A tribute to Juneau’s first combined high school graduates at their 70th reunion

Members of Juneau’s high school class of 1956 gather for a reunion at the Valley Restaurant on May 23, 2026. Pictured from left are Vivian Brown Kokotovich, Frank Jerue, Rose Mary Kronquist Harper, Linda Kassner Loos, Kirk Tousley, Liz Shields Lee, Ole Bartness, Larry/Earl Simmonds and Pete Hocson. (Photo provided by Pete Hocson)

Note: A total of 78 students graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School on May 23, 1956. The following is a summary of that year’s class by alumnus Pete Hocson, who returned to Juneau for a reunion with other classmates on the same date this year.

It was the day after Labor Day in September of 1955. The first of the combined school. The Juneau students were on one side of the lawn and the Douglas students were on the other side. We stood there just looking at each other.

Nothing was said, we just walked into the school. We wanted it to work and it did. The transition was smooth.  Our basketball team had players from both and we won the Territory championship.

Pierre Sundborg was our Valedictorian. Allan Engstrom was our student body president. I think that 78 of us graduated and there is 34 of us still living.