Gehlen to hold All-school reunion To celebrate 50th

March 11, 2004

Gehlen Catholic will celebrate its 50th anniversary in July with an all-school reunion.

In 1953, Gehlen opened a new school, honoring Peter Gehlen. In 1961, the parishes of St. Joseph's - Struble, with its mission of St. Mary's - Maurice, Assumption Parish - Merrill, with its mission of St. Joseph's - Ellendale, and St. Joseph's Neptune joined to become Gehlen Catholic School. In May 2004, Gehlen will graduate its 50th class.

Catholic education in the Le Mars community began with the establishment of St. Joseph's Parish in 1875. Father Herman Meis, the first pastor, organized the first Catholic school. Father J.P. Barron organized St. James Parish in 1883. For a time, a small parochial school was conducted in the basement of the church. Since that time, St. James parishioners have attended St. Joseph's school and Gehlen.

St. Joseph and Gehlen will hold an all-school reunion, July 2 and 3 in Le Mars to celebrate. The all-school reunion will coincide with Le Mars Ice Cream Days, July 2 through 4 and the Blue Grass Festival, July 1 through 3. People can enjoy everything from competing in the 3-on-3 basketball game to the parade. (For more information, visit www.lemarsiowa.com or call Sue Butcher at the Chamber at 712-546-8821.)

The events will begin on July 2 with individual class activities for alumni to participate in.

A Golf Tournament at Le Mars Municipal Golf Course will begin at 8 a.m. on July 3 with a shotgun start. The tournament will be a 4-person best ball format with pre-registration required. For information, call Jen Kurth at (712) 546-8062. Fees for the golf tourament are $25 per person or $100 per team and can be paid the day of the event.

There will be tours of Gehlen School from 1 to 4 p.m. on July 3 with an outdoor Mass at Gehlen School from 4 to 5 p.m. In case of rain, Mass will be held in the gym.

Other Masses will be held at St. Joseph in Le Mars at 5 p.m; St. James in Le Mars at 5:30 p.m.; and Assumption in Merrill at 6:30p.m.

A social hour at Le Mars Convention Center will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by a banquet and program at 7 p.m. The cost for this event will be $20 for a single. A dance will be held after the banquet at Le Mars Convention Center from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.

The all-school reunion committee invites people to join in the celebrations. People are also encouraged to invite their favorite faculty member to join in the celebration.

Due to all of the events occurring that weekend, people may want to secure reservations today for their out-of-town guests at any of the following locations: Amber Inn Motel, 635 8th Avenue SW, Le Mars, (712) 546-7066; Amerihost Inn, 1314 12th Street SW, Le Mars, (712) 546-4910; Bel Air Motel, Hwy 75 North, Le Mars, (712) 546-4189; Lakeside Motel, Hwy 3 East, Le Mars, (712) 546-9013; Super 8 Motel, 1201 Hawkeye Avenue, Le Mars, (712) 546-8800; and area campsites.

All-school directories are also available for $15. The directories must be pre-ordered. Those individuals who will not be attending the All School Reunion but wish to order a directory must include an additional $3 for shipping and handling.

For questions regarding the All School Reunion, people are asked to contact their local class chairperson, Lisa Niebuhr at Gehlen at (712) 546-4181 or the school's web-site at www.gehlencatholic.com. Registration forms are asked to be filled out and returned to St. Joe's/Gehlen All School Reunion, 709 Plymouth Street NE, Le Mars, Iowa 51031 by April 1, 2004.