The 81st annual Hayden High School Alumni Association’s homecoming was June 26 at the Hayden Historical Museum’s pavilion with 49 people in attendance.

Alumni Vice President Jean Nichter requested that all veterans in the audience stand and be recognized. She then asked the rest of the audience to stand and join her as she led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. Class of 1952 member Giles Spaulding then offered the invocation to begin the program.

President Pat Sullivan welcomed everyone and then introduced the alumni secretary-treasurer, Rodger Ruddick. Ruddick reported that the oldest Hayden High School graduate was Helen Taylor Schleibaum, who graduated in 1941. A “Thinking of You” greeting card was sent around the room for everyone to sign. The card will be delivered to Schleibaum at Covered Bridge Health Campus in Seymour, where she resides.

Ruddick then mentioned the alumni scholarship fund is supported by the donations collected during the homecoming every year. He informed the group that along with the regular collection during last year’s meeting, an anonymous donor left an envelope with 10 $100 bills. Later in the year, that same donor sent a $5,000 check to give the scholarship fund a major boost.

The scholarship was named in honor of Spencer Township’s last resident to lose his life while serving his country. Michael Euler was killed in Vietnam in 1966, and the alumni scholarship fund was established in 1986 in his memory.

Since 1986, the award has been presented to an outstanding Jennings County senior who had attended Hayden Elementary School. The scholarship winner for 2022, Delaynie Maschino, was on hand, and she expressed her appreciation to the alumni for making the $900 scholarship possible.

Maschino, the daughter of John and Missi Maschino, will be attending Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake. She plans to pursue a degree in diagnostic medical sonography.

To recognize individuals for their personal achievement and community service, the board of directors of the Hayden Historical Museum established the Hayden Hall of Fame section in the museum in 1990. It has been customary the past few years to do the induction ceremony as part of the homecoming program.

The 2022 Hayden Hall of Fame inductees are Merrill and Joyce Salyers and Roland Eades. Ruddick read the biography for the Salyerses and then introduced Merrill, who came forward and received the award. Many of the Salyers family members were on hand for the ceremony.

Born in Fleming, Kentucky, Joyce Bentley married Merrill Salyers on Jan 10, 1959. She started her teaching career at North Vernon High School, now Jennings County High School. She later became a guidance counselor and served as a member of the Jennings County School Corp. board.

Merrill Salyers, born in Martin, Kentucky, served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps before graduating from Morehead State College with a degree in industrial education. He started his teaching career at Austin High School before moving to North Vernon High School. He retired from teaching after 37 years.

Pat Sullivan read the biography for Eades. His son, also named Roland, lives in Florida and was unable to attend the program but made a phone call to express his appreciation for this honor for his father.

Eades was a 1941 graduate of Hayden High School and was working at National Wholesale Grocery Co. before joining the U.S. Navy in 1942. He served on the USS Intrepid, which took part in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was gunner on an Avenger right plane and took part in 17 missions against the Japanese during the battles of Formosa, the Philippines and Okinawa. He died during a training exercise Nov. 20, 1952, when the P2V Neptune he was flying in crashed near Block Island in the Atlantic Ocean, killing all eight crew members.

A moment of silence was observed to remember the deceased members of the anniversary classes and other Hayden community members and alumni who had died since the 2021 homecoming.

Those included Leonard Ernstes, Patricia Whitcomb, Jack VanCleve, Teresa Burgmeier Wilson, James Elmore, Deloris Miller, Ike Bailey Sr., Paul Farrell, Harold House, Howard Johnson, Michael Banks, James Sorg, Mertice Simmons Johnson, Fred Scudder, Bob Edmundson, Lillian Gilham Martin, Shirley Ward Bibb, Ray Vaughn, David Stanfield, Mary Wilkerson, Barb Durham Woodson, Deloris Wissel Horstman, Tom Bosaw, Laverne Maschino Taskey, Larry Graham, Beverly Wilkerson Vogel, Patricia Riley Taylor, Ashley Gudgel, Jasper Caudill, George Ramey, Rosemary Maschino, Dennis Durham, Scotty Burton, Glenda Wilson, Jim Mails, Marcia Gerth Stroud and Sharon Wilkerson.

When it was time to recognize the anniversary classes, one of the members of the Class of 1947, Marie Hans Jester, was unable to attend, but Pat Sullivan read the letter that was sent from her. Representing the Class of 1952 were Giles Spaulding, Richard Wissel, Lester Tracy, Henry Sandhage and Barbara Zebell. Marilyn Short Goodpaster represented the Class of 1957.

Former Hayden High School teacher Aubrey Bessenger called earlier in the week to express his regrets he couldn’t attend the program because he was out of the area.

Sullivan spoke about becoming the sixth grade school teacher at Hayden Elementary in 1974. He retired 34 years later.

It was pointed out that the daughters of two former Hayden school teachers were on hand. One was Nancy Myron Wolters, daughter of Kathleen Myron, and the other was Jean Jackson Nichter, the daughter of Pauline Jackson.

When it was time for the election of officers for the 2023 homecoming, a motion was made that the current officers would be carried over. The 2023 Hayden homecoming will be held June 25.

Paperweight plaques with the engraved image of the old Hayden school were presented as door prizes. Robert Taylor was the oldest person in attendance, but since he won the prize last year, he graciously suggested letting the next oldest person have it, and that was Nancy Myron Wolter, who is 89. Chris Chastain won the prize for traveling the farthest (Bargersville), and Reva Chastain was selected to win the other door prize by random drawing.

At the end of the program, ice cream was served, and there was time for fellowship.