House Resolution No. 69

     One hundred twenty-seven years ago the Mayville Alumni Association was formed when three graduates of Mayville High School, two from the class of 1886 and the lone graduate from the class of 1885, decided to unite for a reunion in 1887. That reunion marked the beginning of what has now become the oldest, recognized Alumni Association in the state of Michigan. 

     In the 127 year history of the Alumni Association, approximately six thousand three hundred fifty students have received diplomas from Mayville High School, automatically making them members of the Alumni Association. Throughout the years the Alumni Association has continued to host an annual banquet to honor those who graduated from Mayville High School, and to reunite classmates and friends for a time of refreshments, remembering and reflecting on their High School years, as well as recognizing the 25 and 50 year Alumni with pins and diplomas. 

     In the early 1900's era the Annual Alumni Banquet was always held the evening of the day of graduation. The Knights of Pythias Hall or the Masonic Hall hosted the dinner portion of the Banquet, followed by a dancing party at the American Legion Opera House. These celebrations were often attended by as many as 175 alumni and friends, and were considered very formal occasions, from the china and snowy white table linens to the Toastmaster or Toastmistress. The "affairs" were often described later in the Mayville newspaper as being "charming" and "delightful". 

     In 1935 the Alumni Banquet was held for the very first time in the High School Auditorium, where 200 members and guests enjoyed an evening of dining and dancing, with the music provided by Ingersoll's Orchestra from Vassar. 1937 marked the Golden Anniversary of the Alumni Association and by this time the Order of Eastern Star Ladies were preparing the meal with the grade school girls performing the catering duties. 

     In the years following WWII, the Alumni Association sponsored dances and card parties as well as Dessert Luncheons followed by dancing, in addition to their Annual Alumni Banquet at graduation. In 1947, disaster struck when the entire mailing list of the Alumni Association was "accidently" destroyed, prompting a call for help in recovering the lost information. The Band Mothers began providing the meal in 1947 and in 1948 the ticket price had risen to $1.25 per couple and $1.00 for a single. 

     The early 1960's brought yet another change of schedule as well as location for the Annual Banquet. The Banquet no longer was held the evening of graduation and was moved to the Elementary School. The dancing portion of the Banquet did not exist and by the late 60's the price had risen to $5.00 per couple and $2.50 per single. 

     Sometime in the 70's the Banquet was relocated to the High School cafeteria. The 92nd Annual Banquet in 1979 saw a large attendance of 325 with music provided by the Mayville Brass. In 1986 the Alumni Association began making plans and fundraising for their 100 year celebration and they also became incorporated, and drafted By-Laws as well as developing a Mission Statement. 

     A record 600 guests attended the 100-year centennial Alumni celebration banquet in 1987 and the Mayville Monitor published front page news of the event. The entire day centered around the celebration which began at 8:30 in the morning with a road race, followed by a large parade complete with a King and Queen, and over 60 parade entries. The afternoon was scheduled full of events including softball tournaments as well as an Alumni Band Concert. The banquet was followed by dancing featuring a 12-piece dance band in the High School Gym and Bingo was played at the American Legion Hall. 

       The 1990's brought even more changes and it was the first time in the Alumni Association history that a scholarship was awarded to a graduating senior. The spring of 1993 welcomed the first edition of the HISTORIAN Alumni paper, replacing a two-page newsletter. On May 29, 1997 the state of Michigan passed House Resolution No. 69, honoring the Mayville Alumni Association for 110 years and recognized them as the oldest continuously functioning high school alumni association in the state. In addition to the resolution, they also presented the Alumni Association with a certificate, which later mysteriously disappeared while on display at an Alumni Banquet. 

     In 2011 the Alumni Association was granted Nonprofit Status, making contributions to the Scholarship fund tax-deductible, giving the alumni an added benefit and incentive to donate. In honor of their 125 year anniversary in 2012 the Alumni Association voted to award two $1000 scholarships, and they began asking the alumni to subscribe to the Historian paper to help defray the costs of printing and postage. The Historian paper has grown to 20 pages and for the first time in 2014, it was printed in full color. A big effort to update the mailings list and database began in 2012 and an internet page on Facebook was started by a graduate from the class of 1974. The internet page now boasts over 1550 members and is continuing to grow. 

     Every spring the Alumni Association invites all alumni to return to Mayville High School in early June and enjoy a meal that for almost 20 years has been catered by "Touch of Class", and to be a part of the continuing tradition of honoring the 25 and the 50 year graduates. The school is always open several hours in advance for classes to come in and visit and talk in one of the available classrooms before the meal is served. Following the meal everyone is ushered into the Auditorium for the presentations and the names of the current graduates are read, along with the presentation of the Alumni Scholarships and the Norman Duncan Award. 

     The days of fine china, white table linens and dancing to orchestra music have passed. However, it is the hope of the current Alumni Association board that the younger generations of Mayville High School graduates will step up, take over and carry on the ceremony of the Annual Banquet that started with three graduates  who saw the importance of linking the past to the future. Memories of years gone by become dim and faded, but as long as the present Alumni Association continues to look ahead, and volunteers step forward, the Mayville High School Alumni Association is hopeful that these traditions will be carried far into the future.        

                                                                                                   ~Victoria (Vollweiler) Shields - '75

                                                                                                      Historian Editor 

Published in the 2014 "Our Town" - celebrating 150 years of Mayville