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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, May 18, 2014, pg. 10 We were sorry to learn of the recent announcement that there will not be any Albion Community Band concerts at the Victory Park Band Shell this summer due to the lack of musicians. We will definitely miss it and the good times with our fellow citizens on Sunday evenings in the park. Hopefully the Band will be able to successfully recruit for next year. Each year at this time we feature the Albion High School class of 100 years ago. Gosh, with Albion High School now gone, I’m only going to be able to feature this annual theme for just 99 more years, to 2113. This is the first year that Albion has had no graduating class back to 1877 (1878 was the first graduating class). The Class of 1914 contained several future prominent Albion personalities. Class president was Ellery Oakes. Class Valedictorian was Olga McGuire. Ruth Rhodes was salutatorian. The class flower was the American Beauty Rose. This class had no motto, in Latin or in English, an anomaly at the time. The commencement occurred at the big Methodist Episcopal Church on E. Erie St., customary of those times. The date was the evening of Thursday, June 11, 1914. The address was given by Professor W. H. French of the Michigan Agricultural College. His subject was "The Big Four." His four points were: calling, culture, cooperation, and character. Superintendent William J. McKone handed out the diplomas. In looking through the list of graduates, there are several names that stand out. Audrey K. Wilder (1896-1979) served as Dean of Women at Albion College for many years and was a prominent Albion historian. Valedictorian Olga McGuire (1897-1980) (Mrs. Ralph Hicks) subsequently became a teacher at Albion High School for 43 years. Harold F. Wochholz (1895-1951) ran an insurance agency. Ruth Rhodes (Mrs. Earl Connor) (1896-1999) was the salutatorian and the longest living class member. She lived to be 103 years old! Here is the list of the forty-eight (48) graduates of Albion High School Class of 1914: Cecil J. Addington, Florence S. Baker, Lucile Ball [No, not that one], Clark Barrell, Marian Bedient, Samuel W. Bennett, Mayta Bohm, Clara A. Briggs, Iva E. Broxholm, Margaret A. Courtright, Roger H. Davis, Frank DeWeese, Margaret M. Doyle, Gladys Cornell Finch, Eleanor M. Foskit, Mildred Hall, William C. Hamilton, Richard E. Holtz, William Frederick Holtz. Marian Olga McGuire, Stella M. Miller, Eugenia F. Minkler, Kate Florence Morse, Ellery Armour Oakes, Lena M. Pettibone, Myrtle I. Pierce, Ross Quackenbush, Myrtle D. Rager, Alice Ludicia Reed, Ethel L. Rhinemiller. Edith L. Richards, J. Coral Richardson, Ruth Ella Rhodes, LeGrand H. Rickerd, Gladys L. Robinson, Marian Ethel Rogers, Hazel M. Romans, Oliver C. Saunders, Harry Arthelo Sawyer, George A. Schumacher, Hazel P. Sleeper, Doris Inez Sleeper, Millard Fillmore Smith, Rex Byron Starks, Lucile B. Townley, Alfred Frank Tuchtenhagen, Audrey Kenyon Wilder, and Harold Frank Wochholz.  Albion High School Class of 1914 From our Historical Notebook this week we present a composite photo of the Albion High School Class of 1914. This was also published in the Breeze Graduation Issue, 1913,Volume IX No. 8 as the center fold. How many of them do you remember? FULL CLASS PHOTOGRAPH: Top row, left to right: Myrtle Pierce, Cecil Addington, Stella Miller, J. Coral Richardson, Florence Baker, Alfred Tuchtenhagen, Lucile Ball, Eleanor Foskit, Harry Sawyer, Gladys Robinson, Harold Wochholz. 2nd row: Myrtle Roger, Richard Holtz, Olga McGuire, George Schumacher, Edith Richards, Kate Morse, Roger Davis, Mildred Davis. 3rd row: LeGrand Rickerd, Audrey Wilder, Frank DeWeese, Lucile Townley, Rex Starks, Margaret Doyle. 4th row: Mildred Hall, Oliver Saunders , Alice Reed, Mayta Bohm, Ruth Rhodes, Harley Allen, Gladys Finch , Ellery Oakes , Margaret Courtright, Hazel Romans, William Hamilton. Bottom row: Clark Barrell, Marian Bedient, Samuel Bennett, Hazel Sleeper, Doris Sleeper, Ross Quackenbush, Ethel Rhinemiller, Lena M. Pettibone, Eugenia Minkler, William Holtz, Iva Broxholm. Not pictured: Clara Briggs. All text copyright, 2026 © all rights reserved Frank Passic | Artwork copyright Maggie LaNoue © 2026
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