63rd Class Reunion of the Riggs High School

Class of ‘63

 

     In September 2026, the Riggs High School Class of 1963 held their 63rd Reunion at the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center in Pierre. 22 classmates and another 10 family members attended. The weather was perfect for South Dakota in September, and we all had a wonderful time.

 

     We started on Thursday, September 10th with a 5:00 p.m. Social sponsored by Julianne Thomas. The food was excellent and the liquid refreshments satisfied everyone. As the room started to fill up, the sound of laughter and joyful noise got louder and louder. Several classmates had not attended a reunion ever or not for several decades. However, even after 63 years there was still a common bond of similar life experiences and great memories.

 

     We gathered again on Friday, September 11th at 5:00 for the Reunion sponsored social buffet dinner at the Ramkota Courtyard. Although not everyone could attend the Thursday social, everyone who had registered for the Reunion was present for this event. The banquet room was even louder than the previous evening with more laughter and talk. It was great to see each other again after the 60th Reunion three years ago. Dick Widdoss was attending his first Class Reunion and he said he was enjoying every minute. Connie Green Young had attended one or two very early Reunions but had not seen her classmates in over 50 years. Following the social was a delicious buffet dinner and of course, more talking and laughing.

 

     Dick Lamster served as the Master of Ceremonies after the dinner. He reminded us that the bad news was that we have all exceeded our life expectancies. For the United States, it is 81.4 years for women and 76.5 years for men. However, he did remind us that the good news is that WE ARE STILL HERE! We discovered that we have three classmates who have been married for 63 years! Jim Whitney and Carol Pyncheon Whitney (both classmates) have been married just a few months longer than Dennis and Birdie Naasz. We also found out that several classmates have been married for over 50 years. What a great achievement. Milt and Dawn Morris took the prize for the most grandchildren with 16.

 

     Saturday, September 12th started with a 10:00 a.m. tour arranged by Dawn Morris of the “new” Governor’s Mansion. It is a few years old now, but it replaced the one we all knew as kids growing up in Pierre. We used to play baseball, tag, football and other games on the Mansion lawn, but now it is surrounded by a large “security” fence. The tour was really nice and the citizens of South Dakota did a good job on the Governor’s home. All the artwork and much of the furnishings were done by South Dakota artists, wood workers and carpenters. A large, beautiful stone “coffee” table made by Milt and Dawn Morris’ company is on the ground floor in a room next to the foyer. So, the Class of ’63 has a presence in the Mansion.

 

     At 1:00 p.m. we went on a 2 ½ hour bus ride around Pierre and Ft. Pierre sponsored by Milt Morris who was also our “guide”. It was an enjoyable ride through the cities seeing both old and new sites. We drove by several of the homes we grew up in and many familiar schools, businesses, the Capitol grounds and more. Milt gave us a great first-hand account of the devastating flood of 2011. A great account of the flood plus a history of Milt and Dawn and their family is in a book written by John Nagel in 2024 entitled “The Man Who Saved Pierre and Fort Pierre”. It is a great book and a highly recommended read about our classmate who indeed saved Pierre and Fort Pierre. The book is available on Amazon and Milt has a few copies he gives to friends like us.

 

     Milt brought his fully restored 1928 Buick to the Ramkota for all to see. It is indeed a work of art and took hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to restore. He gave several of us a ride in this masterpiece. Thanks go to Milt for dusting off his Buick and bringing it to the Ramkota. Several people staying at the Ramkota or walking by also enjoyed seeing and photographing it.

 

     Saturday night was the final social and sit-down dinner. Milt was the Master of Ceremonies and did a great job trying to control this rowdy group! After much discussion, classmates voted unanimously to have another reunion in two years. It will be our 65th Reunion! Dawn Morris volunteered to be the organizer again in two years and Sally Hanson has agreed to manage the Class of ‘63 website and maintain an email and mailing address list as she has for decades. Be sure to send Sally any contact information changes you have.

 

     It costs around $55 a month to have our website. Our treasury balance will probably cover another five or six months. Several classmates said they are very willing to pay for the continuation of our website after that. Sally will keep us informed when more money is needed to keep the site going and will tell us where to send our checks.

 

     Sunday morning was the end of the Reunion with an informal breakfast at the Ramkota. We slowly departed and went our separate ways with great memories and anticipation for the next reunion.

 

     Our 63rd Reunion was a great success. Thank you to Dawn and Milt Morris and others on the Reunion Committee for making it all happen.

 

     We hope to see all of you in September 2028!