Newton’s Class of 1947 celebrates its 75-year anniversary

Three former classmates from one of Newton’s oldest living graduating classes sat at a table together reminiscing about their lives.

Avery Wilson, 93, was dressed in his red Newton garb, living up to his reputation as one of the biggest Cardinal football fans. He talked in-depth of his experiences as a fullback on the football team. In 2016, he funded and dedicated a Cardinal statue by artist John Brommel to H.A. Lynn Stadium in honor of his late wife.

Gerald Carpenter, 92, is more commonly known by his nickname “Chick,” which he got from his time working at the local hatchery and coming to school smelling like chickens. The self-described “underachiever” became a teacher at Beverly Hills, Calif. Some famous students include Richard Dreyfuss and Nicolas Cage.

Bonnie Swalwell Eilert, 93, cried the day of graduation. She didn’t want to leave her friends. She later went on to be a heckuva rooster crower and even won awards for her husband calling talents at the Iowa State Fair. Eilert also shared screen time with Steve Harvey in NBC’s “Little Big Shots: Forever Young.”

This year marks the 75-year anniversary of the Class of 1947.

They all met at Park Centre less than a week before their annual class reunion brunch, hosted by other Newton alumni. With the Class of 1947 well into their 90s, it is unlikely they would partake in the heavy partying at Legacy Plaza the day before the brunch. Some have a hard enough time getting around as is.

Nevertheless, the Class of 1947 is awfully unique. While most classes of Newton High School — or any high school for that matter — meet one per year or once every five years, the Class of 1947 meets monthly when possible. The first Wednesday of every month the ol’ Cardinals meet at a restaurant to catch up.

“When the alarms go off in Newton on Wednesday, the first of the month, we know it’s meeting day,” Carpenter said with a laugh. “Every month we see whoever wants to come. They used to have 12 or 14 people. Now it’s like seven or eight at the most. Very often it’s four people.”

When they first began meeting with each other, Wilson guessed there were about 25 or so, including spouses. Of course that was 10 years ago, he says. Well, maybe 20 years ago. Hard to say. But the Class of 1947 is depleting. They estimate about 132 or so of their classmates have died.

Which leaves about 52 left. But Wilson affirmed there are probably a good dozen or so they do not know about. So chances are it is probably less than that.

If one inspected Wilson’s and Eilert’s impressive records of photos, newspapers, scrapbooks and other relics close enough and long enough, they might find the answer. But if the question was about football, Wilson would be the guy to talk to. He’ll track down any year, any name, any score if he doesn’t already know it.

Bringing up football is a sure-fire way to get lost in conservation with Wilson, which would be a problem if he didn’t tell the stories so well and with such great emotion. Wilson clasped onto the armrests of his chair when the story reached its high point, like when finally Newton beat Marshalltown and Ames in the 1940s.

Carpenter has a self-deprecating way of talking about himself and his time at Newton. He might not have liked school, but the irony in him becoming a teacher doesn’t escape him. Carpenter also coached, which he loved. He recalls his teaching days with great affection. And he truly loved his students and school.

Of the three, Eilert is more certainly the spunkiest. She’s sharp and direct, and she can quote Shakespeare on a whim. One the things she cherished most about Newton High School was her ability to memorize, which certainly helped in quizzes, sure, but more so when reciting Shakespeare.

Although Eilert struggled with the lines of the first scene of the second act of “Macbeth,” as soon as her daughter fed her the line she couldn’t be stopped.

“Go bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready. She strike upon the bell. Get the to bed. Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?,” Eilert recited before ending her speech with a plucky “blah, blah, blah.” She could go on, she says. I believe her.

Conversations with these three classmates from the Class of 1947 were often jumbled and got off-topic. They spun me around and jolted me in different directions like a roller coaster. But I was along for the ride no matter way, and I was enjoying my company wherever it was they took me to next.

They eventually told me 184 Newton students received their diplomas on graduation day in 1947. It was a memorable day for Carpenter, Eilert and Wilson and their fellow classmates. Not only was it their last day of high school, it was the same day as a now famous snow storm.

According to the National Weather Service, from the evening of May 27, 1947, through May 28, 1947, the low barometric pressure produced up to a foot of snow across Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa. The planned outdoor graduation ceremony at Maytag Park was moved to the YMCA in downtown Newton.

Carpenter was so frustrated by the May snowfall, even more so because he was finally able to wear a nice pair of shoes. He still wore them to the ceremony. But he also had to trudge through snow and slush just to get to the YMCA. Record storm and relocation aside, graduation went off without a hitch.

Laying on the table between them was a May 28, 1947, “Jasper County senior edition” of the Newton Daily News, which celebrates the graduation above the fold and in big, bold letters. Below were black-and-white pictures of the salutatorian, Ann Campbell, and valedictorian, Leonard Cohn.

Printed below the fold was the class song by Beverly Haynes and Bill Shields:

We are building for the future, striving with all our might

To do service to our comrades true, never challenging the right.

Loyal hearts aflame we go to build with blocks the days gone by

And as we leave we pledge anew our faith in you, dear Newton High.

We’ve traveled the pathway of learning together for many years

We’ve shared with one another our hopes, our joys, and fears.

The joys we’ve shared together will linger in every heart

A page in our book of memories the happiest loveliest part

Boom-a-zipa! Boom-a-zipa! Boom-a-zip-a-Bah!

Class of ‘47! Rah! Rah! Rah!