Homer High graduates reunite after 50 years
Fifty years after graduating, Homer High School’s Class of 1975 came together again for a weekend of celebration and remembrance.
Out of 48 classmates, about half “returned home,” HEX/Furie Alaska president and CEO John Hendrix said Saturday, July 12. Hendrix was one of eight who helped to organize the reunion, planning for which began last October.
Also in attendance were members of other graduating classes, including 1964, 1976 and 1977.
Hendrix said that, while they were in school, their class largely lived around Homer, with some coming from “almost Stariski Creek,” which lies about 19 miles northwest of Homer. He himself grew up 14 miles out on East End Road.
While some of the graduates only had a short commute for the packed weekend, which included a welcome social on Thursday and dinner on Friday at Land’s End Resort, a picnic at the Bishop’s Beach pavilion on Saturday, and fishing in the mornings — courtesy of boat captain Arn Johnson — all weekend long, several travelled in from further parts of the state and from the Lower 48, including Washington and South Carolina. Alumn Lawrin Johnson flew in from his home on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao.
“As they’re driving in, they’re like, ‘this is home,’ no matter where they live,” Hendrix said, adding that several attendees made a point of driving up to Baycrest Hill to watch the sun set Friday night.
Hendrix said the class of ‘75 reunites about every five to 10 years, and held their last reunion five years ago.
“This is the big one, though,” he said.
Hendrix noted that, because of the way reunion activities had been scheduled, several classmates stopped in as they were able, like Larry Jones or Fleurette Stutes, who were present at Saturday’s picnic.
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“That’s why we have a picnic, as a base to just stop in and say hi,” he said.
The group also held a memorial Friday evening for classmates, like Marilyn Wythe, who have passed, and mailed cards to those who weren’t able to attend this year’s reunion.
Members of the Homer High School Class of 1975 hold up a banner during their 50-year reunion on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at the Bishop’s Beach pavilion in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)