GRADUATES OF NACHES VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL Class of 1917 - 1924 Naches, Yakima County, Washington

Class of 1917 (First Graduating Class)

Willard McKinley Sedge (15 February 1897 - 22 August 1972) Born and raised in Naches, after graduation he attended Washington State College. When he returned he married Marjorie A. Knickrehn (Lower Naches Class of 1919) on November 13, 1925. Willard was the youngest child of Henry and Sarah Elnore (Plumley) Sedge. He had six siblings, four sisters and two brothers. He and Marjorie had no children. Willard owned and operated a fruit ranch in Naches until the time of his death.

Class of 1918

Harry Andrew Brown (10 - 28 February 1998) Born in Genesee County, New York to Seth and Anna (Troseth) Brown, after graduation Harry attended Washington State College. He was the third son in a family of four boys and two girls. He and his family moved to Naches between 1905 and 1910. Harry married Elizabeth Ann McInnis on , 1938. After her death in 1956 he met and married Lolita J. Lapp Saar on March 10, 1960.

Marion Lewis Clark (15 November 1898 - 13 April 1979) Born and raised in Naches, Marion was the youngest son of William Samuel Clark and Elizabeth Ann Kincaid. He continued his education at Washington State College. Marion married Alice Frances Selde on June 5, 1927 in Lincoln County, Washington and together they built and developed an orchard home in the Naches Valley.

Jean C. McIver (3 - 27 January 1996) Jean taught one year in Naches, worked in a bank in Hoquiam and then, after marrying Roy M. Landberg on June 9, 1927 she moved to Aberdeen, Washington where she taught school for a number of years. Jean was born in Michigan, the daughter of Andrew Campbell McIver and Sarah M. Smith. Her father was a Presbyterian Minister and she had one brother and four sisters.

Mary Genevieve Mitchell (13 September 1898 - 17 January 1991) Mary was the daughter of Alonzo Currey Mitchell and his wife Olive Jeffreys. She was born and raised in Weiser, Idaho until the family moved to Washington. After graduation she moved to Wenatchee where, on November 17, 1921 she married John Casper Braun. One child and a number of married years later, she and John were divorced. Mary remarried to Alfred H. McNeal on April 9, 1939. They moved to Whidbey Island where she spent the remainder of her life.

Class of 1919

Gladys Althea Painter (12 – 11 April 1958) Gladys was born in Naches and she, with her older brother, Floyd, were the children of Harold Selim Painter and Nora Bell Maulfair. She attended school in Naches for her formative years. After graduation she attended the Ellensburg Normal School, graduating in 1924. She taught school in Doty, Washington, Tieton, Washington and then in Naches for a number of years. While teaching in Doty, she met Rev. Donald Murdock MacNeil. They were united in marriage on June 29, 1927, at Naches by Rev. Kenneth John MacInnes. An unfortunate a car accident at North Bend, Washington cut short her career and her life.

Class of 1920

Teresa Elizabeth Briskey (24 - 20 May 1981) Teresa, born in Rutland, Illinois was the daughter of Frank and Frances (Malnar) Briskey, Croatian immigrants with a large family. They moved to Roslyn while Teresa was a small child. While there her father worked in the coal mines and Tressa’s mother ran a boardinghouse. After the move to Naches, they engaged in farming. Teresa attended Washington State College for a time but eventually married Robert Hammermeister and moved to Tieton where they raised four children.

Walter C. Dalton (14 - 2 April 1948) Walt was the son of Sixton H. Dalton and his wife Anna Marie, immigrants from Sweden, who came first to Minnesota, where Walter was born, then to Washington. He married Leone J. Asbery and worked in the S. H. Dalton mercantile in Naches until they moved to Snohomish County, Washington where Leone had family.

Class of 1921

(no Graduates)

Class of 1922

Michael Briskey (22 - 17 May 1967) Son of Frank and Frances (Malnar) Briskey and sister to Teresa Briskey (Class of 1920), after graduation, Mike and his brothers established Briskey Brothers Warehouse and Fruit Ranch on the South Naches Road. He married, Dolly May Howard, a local girl from the Chinook Pass area, on January 17, 1927 in Yakima. They raised one son and three daughters, who all attended Naches High School.

Thelma Helene Elder (17 October 1904 – 22 October 1981) Thelma, born in Tacoma, was the daughter of John W. C. Elder and Jeanette Brodie. Her father died in Steilacoom, when Thelma was only thirteen. Her mother relocated to Naches with her two daughters, where Thelma graduated from Naches High School. After graduation, she attended Seattle Pacific College, Eastern Washington University, and Western Washington University. She taught school in Washington for 22 years. With her husband, Herbert Edwin Wilbert Burlew, whom she married in 1927, she farmed in Benton County until 1963 when they moved to Reedsport, Oregon. Eventually they moved to Sequim.

