Author Archives: David Stevens

All Class Reunion 2022

As many of you know the Trona High School alumni generally hold an all class reunion every five years. If it had not been for COVID-19 there would have been a reunion in 2020. The reunion committee decided it would be best to postpone it until 2021, however, since COVID-19 is still a concern the committee decided to postpone it one more year until the fall of 2022.

I am a member of the graduating class of 1961. There were about 19 or 20 graduating classes that came before us and 60 that came after us. That now seems pretty amazing to me. My sister, Patricia, graduated in 1953. I can remember some of her friends and the friends of my brother, Joel, who graduated in 1956. I can remember about 90% of the class of 1961 and just a handful of underclass-mates that were in school at the same time I was.

I guess my point is that there are a heck of a lot of alumni that I don’t know and I’m pretty sure the same is true of everyone else. It is seems almost unbelievable that there are people that are willing to put in the hard work of making all class reunions happen. With any luck in 2022 we will all be able to get together again with the people we know and maybe meet some of the ones we never knew.

____________________________________________________________________

If you would like to be notified of future posts enter your email address here:

Kenneth Franklin Hall — Class of 1961

3 Replies

Kenneth Franklin Hall (1943-2019)

I recently learned that Ken, my classmate and friend, passed away and is buried in Trona. Ken and I spent a lot of time together when we were growing up. He died April 6, 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Ken was born 10 January 1943 in Oklahoma. He was the son of Carl Tyre Hall (1901-1965) and Nora May Hall (1913-2002). Both of his parents are buried in Trona. He had a sister, Virginia, and two brothers, Carl and Richard, who also attended Trona High School.

After graduating Ken attended Brigham Young University for two years and while there he decided to interrupt his education and become a missionary for the LDS church in Chile for two and half years. After he returned from Chile he planned on getting a college deferment so he could continue his education, however, the LDS church failed to forward the letters the draft board was sending him and they had him listed as a draft dodger. This made him ineligible for a deferment and moved him to the top of the list to be drafted.

His only other option was to enlist. A friend suggested that he try to get into the National Guard or reserves. The only reserves that will still taking enlistments at that time was the the Marine Corp Reserve. When he went to talk to the recruiter the recruiter convinced him that a 3 year enlistment would be better than 6 years in the reserve. I only heard from him once after he left for boot camp.

After being discharged from the Marines he returned to BYU to finish his education. He got married in1969 and settled down in Birmingham, Alabama.

Someone else will have to fill in the rest of his life story from there.

If you would like to be notified of future posts enter your email address here:

Jennifer (Corrion) Smith — Class of 1974

1 Reply

Jennifer Corrion Smith, 65, of Bozeman, MT passed away at home on July 22, 2021, due to natural causes. She was born on June 7, 1956, in Trona, CA where she grew up and graduated from Trona High School in 1974.

After college graduation at Loyola Marymount as an English major, she and Jim were married in 1979 and lived in Davis, CA where Jennifer obtained her teaching credential. In 1984, after several moves around the country including Texas, Wyoming, and Cut Bank, MT, Jennifer and Jim settled in Bozeman. Jennifer had a great interest in children and taught pre-school for many years at Learning Circle Montessori and later Highland Montessori schools. She also ran a computer services business from 2002 until about 2012.

Jennifer was an avid hiker and dog lover and could often be seen on the trails and at parks around Bozeman where she met and befriended many other hikers. She will be deeply missed by her family, fellow outdoor enthusiasts, her friends, and extended family across the country.

Jennifer is survived by her husband, Jim Smith, of Bozeman; her daughter, Kallie Smith, of Salt Lake City; her son, Drew Smith (Abbi Dayton); and by her granddaughter, Audrey Smith, of Louisville, CO. Jennifer is also survived by her brother, Gregory Corrion, of Trona, CA; and by Jim’s brothers and sisters in California and Utah.

Jennifer was preceded in death by her parents, Maury and Phyllis Corrion; and by her sister, Barbara Sherman.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, September 10, from 3:00 to 6:00 P.M. at the Lindley Center located at 1102 East Curtiss Street in Bozeman.

https://www.dokkennelson.com/obituaries/Jennifer-Corrion-Smith?obId=21913330

If you would like to be notified of future posts enter your email address here:

Paul Edward Billingsley — Class of 1961

3 Replies

I was contacted by Paul’s son who notified me of his passing.

Paul had an older brother David in the class of 1959 and a younger brother Robert in the class of 1962. Paul passed away in his sleep on June 23, 2021 in his home in Vacacville, CA. The cause of death was Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease and Pulmonary Emphysema. He had only one child and 2 grandchildern. He will be missed.

I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Paul and am deeply saddened by the news. I express my sincere sympathy to his son and the rest of his family.

If you would like to be notified of future posts enter your email address here:

Keith R. Schofield — Class of 1961

3 Replies

We just received word of Keith’s death. We believe he died in May of 2021. He was living in California City at the time. Keith went to school in Trona from the fourth grade to the tenth. He moved between his sophomore and junior year and later returned to Trona and worked in the plant for several years. Keith was the son of Raymond (1910-1999) and Theresa (Hicks) Schofield (1912-2008). Raymond worked as an engineer for AP&CC.

Keith had two older sisters who also went to Trona High school, Nadeen (1939-2006), who was in the class of 1957 and Donnarae who was in the class of 1959.

We are sorry to hear of Keith’s passing and wish to express our deepest sympathies to his friends and family.

James “Sonny” Duffel — Class of 1958

George William ” Bill” Sisco — Class of 1951

John Arthur Tansley — Class of 1953

Linda (Pipkin) Cox — Class of 1965

2 Replies

I’m also sad to report that Gail’s cousin, Linda (Pipkin) Cox of Trona has also passed- the same day. — Marilyn Walker McKee

Linda Cox left this world on April 1st, 2021 at the young age of 74. To say that she will be missed is an understatement. To put into words the story of her life is a daunting task, but one of the most important life lessons she was able to provide her family was the ability to persevere in the face of darkness and to make the best out of any situation no matter how easy or difficult.

(Read More)

Gail (Murchison) Beck — Class of 1961

1 Reply

It is with great sadness that I share the news of Gail’s passing. She died peacefully in her sleep on April 1, 2021, after battling Stage IV lung cancer for over 18 months. Gail was the daughter of Jeff and Myrt Murchison and granddaughter of George and Ann Pipkin, long-time Trona residents. She was the big sister to Warren, who died in 1976.

Gail was a 1961 graduate of Trona High School where she served as the 1960 homecoming queen. She was active in student council and many other school activities.

Gail will be remembered by her lovely smile and warm, gracious personality. She is survived by her loving children and their spouses: Kelly and Han, and Eric and Shaun. She was adored by her grandchildren: Zack, Aidan, Eli, Riley, Isabel, and Chelsea. Being a grandmother was one of the biggest joys in her life. Gail is survived also by her aunts, Lit Brush and Val Hurlocker, and her uncle, Pat Hurlocker.

She will be missed forever.

Charlotte (Reeves) Biggs