8 states represented at Florence banquet

Eight states and 25 Kansas cities were represented among the 130 alumni, guests, and teachers who made reservations for the May 27 Florence Alumni Banquet at the Florence gym.

Organizers think the meeting, now in its the 127th year, is the oldest continuous alumni meeting in the state.

Reservations came from Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia.

Classes from 1945 to 2023 were represented, with special recognition to classes of 1953, 1958, 1963, and 1968 from Florence High School and to Florence graduates of Marion High School from 1973 and 1978.

Jerry Malmgren from the class of 1963 was master of ceremonies. Reilly Reid, class of 1965, served a meal.

Karen Robinson Walczak was elected president; Pat Robinson, vice president; Nelly Nunn Franklin, secretary; and Malmgren, treasurer.

A $1,000 scholarship was awarded to Sadie Lange.

Next year’s banquet is planned for May 25, 2024.