T-R PHOTO BY SARA JORDAN-HEINTZ - Saturday afternoon, approximately 200 alumni posed for one last photo shoot in front of the former Albion School building before it is torn down. The school house was constructed in 1915, with the last high school graduating class passing through its doors in the spring of 1962. From the fall of 1962 until 1981, the school was consolidated with Marshalltown students and operated solely as an elementary school.

Editor’s note: This is the fourth article in a five-part series highlighting the T-R’s top feature stories of 2018. It originally ran on May 6.

ALBION — One final photo outside their school.

Saturday afternoon, alumni of the Albion Public School system gathered outside in front of the defunct school house for one final, official goodbye before the building is torn down. The Albion Public School (which served K-12) was constructed in 1915, with the last high school graduating class passing through its doors in the spring of 1962. From the fall of 1962 until 1981, the school was consolidated with Marshalltown students and operated solely as an elementary school. It then became the community center, which until recently was used for various social gatherings and events, before being shut down.

“Karen Davis Betts had the idea of having a photo taken in the yard of the school with former students and faculty members before it’s gone forever,” said coordinator Janell Uhde Walker, who lives in Altoona. “So I took her lead and started a Facebook group called ‘Albion School’ to try and connect with everyone that went to school in Albion.”

This several months-long effort resulted in approximately 200 alumni showing up for the photo shoot and celebration that followed. First, one large group photo was taken of any and all students and faculty, followed by photos of each individual graduating class. The guest of honor was Jean Ward Hurlbut, 103, who is the oldest surviving alumni, having graduated in 1932. She resides in Garwin.

“I’m the only one left in my class,” Hurlbut said.

She said one of her favorite memories was how some classrooms were combined with several grades.

“You had to be quiet when the teacher started teaching the students in the other side of the classroom,” she reflected.

Attendees had the chance to purchase commemorative t-shirts and school-themed Christmas ornaments, as well as purchase 5×7 photo prints of the class photos, on site. Following the photo shoot, people got to attend a pulled pork dinner and silent auction at the Albion Fire Station. In addition, the Albion Alumni Association held its annual banquet at the Albion Presbyterian Church.

“We chose this date [to take the group photo] because we wanted to be sure that all the Albion graduates that came into town for their reunion would be included and not have to come later,” Walker noted on the Albion School Facebook page. “Not knowing when demolition will begin, we didn’t want to take any chances on waiting for a later date.”

The event gathered folks of all graduating classes, ages and backgrounds.

“I was happy to see classmates I hadn’t seen in a while,” said alumni Jim Coleman.

For Colleen Willcox Babcock of Des Moines, having attended Albion School from second through sixth grade left a lasting impression.

“My family and I come back to look at the school a lot,” she said. “I’m a teacher, and the school was the foundation of my childhood.”

Frank Tichy, who graduated in 1949, said he was happy to have a reason to drive to Albion to see his old school building.

“I live in Marshalltown but I hadn’t been [to Albion] for a while, so it was nice to see my classmates,” he said. “It’s been a while since we’re been in school; everyone has changed, and you had to look at the name tags to see who everyone is.”

For more information on the photo shoot, Walker may be reached at: 641-485-0712 or twowalkers@outlook.com