4119 N. Oxford St Shoreview, MN 55126 us
Ramsey class of 1979
Hello Alexander Ramsey Class of 1979
Monday July 1. 2025
🎆 Welcome July, Rams! 🇺🇸
We hope everyone from the Alexander Ramsey Class of ’79 had a fantastic June—full of sunshine, laughter, and memorable moments. Now, as we roll into July and celebrate the spirit of summer and the 4th of July, we welcome you to check out all that’s new on our class website!
There’s always something going on behind the scenes, and while there are currently no new activities officially scheduled for this month, we want you to know that events are always attempted to be made. Stay tuned for more details—and if you have any creative or exciting ideas for future events, we’d love to hear them. Your input helps keep the calendar fresh and full of possibilities!
We’ve also made updates across several pages on the site, so whether you're revisiting reunion photos, checking out the latest news, or exploring alumni highlights, make sure to take a good look around. There’s a lot to enjoy, and even more to come!
A heartfelt thank you to all our classmates who’ve taken the time to visit the site, share updates, and stay connected.Your participation helps build the bond that keeps our Ramsey Class of ’79 spirit strong. With even more alumni involvement, we can make our community more vibrant, fun, and meaningful for everyone.
Here’s to a fun, enjoyable, healthy, and safe month of July. Go Rams! 💙🐏
Attention Rams......
Help Make the Ramsey Class of ’79 Website Even Better!
Dear Ramsey Class of 1979,
Well, it's that time again. We've made some updates to our class website—be sure to check them out! Pay special attention to the Missing Classmates, Birthday, and Events and the Memorial pages for the latest information.
I want to personally invite each of you to contribute in any way you can to our class website. Whether it’s sharing photos, personal stories, upcoming anniversaries, sales, event updates, retirements or just fun memories from our school days, your input will help make the site more engaging, meaningful, and enjoyable for all of us. This is more than just a webpage—it’s a living space where we can stay connected, reminisce, and celebrate the friendships that have lasted over the years.
While I truly enjoy maintaining the site, I realize that it’s not just my project—it belongs to all of us. The best way to keep it fresh and exciting is by having a variety of voices, stories, and ideas from our amazing classmates. Your memories and perspectives are what make our class special, and they deserve to be shared!
So please, if you have a funny story, an old class photo, an update on your life, or even ideas for new features, send them in! This site is a reflection of our incredible class, and the more we all take part, the better it becomes. I can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
We truly appreciate your continued visits to our site, as well as your engagement on our Facebook and LinkedIn class pages. Your participation helps keep our class community connected and thriving!
Stay tuned for more updates, and let’s keep the spirit of ’79 alive! So from Sheila Johnson Youngquist, Mary Falkowski Conway, Bob Kaye, Don Sazma, Chuck Bufton, Lori-Anne William, Dianne Wilson Carlson, (keeping behind the screen Nancy Olsen Reed) and myself, stay in touch, and have a great day, Rams.
If you’d like to contribute, join or contact the reunion committee feel free to text Randy Reed at 651-238-6785 or at email Randsr16@comcast.net
A Heartfelt Thank You to Mary Koppy Nicklay for Her Reunion Committee Service
I’d like to share that our dear classmate and friend, Mary Koppy Nicklay, informed me last May that she"ll be stepping away from the Ramsey Reunion Committee.
Mary has been a highly valued and trusted member of the team since the 30th Reunion in 2009, playing a key role in the success of so many unforgettable gatherings. Her dedication, insight, warm spirit and laughter will be truly missed. She will be incredibly hard to replace because of her loyalty, fun, and unwavering commitment she brought to our group.
Mary, the class of 79 reunion committee and the class of 79 alumni thanks you for everything you’ve done to help keep our class connected! Please know that you'll always be welcomed back with open arms.
Thank you, Randy
Goals for the website.......
Looking Ahead: Our Goals for the Future
As we continue building momentum and excitement within the Alexander Ramsey Class of 1979 community, the Reunion Committee is proud to share a list of some of our short-term and long-term goals — all designed to keep us connected, informed, and ready for an unforgettable 50th Reunion in 2029!
Short-Term Goals (Next Few Months):
- Continue updating and enhancing the class website with photos, news, and event info
- Collect and post more past reunion photos (especially from the 5th through 25th reunions)
- Reach out and reconnect with classmates still on the “Missing Alumni” list
- Organize at least one fun monthly gathering in 2025
- Recognize and document past reunion committee members and their contributions
Long-Term Goals (Next Few Years):
- Grow class engagement through more frequent updates, activities, and communications
- Continue building our class archive with stories, memorabilia, and photos
- Expand our fundraising efforts to support future reunion events
- Strengthen and grow participation in planning for the 50th Reunion
- Celebrate our shared journey with the biggest and best reunion yet in 2029!
