Dixon woman relives high school memories during visit

DIXON – Charlotte Dierdorff, a proud member of the Class of 1945, gestured toward Wiltz Auditorium and said with a point of pride that she’d spent a lot of time there as a student.

Dierdorff will turn 94 on Sept. 16, and she was given a tour of Dixon High School on Thursday morning. It was part of the Dare to Dream program that residents of Liberty Court, a senior living center, can be selected to participate in.

In this case, Dierdorff requested a tour of the school. She was accompanied by her children, Bill Bontz and Janet Lynch, as well as other family members and staff from Liberty Court.

Dierdorff, however, arrived at her old stomping grounds in style – a sky blue convertible. Once there, she was quick to share her love for her old school, sporting a purple shirt and corsage, and was eager to begin the tour walking aided up the main steps.

Her mother had been a piano teacher, which inspired Dierdorff’s own participation in musical activities. Later in life she became a nurse and then a school bus driver in Harmon, but she remains an avid bowler.