Cheer for the Orange and Blue… Waving Forever!
This is Dave Arundel. WHS class of 1970. I bleed Orange and Blue. This summer, on August 1st and 2nd we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of Washburn High School. In 1967 when Washburn was crowned State Champions in football, Mr. Giffy O’Dell who was the athletic director for the Minneapolis Public Schools came to Washburn for a giant pepfest in the “new” gym. He handed out the State Championship trophy and gave a short speech. At one point he paused and said….”This is a remarkable school.” He liked the line so much he repeated it about 4 times! The gym went CRAZY! Yes, Washburn WAS a remarkable school…and it still is. And you and I had the incredible good fortune to attend Washburn!!
We are putting together two tremendous nights this August to celebrate our beloved Washburn High School. Friday, August 1st will be the “traditional” celebration in the WHS auditorium. School re-dedication, student performances, recognition of some of the Washburn “greats” and inductions into the WHS Hall of Fame. Saturday, August 2nd is MILLWHEELS 100. This is our birthday party. This will be held on the football field with seating in the west grandstand. There will be music, humor, surprises and more music provide by current students and some of the all time greats who attended Washburn like Billy McLaughlin and his WHS band Paradox! At the end of this night you will say to yourself: “That was really fun…and I am REALLY glad I went to Washburn High School!”
First of all…I hope you will plan on attending both nights! There is more information about both events at:
https://www.washburnconnections.org
Second of all….we need your help. This is a volunteer led anniversary. In order to have a worthy event, we need to spend some money! I am asking you to dig deep and become a sponsor of this great event. To do this event properly and have programs and security and food trucks, and bands, and give out awards, and yes, maybe even have fireworks….we need around $40,000. Is there a part of this amount you can help cover?
Any additional money this letter raises will go to the Washburn High School Foundation which continues to meet unmet needs at WHS.
The Washburn High School Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established in 1987 by a group of parents, teachers, alumni, and community members to provide financial and volunteer support to Washburn High School and its students through:
- Grants directly to teachers for special projects
- Funding support for curricular and extra-curricular programs and capital needs
- Scholarships for Washburn High School graduates
We are dedicated to sustaining excellence at Washburn High School by cultivating a support network with alumni and the broader community.
To make a donation…go to washburnconnections.org. and click the “Donate” button in the upper right corner of the home page.
You can choose an amount.
Why not go on the “interweb” right NOW…and send in your contribution!
Let’s all chip in to make this a World Class event for this REMARKABLE school!
If you have any questions please email or call me:
Dave Arundel, darundel@greenlinemkt.com
612-308-2807
See you on August 1st and 2nd
Dave Arundel
WHS class of 1970
WHS Hall of Fame 2007