Class of 1923 (High School on the Hill)

Ruth A. Brown (8 December 1903 – July 1984) Ruth was born in Byron, New York and moved to Naches with her parents Seth and Anna (Throseth) Brown as a young girl. After graduation she took a trip to California, but eventually returned to Naches. She married Cecil R. Yearout on January 23, 1925 at her parent's home in Naches and moved to Couer d ‘Alene, Idaho. They moved again to Plains, Montana. A final move brought them back to Washington about 1927. They established a farm in Tieton and raised a son and daughter.

Theodora M. Burge (8 June 1905 – 29 March 2001) Theodora, a daughter of Milton M. Burge and Martha Elizabeth Liptrap, graduated from Ellensburg Normal School and taught at Lower Naches School. She also attended the University of Washington. While working as a saleslady in Walla Walla, Theodora met Christian Kryger, a Walla Walla grade school principal. On August 5, 1930 they were married and began their life together in Walla Walla. Her husband, Chris, died in Spokane in December 1947. After his death , Theodorea remarried to a Mister Cook and moved to California where she passed away. Her remains were shipped back to Washington to be buried in the Wenas cemetery.

James W. Calvin (28 September 1903 – 10 December 1985) James was born in Formosa, Kansas to Charles Oscar Calvin and his wife Edna May Wilkinson. He attended the University of Washington for three years, but returned to Naches to work in the fruit industry. As a young man, James worked for the Forest Service, and on the construction of the Rimrock Dam and the Bridge of the Gods. Later he worked for Pacific Power and Light for 26 years, retiring in 1968. On November 11, 1933 he married a local girl, Myrtle May Webster.

Cecilia Elise Cameron (28 - 16 December 1980) A daughter of Frank William Cameron and Cecilia K. Kinze, Cecelia was born in Houston Texas. Shortly after graduation she moved to Seattle where she married Ralph Bartlett on December 15, 1922. She attended the University of Washington for a time and when Ralph died in 1924 she married James Boyd Hunter. She and James separated and Cecilia returned home to her mother's house in Seattle. Later she moved to San Francisco, California. On July 28, 1934 she married Schyler Hugh Buck in Missoula, Montana. On September 2, 1945 she married Johann Heinrich "Henry" Riefschnider in Houston, Texas. Two known children were born to Cecilia, Ralph William Bartlett, born in 1923 and died in 1963 and Robert Hunter, born 1924.

Clinton Aaron Dimmick (12 June 1904 - 8 February 1988) Clinton was the son of Melvin Ulysses Dimmick and his second wife Zarena Jane Reynolds. He was born in Kiona, Washington and after graduation attended Ellensburg Normal School for one semester. Clinton then moved to Prosser after which he returned to Naches, before relocating to Walla Walla in 1926. He attended the University of Washington for a time, but by 1929 Clinton had returned to Yakima County where he married LaVeta Bailey on June 12, 1931. They lived for a time in Naches, while he worked as a truck driver. He also worked as a grocery store salesman. For a number of years between 1943 and 1948 he was employed as part of the crew on the David W. Branch, sailing from Honolulu and British Columbia to Seattle and the General Le Roy Eltinge, sailing from Yokohama to San Francisco. Eventually the family wound up in Lane County, Oregon where Clinton and LaVeta both died.

William Clyde Leonard (7 November 1903 - 28 November 1991) Clyde, born in Everett, Washington, was the son of William Bert and Mabel May (Clark) Leonard. He attended the University of Washington for a couple of years, then went to Washington State College at Pullman. By 1930 he had relocated to the west side of the mountains. Clyde married Wilmet Martin on May 5, 1934 and they established their home in Tacoma. He worked first as a chemist and then as an Assistant Supervisor at a Tacoma smelter for many years.

LeRoy Bert Leonard (21 July 1905 - 10 May 1976) LeRoy, brother of Clyde, also a son of William Bert and Mabel May (Clark) Leonard, was born in Everett, Washington. He attended the University of Washington but returned to Naches. He then attended Washington State College at Pullman. In 1926 he married Carolyn Margaret Brush. One year and one child later they divorced. By 1930 LeRoy had relocated to the west side of the mountains where he worked as a salesman and as a telegraph operator. On March 4, 1935 Leroy married Marvel Aylene Ringer in Ellensburg and they set up housekeeping in Naches, where he was the owner/operator of a dispensary. In later years he was a caseworker for the State Department of Public Assistance in Seattle.

Orville Laverne Smith (15 September 1903 - 10 July 1984) Orville was the son of Lewis Smith and Mary Sophie Clausen. He was born in Douglas County, Minnesota. The family moved from Minnesota to Naches, where his father, Lewis managed Lewis Smith & Co., a general store. After high school, Orville attended the University of Washington. He also spent some time in California between his second and third year at the University. By 1930 Orville had established himself as a salesman in the candy business in Seattle. On June 16, 1932 he and June Louise Pfeiffer were united in matrimony. They raised three known children in the Seattle area.

