Two members of the Buchanan High School Class of 1946 met on November 8 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their high school graduation. Only Carolyn Ruble Coffman of Daleville and Geneva Karnes Jenkins of Roanoke were able to attend their class reunion at Brugh’s Mill Country Store in Troutville. Linda Jenkins Hanson, Geneva’s daughter, was there to mark their celebration as well. Their classmates, Irene Cadd Backman of Richmond, Nancy Montgomery Deer of South Carolina, and Evelyn Walker Shelor of Roanoke, were unable to attend.
“We were 39 teenagers ready to face the world,” said Mrs. Jenkins of her class.. “We saw our classmates going off to World War II, while others went to college or got married and raised families.”
The two friends and classmates looked at their school annuals, ate a good meal at Brugh’s Mill Country Store, laughed and enjoyed being together, sharing their memories. They talked about this past year’s restrictions and how life has changed. Both still drive and are very active in their churches and their communities.
Both ladies grew upon farms outside of Buchanan. One memory Mrs. Coffman shared was that she had 15 cents a day to buy lunch at school. She always bought a 10-cent sandwich and a bottle of Coca-Cola for 5 cents. Mrs. Jenkins always brought lunch from home; her favorite sandwich made only with Duke’s Relish Sandwich Spread on bread. She always had an apple or other fruit, as well as her mama’s cake, which she says was “the best in town.” The classmates recalled their Senior and Junior Class plays and laughed about the large sleepovers they had with their eight girlfriends at the Shaver house in town.
The ladies had their photo taken inside the store to make the occasion. They then bid each other a fond farewell with plans to meet for the 76-year reunion in 2022.