Friends share memories at banquet

By: 
Kate Wehlann, Staff Writer

Vivian Hypes Martin and Jane Purkhiser Nicholson sat next to each other in the West Washington Elementary auxiliary gym at the June 9 alumni banquet, chatting and laughing, much the way they likely did while students at Campbellsburg High School before they and 15 other classmates graduated in 1953.

“I loved school,” said Martin. “I loved being together and socializing, just like we’re doing here.”

“We had a good time in our class and we still do,” said Nicholson. “We’ve only lost four people in our class.”

After graduation, both ladies stayed fairly close by, got married and started families.

“I live on the same farm I was born on,” said Nicholson. I’ve lived in different places, but I’ve been there for more than 40 years.”

She got married two years after graduation and had four children.

Martin also married after high school. She was working at GC Murphy’s in Salem and she met her husband, Richard, at work. Their whirlwind romance lasted six months before they were married.

“He said he found his million-dollar baby at a five and ten cent store, like in the song,” she said laughing.

They had three sons, who had five grandsons, who had five great-grandchildren.

Both ladies have made a point of making it to the alumni banquets.

“This is a tradition for us,” said Martin. “I helped organize it for about 20 years or so.”

“Different ones come every year,” said Nicholson. “If you come every year, you get to see all of them. Most don’t come back until they’re an honor class and some not even then … It’s just a good time every year. My class gets together at other times, but I can’t always go.”

See the full story in The Salem Leader, on newsstands tonight. 

Category:

Please Login for Premium Content

Site Login Help

For current subscribers to The Salem Leader and The Salem Democrat, you can login to the site using the following information:

Username: Please use your full email address associated with your account
Password: Please use your last name. Passwords are case sensitive, so please capitalize your last name (eg: Smith)