You Can Go Home – and Gain New Sense of Identity From Old Roots

May 30, 1990. It was quite an event. The alumni of Gunnison Valley High School held their first reunion on May 26 at the high school. Those planning the event had originally anticipated 15-200 to attend. When the final count was made, nearly 800 were in attendance.

A few months ago I received my invitation as a member of the graduating class of ’59. I asked Susan if she would join me in a nostalgic trip to Gunnison Valley on Saturday. My dad, Alvin Barlow, was a graduate of the class of ’31 and was anxious to attend the first meeting of the Gunnisom Alumni Association. He offered to drive down to Sanpete County, so Susan and I went with him.

We turned off the freeway at Nephi and headed toward Fountain Green and Moroni. Dad wanted to take a few flowers for some graves in the Manti Cemetery. Near Fountain Green there was a large herd of sheep on the highway with old ewes and new lambs. The scene reminded me of the many sheep herds that used to pass through my hometown of Centerfield as they moved from winter quarters to the summer feed ranges. I had to smile because the young sheep herders now were riding four-wheelers rather than horses. We saw all the white turkey farms near Moroni and passed through Ephraim where they were having a Scandinavian celebration. From there we went on into Manti.

Manti Cemetery, at the foot of the Manti Temple, has to be one of the most beautiful and best-kept cemeteries in the state. We stopped to put flowers on the graves of my mother’s parents, William and Mary Peterson, and two of her brothers, Paul and Gene Peterson. From there we went through Sterling and passed by Nine Mile Reservoir. There were a few boats on the lake, and the water was a little low. Susan seemed unimpressed as I told her about the numerous large trout I had caught at the reservoir during my high school years.

We finally arrived in Gunnison, where new welcome signs at the city park had been unveiled that day. “Progress with Purpose” is the new city motto. We drove through Gunnison and passed the high school, where the parking lot was already starting to fill. As we entered Centerfield I noticed they, too, had a welcome sign and a motto. I read “Welcome to Centerfield: A Proud City.” I liked that. It made me proud to be from “A Proud City.” Population: 601.

We drove to Centerfield Cemetery and put flowers on the graves of my grandparents, Altheron and Mary Barlow, and headed back to the high school.

It was a large gathering. Several hundred graduates had come from all over the Intermountain West. There were four or five graduates form the class of 1921 and many from the decade 1921-31. Actually, I felt quite young.

It is not true that you can’t go home. In fact, I think we should. And often. It is good to renew acquaintances with people who were there as you grew up. Understanding one’s roots helps to give a person a sense of identity.

Thanks to all who planned and attended the first Gunnison Valley High School Alumni Association meeting. The second will be held on May 25, 1991, so any who missed this one can make plans now to attend next year. As the evening concluded, all 800 people arose and sang our school song. Susan smiled and hummed along. At that moment I became even more aware that, indeed, “We are proud of our valley.”