Bloom High School Resumes 60 Plus Reunion

By Nancy Cavallo Bawolek ‘72 and Donna Filips McCoy ‘72

As most people know Bloom High School is a National Landmark that is over 123 years old. It is rich in history, legends, and alumni. One man immediately comes to mind and that is Barton Herr. From Bloom’s beginnings he had visions of Bloom well into the future. He saw the value in preserving what he saw as a potential national treasure. He was a pioneer historian that recognized early that Bloom was something unique for its time in American history.

Mr. Herr was a faculty member from 1946 to 1979, during which he taught primarily business courses. After retiring from teaching, he was responsible for a number of “first of its kind” efforts. As a member of the Bloom Community Relations committee, headed by former board member, Dorothy Dill, he was directly responsible for the establishment of the Bloom Alumni Association and was on the committee for developing and publishing the Bloom-Erang, the alumni newsletter.

Herr believed Bloom’s history should be preserved and accessible to all. It was said upon his passing, that he had so much Bloom memorabilia in his basement that it took two truckloads to haul it from his home. These artifacts became the basis for the Bloom Archives, housed next to the library in Bloom High School on the second floor. Not only did he want to preserve Bloom memorabilia, but he wanted to recognize Bloom alums and their achievements: thus, the establishment of the Bloom Hall of Fame to recognize former students and inspire current students.

Reunions were Barton’s dream. He recognized that alumni had spread all over the United States and wanted to establish a reunion in every state that Bloom alums settled. This vision led to the first national reunion in Scottsdale, Arizona held on May 1, 1994. Mr. Herr witnessed the greatest alumni reunion ever when Bloom celebrated its Centennial in 2000, bringing back over 3000 Bloom alums from all over the world.

In the early 90’s, Mr. Herr decided to have combined reunions. The first ones were small and held in a classroom or the school cafeteria. They were called The 20’s and 30’s Reunion and eventually was changed to the 60’s Plus Reunion for anyone that graduated from Bloom 60 or more years ago. Due to COVID, there was a lapse in the reunion. 2019 was the last time the 60 Plus reunion was held. This year the reunion returns adding 4 more classes to the celebration; Class of 1960, 1961, 1962, and 1963. Don Croarkin, Bloom Trail’s beloved librarian, historian and Director of the Bloom Alumni Association, called these new classes the “honored guests”.

This year’s reunion will be held at the Serbian Center on Stony Island on Friday May 5th. A delicious lunch, updates about Bloom, watching the Color Guard, listening to Bloom’s band and prizes are all in store for this great event. There will also be a special tribute to a special contributor! Applications can be requested at Bloom’s switchboard (708 755-1122) or by emailing Nancy Bawolek at nbawolek@sd206.org. Hurry because seating is limited. We’re from Bloom, Couldn’t be prouder….