st Brigade Combat Team ouf of Oregon acting as a military advisor to the Afghan National Army. SSG Jody Dutton '89 and SPC Julie Waud '90 are also with that team as part of the Logistics Task Force. Both ladies asked Noel to send "Hello's and How Are Ya's" to Shaun '89. Sounds like brother Shaun's reputation has made it around the world! Noel would be pleased to hear from us, Email Noel here. We might also send up a lot of prayers for all of them.


  • Wanna hang out with the Class of '56 gals? A bunch of them have been meeting for lunch in GP once a month for over a year. Anyone from any class coming into town who would like to join them, you're invited. Call Vera. They've had several "one-time" visitors passing through. It's a great thing!


  • Duffers listen up! Buried on page 4P. Quoting the GP Courier, April 19, 2006: "GOLFER NOTCHES ACE AT DUTCHER. Local golfer Arnie Mellow recently scored a hole-in-one on the 106-yard, par-3 eighth hole at Dutcher Creek Golf Course. He notched the ace using a pitching wedge." That's Arnold Mellow, Class of '54. We think it shoulda been the headline of the day!

  • Shirley Sowell Gooch (Linkhart), '56, has just released her second novel, White Water Bar & Grill, a novel of emancipation. Shirley's first novel, a contemporary amateur sleuth mystery, No Accounting for Murder, takes place in a small Oregon logging town called Barkerville. Her latest novel, a prequel to the mystery novel, depicts her series character, Suzanne, facing grown-up decisions in the winter of 1962 when she enters the maelstrom of the White Water Bar & Grill in Barkerville. Shirley writes as Shirley Linkhart.

  • The Pope sports dynasty is alive and well. The sons of Jim '73, and Julie Miller Pope '76, grandsons of Jim '54 and Aggie Ritter Pope '55, carry on the tradition. Jon '02, is a U of O Duck linebacker. His brother Josh, Class of '04, is a 6' 5", 280 lb. defensive tackle at College of the Siskiyous in Weed, and being courted by several BIG universities.

  • The oh-so-talented Class of '63 won the trophy for the Best Decorated Homecoming Float all of their four years at IVHS. That's the same class that presented the decorated, lacquered, and framed cow chip as an award at their Reunion 20 in 1983. Hmmm.


  • One of the more memorable highlights of Bob Lewis' military career occurred In September 1970. Bob '66, a junior officer aboard the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850), found himself chatting with Jackie Kennedy over a cup of coffee in the wardroom. The ship was hosting the Kennedy family for a day cruise to observe the America's Cup race off the coast of Massachusetts. Bob is now teaching in Brazil.


  • Crystal Fresh Bottled Water was named 2004 Small Business of the Year by the Rogue Community College Small Business Development Center. It was cited for being a well-run family business. That's Walt '52 and Betty Joyce Robinson Farmer '55, and sons Shelby '78 and Michael '94. It's still going strong.


  • Larissa Stewart '85 and Rod Dailey '85 were voted as having the "nicest smile". That was in 1981. Eighth grade. Terry Bare '85 and Scott Salcido '85 were the "funniest"!

  • July 6, 1985. The Class of 1960 raffled a weekend in Gold Beach, dinner for two at Mon Desir in Medford, dinner for two at the Brewery in GP, lunch for two at the New Cafe in Cave Junction, and a large pizza and pitcher of drink at the Pizza Deli to pay for the Reunion Dance at the Belt Building.


  • That notorious '59 class just keeps on reunioning. What started as quarterly committee meetings of four or five folks in 2003 at Mary and Mike Whiteley's in Medford preparing for their 45th in 2004 has morphed into three-day getaways on the Oregon Coast. Donna Frost Smith is recovering nicely from the hilarious tricycle episode. Now up to 10 or 12 partygoers and growing, their next sojourn is planned for Depoe Bay in April. Word is spreading and friends from other classes have been known to crash the scene.

  • Pat '91 and Lisa Raymond Sherier '94 live in beautiful Illinois Valley-actually, they've never left! Pat works for the local power company and Lisa has been at SOFCU for years. They have two active youngsters, Andrew 6, and Austin 4, adding to the huge dynasty of Sheriers. Pat was our 1991 $cholarship recipient.
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