Reunion Group Finds $50,000 in Bank

Organizers of a high school class reunion made a surprising discovery while looking for classmate names and address _ a forgotten bank account containing more than $50,000.

The Wausau East High School class of 1986 started the bank account 20 years ago with $210 raised during a bake sale. About 10 years ago, someone anonymously made a $50,000 donation to the account.

The account largely went unnoticed by class members until Wausau East alum Wendy Moore, 37, of Minneapolis, called the school district's foundation looking for names and addresses of former classmates.

Foundation members had received interest notices from the bank but didn't know who to contact about the account. After learning about the account, Moore called Michael Welles, the former class president.

"My first reaction was, 'This has got to be a mistake,'" said Welles, 38, of Chicago.

The account is now worth almost $56,000 after interest.

The class reunion committee decided to use the money to set up a scholarship fund for future Wausau East graduates.

"I don't know if it was a former classmate or parent who donated this money, but whoever it was obviously chose our class because they thought we'd do the right thing with it," Moore said.

The class is now trying to raise an additional $10,000.

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Information from: Wausau Daily Herald, http://www.wausaudailyherald.com