09/24/2026
A lot has changed since 1918. Check out these images of Ilion High School’s graduating Class of 1918 and the football team from that year. The class is standing in front of the original high school building constructed in 1913. In an excerpt from the Ilion Citizen on Sept. 28th, 1916 Marion Eggleston, Helen Mentz, and Fredericka Lewis, among others were elected as class officers, and their class motto remained undecided at the time of the election. While the students in the photo remain unidentified, the motto they picked is displayed on the banner held by one student, which reads ‘Mind Spirit Body - IHS 1918.’ After graduation, our records show that Ms. Eggleston worked as a stenographer, married, and remained in Ilion until her death. Ms. Mentz attended college in Boston and worked locally in Ilion before moving to Monroe County. Ms. Lewis also found work at a local typewriter company before marrying and also relocating. Other known classmates from the class of 1918 include David L. Roberts and Lee B. Becker. Roberts was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1919, and later led a successful career in Syracuse selling life insurance. Meanwhile, Becker served as assistant editor of the ‘Re*****on Action’ newsletter, and also served as a sports editor for the Ilion Sentinel, the Ilion Citizen, and other local Utica newspapers. Have a question? Email us at [email protected]
