Karns Family Reunion

 

The 56th annual reunion of the Alva and Hiram Karns families was held Sunday, August 17, at Dodge City. Fifty-six relatives and friends attended the reunion.

 

Elmer and Carl Karns, Alva Karns' boys, are the only living of the original two families. Elmer holds the distinctive title as the oldest living of the clan at age 82. Carl will be 80 later this month and was honored with a huge birthday cake.

 

Those present representing the Alva Karns family were Mr. and Mrs. Carl Karns, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Nemeth, Chris and Michael of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Karns, Dr. and Mrs. Forrest Ladd, Jr. and Gwen of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Paxton, Mr. and Mrs. Minnis Nelson, Mullinville, Mr. and Mrs. Glen Karns, Mrs. Arthur Karns of Pratt; Ethel Paxton, Orin Kimberly of Greensburg; Paul Paxton, Caldwell, Idaho; Mr. and Mrs. Billy Smith, Melissa and Melinda of Dodge City.

 

Those present representing the Hiram Karns family were Roy Stwalley, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Carlin of Bucklin; Mr. and Mrs Wallace Hartshorn of Holly Colorado; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lanchriet, Robert and Shaylynn; Mr. and Mrs. Gene Gaut, Douglas and Michelle of Cimarron; Mrs Chavez Gaut, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Stwalley, Mr. and Mrs. Keith Stwalley, Nellma, Nancy, and Marcey of Ford; Conway Price, Mullinville; Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Stwalley, Dana and Steve of Dodge City.

 

Afternoon callers were Mr. and Mrs. Roy Haley of Dodge City, Mrs. Cliff Bisbee and Mrs. Dwayne Cook of Meade, and Mrs. Lulu Melia of Bucklin.

 

–Newspaper clipping saved by Verna (Dawson) Karns.

[This reunion, noted in the newspaper as the 56th, was held in 1971. You will note that a shift in the counting took place in the 1970s. For example, 1971 is presented as the 56th reunion, but 1970 was presented as the 52nd and 1972 as the 53rd. It appears that up through1961 the number of the reunion was always the year minus 15. Starting in 1972 the subtraction factor became 19, possibly revising in view of some missed years. However, the one in 1970, called the 52nd, appears to be an anomaly, with a subtraction factor of 18. The one in 1971 appears to have been tagged using both the old and the new systems, hence its being called both the 52nd and the 56th. Verna did not have any records in the scrapbook for the years 1962 through 1969.]