The class of 1966 just celebrated their 50th year reunion
At the Nov. 7 borough council meeting, Mayor Michelle Arnold proclaimed Oct. 22 Palmyra High School Class of 1966 Reunion Day.
The Class of 1966 recently celebrated its 50th reunion, and it was a special one. Graduates still living in Palmyra were joined by classmates from around the country who made a special effort to be part of the celebration.
“For the past 50 years, the members of this class have been outstanding examples of community-minded citizens who have served as important role models to the young men and women in our communities, and whereas although the reunion will be a time of joy in seeing old friends and remembering good times, it will be an opportunity to recall the past,” Arnold said.
Arnold added that the class strived to remember their classmates who are now deceased while making the experience enjoyable and memorable for family members of these classmates.
“Now, therefore, I, Michelle Arnold, by virtue of the authority vested in me as the mayor of the Borough of Palmyra in the state of New Jersey, do hereby proclaim Oct. 22, 2016 as Palmyra High School Class of 1966 Reunion Day,” Arnold said.
In other news:
• After speaking on the Class of 1966, Arnold detailed the cancellation and rescheduling of the Palmyra Halloween Parade.
“It made for an uncomfortable situation, obviously. An unsafe situation for people walking in the parade and for participants as well as spectators,” Arnold said. “The decision was made to cancel the parade for that night, but they did rally together and they pulled off a mini-parade. Good job to everybody there and to borough staff and police for helping to pull that off as well.”
The parade was scheduled for Oct. 30, but was cancelled due to inclement weather. The organizing committee ultimately decided to reschedule the parade for Nov. 2, as the members did not want all of the hard work community members put in to go to waste.
• The first Citizen’s Police Academy class graduated on Friday, Nov. 11. The program ran on Tuesday evenings from Sept. 13 to Nov. 8. After holding a successful Youth and Senior Police Academy, the department decided to expand the program to other age groups.
According to the police department, the academy is designed to provide citizens with an understanding of the procedures and operations of the department while building a positive rapport between the police and community members.
“It was really something. Luckily for us, there was only four of us, so we got, I think, a little bit more attention for just the four of us as opposed to maybe 10 or 15 that might have shown up for it,” Palmyra resident and Palmyra War Memorial Committee President Tom McElwee said. “I’m even thinking about going back next year.”
McElwee went on to say he especially enjoyed the nights students were permitted to ride along with the police officers and see them in action, calling the experience eye-opening.
“It really showed what our police department does,” McElwee said. “I think more people should look into it next year and just see what happens in the police department.”
