FHS Class of 1966 makes Quilts of Valor to honor veteran classmates

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield High School Class of 1966 met for its 55th reunion Saturday. But this was no ordinary class reunion.

The class sought to honor its members who served in the military. Class member Pat Burch is a member of the national Quilts of Valor Foundation, which provides quilts to active U.S. military personnel and veterans. In preparation for her class’s 55th reunion, she reached out to her classmates to see who could make quilts.

Burch and five others supplied 51 quilts, which were hung in the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. During a ceremony Saturday night, the quilts were presented to the class’s veterans, the spouses of veterans, or in some cases the family of a deceased veteran. Two members of the Class of 1966 were killed in action during the Vietnam War: Dennis Odell and Fred Sheffield.

Making all these quilts took time, which is why Burch began contacting her fellow quilters in the class two years ago. The others who contributed quilts were Gloria Countryman, Chris Keyser, Bruce Bussey, Ron Johnston and Rita Harper.

Bussey brought his quilts all the way from Utah, where he belongs to 260-member quilting guild. When the members of his quilt guild in the city of St. George heard he was making Quilts of Valor for his classmates, they wanted to help. Bussey and the members of his quilt guild made 14 quilts for the occasion.

As Burch surveyed the quilts hung in the arts center, she noted how there were many similarities between them, but no two were exactly alike. All of the quilts employed patriotic colors, but all had different designs. Some used the same center panel, such as an image of a bald eagle, but the patterns around the outside of the image made each unique.

Keyser noted, “It’s amazing we could find so many ways to arrange red, white and blue.”

Burch said those who went to school in the 1960s were the children of the Greatest Generation. Most of their parents served during World War II.

Countryman commented, “We come from good stock.”

“Patriotism was big in our class,” Keyser added.

Bussey said the class had a brief program dedicated to veterans during the class’s 50th reunion in 2016.

“We read a list of our classmates who served in the Vietnam War,” he said. “Most of our classmates came home from the war, but a lot of them are suffering from Agent Orange exposure and are developing cancers. Some of them might have [post-traumatic stress disorder].”

Burch said she and her classmates wanted to do more to honor the veterans’ sacrifices. They didn’t want to wait for the 60th reunion, because who knows what could happen to classmates in those extra five years.

“We’d better do it now while they’re still around,” Keyser said.

“And before we lose any of the quilters,” Burch joked.