The three-day weekend for many means no school, no mail delivery and the official start of the fall season. For the town of Trenton, it means filled motels, special dinners and dances, and hundreds of alums coming home.
The annual Trenton High School Alumni Reunion, an occasion that began back in 1948 when a group of classmates gathered and decided to organize an alumni association to benefit the school system and encourage alumni to “come home.”
It is the annual Trenton High School Alumni Reunion, an occasion that began back in 1948 when a group of classmates gathered and decided to organize an alumni association to benefit the school system and encourage alumni to “come home.”
The first reunion took place on May 30, 1949, with a picnic and dance from that point on, the interest simply steamrolled. Although held in the spring for the first two years, the third reunion in 1951 was held over Labor Day and it was agreed to make it an annual celebration over the Labor Day weekend. Through the years, activities added have included Saturday and Sunday night dances, an Open House at Trenton High School, an All-Alumni Brunch on Sunday and respective banquets, luncheons, and parties hosted by the five-year classes.
This year, a tennis challenge and an Alum Run for scholarships have also been added to the schedule in addition to golfing and special activities at the home football game on Friday night. Each five-year class has a Labor Day reunion so much of the celebrating centers around those honor classes for the year. In 1955, the first edition of the “THS Alumni News” was published and although it was a simple fold over newsletter, it has now grown to a 40-page publication and mailed to hundreds.
Steve Maxey, one of the coordinators of the alumni weekend says it is definitely one of the biggest weekends for the community with alums coming from all over the United States and even some foreign countries. Maxey says his own reunion this year, which is the 50th reunion for the class of 1966 and the celebration of the 100th graduating class from Trenton High School will include classmates from Germany and Puerto Rico and a dozen different states.
In 1982, the Foundation Trust for Trenton High School was founded to not only support the Alumni Association but to serve as a fundraising arm for the entire school system. Since its inception, the Foundation has been the catalyst for literally hundreds of thousands of dollars to support everything from sound systems, pianos, air conditioning and stage curtains to a roof for the stadium, an all-weather track, tennis courts and their recent project to support placing artificial turf on the local football field.
Maxey says the support of alums has been remarkable and what began with a plea for new stage curtains for the former Trenton High School building is now a simple great tradition of giving. Alums are always giving back and recognize the outstanding educational system offered to students of the Trenton R-9 School and take pride in supporting the needs of students and faculty alike.
Dr. John Holcomb serves as the President of the Foundation with Maxey as the Secretary. Steve Muff is the Vice President and Rebecca Allnutt Cochran is the Treasurer – all of Trenton. Board members are James Hughes of Kansas City, Ed McCarty of Wilmington, North Carolina, Dr. Joanna Key Anderson of Sedalia and two additional Trenton board members – NiCole McHarge Neal and Kevin Bailey.
