“I remember woodworking and playing sports,” said Robert Burghdoff (Class of 1944) when the school was still known as Middleville High School. He will celebrate his 100th birthday this month.
He was joined by Richard Stager, and Laura Thede Hyde, both from the Class of 1948, as the oldest alumni attending Saturday’s annual celebration. In 1948, the school was formally called the W. K. Kellogg School, later shortened and now known as Thornapple Kellogg High School.
They were among more than 100 TK alumni who attended the 9th annual all-class dinner Saturday, reuniting graduates from classes from the 1940s through 2010. The evening featured a time to reminisce about school days, reconnect with old friends, and honor this year’s distinguished alumni, Sandi (Stager) Wake (Class of 1978.)
Wake bought into a franchise and is now owner of Care Patrol, a company that works to find living solutions at no cost for senior citizens and families. Since 2013, she’s helped more than 7,500 families find housing solutions for seniors. Her son, Nick Wake, introduced her as she accepted the honor. (See more in an additional article - 2026 TK Distinguished Alumni).
The Distinguished Alumni award is given each year to a recipient who has made a difference in the lives of others and has gone above and beyond in their chosen fields.
During the reunion dinner, alumni had plenty of time to get reacquainted with classmates and friends, view old photos, letterman jackets, music programs and other memorabilia. There were also yearbooks from nearly every year to peruse before and after dinner. The night was full of history.
Neil Keller gave TKAA Historian Cindy Middlebush a photo he found of his mother, Neola Keller, who was valedictorian of her Middleville class in 1936.
Austin Turnes, Class of 2005, explained an artifact found by a high school student at Spirit Park during this year’s annual TKHS Service Day. The student found a metal hanging hook Turnes believes is a remnant of a Victorian ceiling lamp hook, featuring an Eastlake style pattern popular in the 1870s-1890s. The hook would have been screwed into the ceiling and a kerosene parlor lamp hung from it.
Jody Helrigel Pratt, TK Alumni Association president, officially welcomed everyone to the annual reunion dinner at the middle school and, along with former cheerleaders, led the singing of the school fight song. Veterans were honored and the roll call of each graduating class was read as attendees were recognized.
Saturday's all-class reunion was the ninth year of the event which started shortly after the Alumni Association was founded in 2016.
The Thornapple Kellogg Alumni Association is governed by a board of directors and trustees. Board members for 2026 are:
President: Jody (Helrigel Pratt) (Class of 1957)
Vice President: Randy Eggers (Class of 1980)
Secretary: Brenda (Kimmey) Seifert (Class of 1973)
Treasurer: Deb (French) DeBruyn (Class of 1979)
Historian: Cindy (Riva) Middlebush (Class of 1978)
Trustees are:
Don Williamson (Class of 1957)
Janet (Solomon) Geukes (Class of 1961)
Luana (Williams) Tolan (Class of 1966)
Carol (Warner) Robinson (Class of 1968)
Kim (Anders) Bender (Class of 1973)
Karen (Page) Kennedy (Class of 1976)
Wanita (Craven) Huizenga (Class of 1977)
Barbara (Johnson) Smith (Class of 1977)
Merry Jo Briggs (Class of 1981)
Jean VanderMeulen (Class of 1984)
The TKAA meets regularly at 6:30 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at the Middleville United Methodist Church.
The Thornapple Kellogg Alumni Association participates in many community events throughout the year including TK homecoming, a TKAA golf scramble, and many Middleville community parades and the Heritage Day events. They also offer scholarships for graduating seniors.
Follow the alumni group on their Facebook page at Thornapple Kellogg Alumni Association and on the website at [email protected].