Photo by Deb Gau Robert Hamerlinck, a member of the class of 1939 at St. Edward Catholic School, shares a photo album with fellow alumni at St. Edward School’s 86th anniversary celebration. On Wednesday, alumni joined current St. Edward students for Mass and a special lunch.

MINNEOTA — Alumni of St. Edward Catholic School in Minneota came back to visit this week. Some of the guests brought a unique perspective — they were there when the school opened its doors in the 1930s.

“It was brand-new when I came to school here,” said Robert Hamerlinck. Hamerlinck, a member of the St. Edward class of 1939, was one of the special guests at St Edward School’s 86th anniversary celebration on Wednesday.

St. Edward alumni, including alumni from the school’s first decade, attended Mass and joined current students for lunch.

“We welcome you back,” Rev. Todd Petersen told alumni at the start of Mass.

The alumni who attended the anniversary celebration included Hamerlinck, Francis VanHecke and Lucille Hamerlinck DeSutter of the class of 1941; Marian Traen Verhelst of the class of 1946; and David Schreiber, Irene Lootens Verhelst and Eileen Verschelde Differding of the class of 1949.

Dodie Derynck, who works at St. Edward School, said the idea for the anniversary celebration came together after she learned the school was dedicated on Sept. 4, 1938. This year, Sept. 4 fell on a Wednesday, when students would normally attend Mass. It made the perfect opportunity to invite St. Edward alumni back for the anniversary.

“It’s good to stay connected with the alumni,” she said. Derynck said it was fun reaching out to the older alumni and hearing their memories.

Alumni like Hamerlinck and VanHecke shared stories about going to school at St. Edward. Hamerlinck brought a photo album, with a picture of the combined seventh and eighth grade class in 1938.

“That’s me,” he said, pointing to a boy in the front row of the picture. Hamerlinck, who will be celebrating his 100th birthday in October, said he is one of two members of the class of 1939 alive today.

VanHecke said there were two grades of students in each classroom when St. Edward School opened. It made it a little hard to remember who was part of each graduating eighth grade class. Going to school was also different in some ways, compared to today — for example, there were no school buses.

“You either walked or rode a bike, or you didn’t go,” he said.

St. Edward students in the 1930s and ’40s still attended Mass, but there were some different rules, VanHecke said.

“The girls had to have their heads covered,” he said. He remembered one day, a classmate didn’t have a head covering, so she borrowed a boy’s hat to wear in church.

Hamerlinck said one of his favorite school memories was the day he and a classmate got kicked out of music class, “Because we couldn’t sing.”

“We were supposed to go to the library,” Hamerlinck said. But instead, he said, “We were down in the basement, shooting marbles.” He and his classmate got in trouble when they were caught.

Hamerlinck said he also learned a lot from attending St. Edward.

“I had some excellent teachers,” he said.

Derynck said the menu for Wednesday’s anniversary meal was based on local newspaper reports of the school’s dedication in 1938. So many people attended the event that both a lunch and a supper were served, Derynck said.

On Wednesday, St. Edward students and alumni had a chicken dinner, with cake for dessert, just like the crowd at the 1938 dedication did.

Over more than 80 years, family and community ties have stayed strong at St. Edward. Derynck said some of the school’s current students are the great-grandchildren and great-great nephews and nieces of the visiting alumni. Deacon Travis Welsh, who served at the anniversary Mass, is also Hammerlinck’s great-nephew, she said.

“Everybody is connected,” Derynck said. “We have a lot of fourth-generation families.”