Class of 1924

Vernon Truman Calvin (13 August 1904 - 4 June 1933) Vernon was the child of Charles Oscar Calvin and Edna M. Wilkinson and brother to James Calvin (Class of 1923). He came to Naches from Prosser High School and after graduation he attended the University of Washington. Vernon returned to Naches where he worked for the PP&L Company. While employed at the federal reforestation camp in the Nile, Vernon became ill and was removed to the hospital in Yakima, where he died. Cause of death appeared to be either encephalitis or a brain hemorrhage.

Albert Edward Lee (4 December 1905 - 16 July 1988) Ed was born in Portland, Oregon. He was raised in the Naches area by his parents Albert E. Lee and Charity Brown "Bertha" Rexford. Ed married Bernice O. Longmire November 15, 1926. With his father, he and Bernice, owned and operated a meat packing operation in Naches. They established a home and raised a family.

Josephine Elizabeth Meystre (18 August 1904 - 21 October 1994) Josephine, born on the family homestead in Naches, came from a large family of eleven children. Her father was Constant Emile Meystre, born in Switzerland of French descent. Her mother, also from Switzerland was Hilda Amalia Engdahl. After graduation, Josephine remained in Naches with her parents, while she attended Thoma Business College in Yakima. She married on June 18, 1938 Robert C. Rohde. Eventually she moved to Seattle where she worked for Hol-Grain Products, Inc. and as a waitress at the Do Nut Shop on Summitview Avenue. Eventually she returned to the Yakima Valley where she continued to work as a waitress and a housekeeper.

Harry Henry Miller (24 May 1905 - 15 November 1991) Harry was born in Spokane, Washington to Rudolph Hans Miller, a tailor, and Jennie Burbank. His father died in 1916 when he was about 11 and Harry boarded with the Milton M. Burge family while attending High School in Naches. He attended the University of Washington, where he was a star on the track team. United in marriage to Lois Marguerite Hastings on August 29, 1930, he worked as a purchasing agent for Electrical Products Consolidated while she raised their three children. For a period of time Harry also worked as a clerk for the DHS Company.

Jennie Ruth Scott (19 August 1906 - 25 February 1998) Jennie was born, raised and educated in Naches. She lived at home while attending the Thoma Business College in Yakima. Her parents were Robert W. Scott and Elsie Alice French. She was employed by Guaranty Trust Company and retired from the National Bank of Commerce in 1967. Jennie later owned and operated A & J Trailer Park in Yakima. In October of 1932 she became the second wife of Elmer Elwood Frankson. When he died in 1948, Jennie married his brother, Arthur G. Frankson on November 22, 1952.

Viola Chapman Smith (11 June 1904 - 9 March 1994) Viola, a sister to Orville Smith (Class of 1923), was the daughter of Lewis Smith and Mary Sophie Clausen. She was born in Kenmore, North Dakota and moved to Naches with her parents and siblings in 1909. Her father, Lewis managed Lewis Smith & Co., a general store in Naches. She married Charles Sampson Dower and settled in Naches. Later they lived in Concrete, Washington; Tacoma, Washington and Pendleton, Oregon but eventually returned to the Naches Valley where they continued operating the family business.

Ethel Harriet Soden (28 September 1903 - 6 February 1988) Ethel was born in Brownsville, South Dakota to Wells Soden and Clara Simon. She came with her father to Naches where she entered Naches High School form Morton High School in Minnesota. Within six months of graduation Ethel married, on February 4, 1925, John Arthur "Jack" Hayenga, an automobile mechanic, also born in Minnesota. They established a home in Yakima, where Ethel worked as a Clerk/Typist for the Federal Government. Ethel was also employed by the Veterans Administration in Seattle and the US Air Force in San Antonio, Texas. She and Jack raised two daughters together.

Josephine Mabel Tustin (23 July 1904 - 26 July 1996) Born in Washington, Josephine was the second child of Mabel Alice Rogers and her second husband LeRoy Tustin. After graduating from High School, she remained in Naches, living with her parents until on May 19, 1926, she married John Leonard "Jack" Hillman in King County, Washington. They lived for a time in Zillah and Growmore, Washington. Then, they moved to Yakima where Jack worked in the fruit industry.

William Tweedie (1 February 1907 - 9 May 1997) William Tweedie was born in Wigtown, Scotland, the son of William and Annie (McKie) Tweedie. He immigrated to America with his parents in 1911. His father was a sheep herder in the valley. William attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He married Velma Delberta Blackburn on June 3, 1934 in Crook County, Oregon. William was employed by the Redmond Union High School as a Teacher.

Sources:

Various Naches High School Annuals US Census Records; 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, Ancestry.com Family Trees/Miscellaneous 1940 Records Findagrave.com Washington State Digital Archives Obitarchives.com Margaret Rosenbush St. Martin, Town Historian Yakima Valley Genealogy Society Obituary File Shaw and Sons Funeral Records, YVGS Library