Graduating with a legacy

For many parents and grandparents, watching their children graduate is a time that brings back sweet memories and fills them with hope for their family’s future. Clarion is an area with strong family history, which makes graduation all the more meaningful.

This year’s commencement ceremony at Clarion-Goldfield-Dows will be another chapter of history for five families in the district. Seven seniors will be the fourth generation in their family to graduate in Clarion when they cross the stage on May 21: Brandon and Taylor Hagie, Chase Harker, Chloe Johnson, Zack Leist, and Hannah and Sydney TerHark.  

The Hagie family

Raymond Hagie, great-grandfather of Brandon and Taylor Hagie, graduated from Clarion High school in 1927. His son, John Hagie, graduated in 1955. Alan Hagie, Brandon and Taylor’s father, graduated in 1986.

The Harker (Scott) family

Chase’s father, Monty Harker, graduated in Clarion in 1987, and currently teaches science and biology at the C-G-D high school. Monty’s mother, Beth (Scott) Harker, graduated in 1960, and this year retired as a nutrition worker in the district. Her father, Donald Scott, graduated in 1937.

The Johnson (Borel) family

Darlene Borel, great-grandmother to Chloe, graduated from the Clarion high school in 1942. Her daughter, Donna (Borel) Johnson, graduated in 1968. Donna’s son, Brent Johnson, graduated in 1991.

The Leist (Cramer) family

Shannon (Cramer) Leist, Zack’s mother, graduated from the Clarion high school in 1988. Currently, she teaches family and consumer science there. Her father, Kent Cramer, graduated in 1970, and her grandfather, Don Cramer, graduated in 1948.

The TerHark (Olson) family

Sydney and Hannah TerHark’s mother, Becky Olson Egland, graduated in 1971. Her parents, Bob Olson and Jo Anne (Robie) Olson, graduated in 1965. Ruth (Tice) Olson, Sydney and Hannah’s great-grandmother, graduated in 1942.

 

For the full story, see the May 18 edition of the Monitor.

Wright County Monitor

P.O. Box 153
Clarion, IA 50525
Phone: 515-532-2871
Email: news@wrightcountymonitor.com

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