First class in a ‘Royal’ line

By Dee Frazier

Ron Neff, class of '59, worked at The Gazette from 1956-58 as a carrier while attending Immaculate Conception H.S. He had a route of 150 customers on C,D and E Avenues NE and worked in other capacities/Photo provided by Ronald Neff.

CEDAR RAPIDS – In the fall of 1958, students from St. Wenceslaus and Immaculate Conception high schools and Mount Mercy Academy joined together to form the first senior class at the new Regis High School.

On the weekend of May 29-31, 2009, members of the 1^st Regis Royals graduation class will gather in Cedar Rapids to celebrate their 50 year graduation anniversary.

Regis ‘59 graduates have had successful careers in advertising, banking, business, education at all levels, engineering, entrepreneurial enterprises, fund-raising, health care, hospital administration, law, law enforcement, labor negotiations, ministry, the military, modeling, mortuary services, nursing, the Phone Company, the U.S .Postal Service, printing, ranching, real estate, science, social work and the trades.

Fourteen classmates are deceased, among them locals Jim Bohr, long-time Yellow Pages representative, Realtor R.L. Smith (Smitty), Jim Stewart of the Stewart Funeral Home, labor mediator Robert Sullivan (Sully), and electrician John (Butch)Wawro. 

Classmates are scattered across 18 states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Forty-nine reside in Iowa.

Events of the weekend include:

• A Friday evening social at the Spy Bar in Marion
• Breakfast and tour of Regis on Saturday morning, hosted by Principal Rick Blackwell
• Get-together Saturday afternoon at Indian Creek Country Club, followed by evening social and dinner.  Guest Speaker will be Robert T. Jennings, educator and coach. An evening highlight will be distribution of the Regis ‘59 Class Autobiography Directory. 
• On Sunday morning, a Mass honoring the class of ‘59 will be celebrated by Father Donald Klein at St. Pius X Church.