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The 62nd Matamoras High School Alumni Banquet was held Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Matamoras Elementary School. A social hour was held for alumni to meet with former classmates and reminisce about the good times at MHS. That was followed by a dinner and program featuring entertainment and recognition of honored classes.

The current officers for the MHS Alumni Association are Corey Martin, President; Mary Lou Jackson Carpenter, Vice President; Roz Taylor Moore, Secretary; and Linda Taylor Kirkbride, Treasurer.

President Corey Martin welcomed everyone and served as master of ceremonies for the evening. A list of alumni who passed away in the previous year was read. They were: 1937 — Kingsley Johnston 1939 — Ruth Cunningham Matheny and Lila Doan Hill 1946 — Romena Fox Beaver and Bill Miller 1947 — Grace Collins Trimm 1948 — Virgil Ritchie 1949 — Neil Beaver 1950 — Joan Alloway Smith and Alberta Conley Morris 1952 — Donna Mae Winland Slonaker 1953 — Rita Carder Walters and Roger Earley 1954 — Marjorie Pool Sherwood 1955 — Marjorie Earley Butler and Doloris Thompson Wise 1957 — Shirley Petty Lemasters 1959 — Irma Earley, Laurel Lynn Harrington Demas and Carole Lohr Wilson 1960 — Barbara Cisler Martin and Chuck Weddle 1961 — Horace Deaton and Mary Deaton Bingham 1963 — Benny Hupp and Gary Smith 1964 — Judy Dunn Skidmore and Ruth Iddings Hall 1965 — Ted Langsdorf.

Following a moment of silence, alumna Mary Edith Hupp Hutchison gave the invocation.

Quinet’s of New Martinsville catered the meal. Following the meal, the program began with the Pledge of Allegiance. A special thank you was given to the banquet set-up committee, staff of Quinet’s, and to all alumni who sent donations.

Lee Dean of “Lee Dean Sings!” wowed the crowd with his spot-on impersonation of The King of Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis Presley.

The classes of 1955, 1960 and 1965 were this year’s honored classes, celebrating their 70th, 65th and 60th alumni reunions, respectively.

The classes of 1941 through 1954 were also recognized, and each person from those classes who was present received a gift. There were also drawings for prizes for the honored classes, as well as all alumni.

Those present at this year’s banquet were: 1943 — Dorothy Langsdorf Minger 1947 — Ed Archbald and Bill Dunn 1951 — Patricia Miller Smittle; guest Sherry VanCamp 1953 — Mary Anderson Carson; guest Sarah Carson 1954 — Amanda Alloway Merckle 1955 — Carol Hall Gay 1956 — Grace Selmon King; guest Marion Duckworth 1957 — Luther Hall 1958 — Gary Cochran and Ruby Selmon Ring 1959 — Shirley Cline Poole, Mary Edith Hupp Hutchison, Bill Hutchison, Mary Lou Jackson Carpenter, Mary Jeanette Lynch Ward and Ginny Galley McVey; guest Michelle Leasure 1960 — Kenny Beaver, Janis Carder Pickering, Rachel Carson and Gary Cole; guest Peggy Walser 1961 — Mary Beaver Stull, Connie Cline Brady, Liz Cline Eckelberry, Dave Cochran, Jim Dreyer, Twila Earley Griffin, Jeanne Hendershot Schwab, Carol Hutchison Moore and Ernie Kerns; guests Angela Edwards, Jana Schwab, Mitzi Shanholtzer and Steven Stull 1962 — Gene Cline 1963 — Dorothy Morris Ogaz; guest

Victor Ogaz 1964 — Judy Beaver Frient and Dianne Taylor Longfellow; guest Don Metheney 1965 — Helen Buccella Costa, Donna Earley Taylor, John Earley, Louis Gale Hupp, Janice Lollathin Walker, Bill McFadden, Linda Taylor Kirkbride and Becky Wolverton Mullett 1966 — Jo Decker Weber, Barbara Earley Deem, Dave Earley, Mary Taylor Bechtold and David Wright; guests Diane Chapman and Patricia Wright 1967 — Bonnie Earley Cline and Janet Henning Hudspeth 1968 — Chuck Beaver and Roz Taylor Moore Frontier 1974 — Julie Taylor Edwards; guest Roger Edwards Frontier 1996 — Corey Martin.

Matamoras High School opened in the late 1800s and continued to serve the New Matamoras community until the late 1960s. The original building, at the corner of Second Street and Broadway Avenue, opened in the 1892-93 school year. The second building, known as Stover School, opened in the 1925-26 school year on Grandview Avenue. In 1962, MHS absorbed students from nearby Bloomfield High School, following its closure. In 1964, the Frontier Local School District was created, consolidating the Matamoras, Bloomfield, Newport and Lawrence School Districts into one. The final class to graduate from MHS was in 1968. That fall, Matamoras, Newport and Lawrence High Schools were consolidated into Frontier High School. The old Stover School building became an elementary school and remained open until the early 2000s when it was demolished, and a new elementary school was built on the site. The MHS Alumni Association was formed in 1961. Its current membership includes all living MHS graduates from the classes of 1941 to 1968, as well as a few FHS graduates who also graduated from the 8th grade at Matamoras Elementary School. The Association holds a banquet every year on the second Saturday in June.