Every bit of support and participation helps us move closer to these goals, and we’re excited about what’s ahead. Thank you for being a part of the journey — the best is still to come!
Did You Know?.........
Duane "Dewey" Nelson
Mr. Duane "Dewey" Nelson was a mathmatics teacher and coach at Alexander Ramsey for 31 years. Mr. Nelson was born in Pipestone, Minnesota, and grew up in Mankato. Similiar to a number of other teachers at Ramsey, he was a World War ll veteren, having served in the U.S. Navy. After his service Mr. Nelson went to school and obtained a masters degree in Mathmatics from Mankato State University. During his run at M.S.U. Duane participated in both basketball and tennis, and was later inducted into Mankato State's Hall of Fame in both sports.
After Graduation Duane began his fifty-one year teaching career as an educator as an educator in Staples, MN. and then after that he began his thirty-one years of teaching at Ramsey. As well as teaching mathematics to many of us Rams he also coach many of us in football, basketball & tennis. Duane retired from teaching us at Ramsey but he continued teaching young minds. First at Macalester College for three years, and then at the University of Minnesota for another fifteen years. "Dewey" was married (Ardyce) and had a son (Douglas), daughter (Laurie), sister (Marcia Lacore), and eight grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.
"Dewey" was a gifted storyteller, and was known for telling stories about the people he met and places he had gone
Mr. Nelson passed away in February 22, of 2022.
Used with permission from Craig Klausing (Administrator) Alexander Ramsey High School 1953 - 1986 Facebook Group
Looking for all former reunion committee Members!
📣 A Special Request from Your Ramsey Reunion Committee
As we continue to celebrate the memories and connections of the Alexander Ramsey Class of ’79, we’re reaching out with a special request. While we’ve compiled a nice list of past reunion committee members, we know there are still names and stories missing. We’d love your help in locating and identifying all former committee members so we can properly acknowledge their important contributions in keeping our class connected over the years.
If you were part of a past reunion planning committee—or if you know someone who was—please reach out and share that information with us. Whether they helped organize our 5th, 10th, 15th, or any other past reunion, we want to recognize their efforts and highlight the impact they had in helping bring our class together time and again.
We’re also looking to collect and showcase more photos from past reunions, especially from the earlier years like the 5th through the 25th reunions. If you have any pictures tucked away in photo albums, scrapbooks, or boxes in the attic, please consider sending them our way. These images are a meaningful way to honor our shared history and bring joy to our classmates.
Thank you for helping us preserve the legacy of the Class of ’79. Your participation makes our website better, richer, and more enjoyable for everyone. We’re grateful for your support—and as always, we’re proud to be Rams! 💙🐏
Committee Members 1984 05 year
Committee Members 1989 10 years
Committee Members 1994 15 years
Dianne Wilson Carlson
Committee Members 1999 20 years
Margo Denman Martin
Becky Street
Lori Rajacich Purdham
Kathleen McGough Patri
Laurie Boche
Barb Thompson KirkPatrick
Mary Jean McGough Sargent
Shelley Boege Koren
Lori Anne Williams
Jacque Beavens
Committee Members 2004 25 years
Shelly Boege Koren
Margo Denman Martin
Lori Rajacich Purdham
Kathleen McGough Patri
Mary Jean McGough Sargent
Kim Nelson Beecham
Laurie Boche
Rick Feidt
Committee Members 2009 30 years
Jeff Lutz
Mary Falkowski Conway
Julie Kruse Ledvina
Nancy Schmedeke Petrun
Sheila Johnson Youngquist
Mary Koppy Nicklay
Larry Meissner
Paula McCarthy Aherns
Rhonda Battisto
Kathleen McGough Patri
Becky Street
Rick Feidt
Dianee Wilson Carlson
Committee Members 2014 35 years
Jeff Lutz
Mary Falkowski Conway
Julie Kruse
Nancy Schmedeke Petrun
Sheila Johnson Youngquist
Mary Koppy Nicklay
Randy Reed
Committee Members 2019 40 years
Mary Koppy Nicklay
Sheila Johnson Youngquist
Mary Falkowski Conway
Julie Kruse
Nancy Schmedeke
Bob Kaye
Randy Reed
Nancy Olsen Reed
Committee Members 2024 45 years
Sheila Johnson Youngquist
Mary Koppy Nicklay
Mary Falkowski Conway
Bob Kaye
Chuck Bufton
Don Sazma
Randy Reed
Nancy Olsen Reed (behind the scene)
Committee Members 2029 50 years
Mary Koppy Nicklay
Sheila Johnson Youngquist
Mary Falkowski Conway
Bob Kaye
Chuck Bufton
Don Sazma
Diane Wilson Carlson
Randy Reed
Nancy OLsen Reed (behind the scene)
