Waiting in the Wellesley High
School cafeteria for a tour of the school to begin, Bonnie Thompson Horgan of Atlanta, Ga., gestured toward the staircase leading to the lower-level eating area. "This was where we had
our senior prom," she remembered fondly.
"We all thought the staircase looked elegant and made a grand entrance" for the couples attending the dance.
Memories of the
prom, favorite teachers and dinners and dancing were all woven into last weekend's 40th reunion for the WHS class of 1965. Of 391 members of the graduating class, 130 showed up for a full weekend of
events that classmate Katherine "Gig"
Babson called "nearly perfect."
The Class of
1965 has had several reunions before this one, but about a year and a half ago, Babson and the rest of the planning committee decided to go all out with this one. Using the Internet, they tracked down
many classmates whose addresses they
did not have and began arranging for the weekend's bigger events. They also put together a Web site (hometown.aol.com/whs1965whs/) that includes an interactive map of the town that Babson thinks
could be tweaked to be useful in the
future for the town's 125th birthday and for teaching children about Wellesley and its history.
The reunion-related
events started Friday evening with a cocktail party at Babson's Clovelly Road home, which about 150 people attended, Babson said.
The next morning,
the reunion took over the high school cafeteria for most of the day. A continental breakfast was served from 8 to 10 a.m. WHS Latin teacher Paul Esposito led some classmates on an early-morning run
starting at the high school and
winding down the Brook Path; others went on a walk along the same route. About 100 people took part in one of the three Holly Trolley tours around town that passed
by their own neighborhoods and elementary schools. "I think all of my classmates on the trolley observed the big increase in traffic," Babson said. "Also, the change
in the neighborhoods through teardowns."
Babson said that
she organized a Saturday lunch for herself and 17 other Kingsbury School elementary classmates. That evening, about 170 people showed up at the Wellesley Country Club for a dinner and dance featuring
'60s music, and "there were a lot of
pictures taken of elementary school classes," Babson said.
Perhaps the most
nostalgic portion of the weekend, for many alumni, was the guided tours of Wellesley High School Saturday morning, The walk-through generated fond memories and, according to Babson, "The general
consensus of the classmates was that
the school looks the same, but a little bit tired."
Horgan, who now
lives in Atlanta, Ga., married David Horgan, a 1963 WHS graduate. She mentioned that many of her local high school hangouts are gone, but did note that Brigham's is in the same location on Washington
Street and is still serving ice cream.
And while the building (now office space and Bertucci's restaurant) is still on Washington Street, "The Community Playhouse was a movie theater with a balcony. I think
the price of a movie ticket was 75 cents" back then, she said.
As she walked
around the school, Horgan said the biggest change in town is "the houses were grew up in. We can't buy the houses now, and wouldn't want to - they're too small," she said.
Linda Ralli Mead
lived in Clearwater, Fla., for many years before returning to Wellesley to live in her childhood home on Oak Street. At Wellesley High, she had been a drum majorette, marching on the field at football
games and during gym shows. If somebody
handed her a baton now, she said, she thinks she would probably be able to twirl it.
Mead, like Horgan,
noted that their class had been the first to use the cafeteria on prom night and watch everybody descend the stairs.
But the tour
of the school evoked more than just memories of the facilities: several WHS instructors stood out in these former students' minds. "I remember a lot of very good, patient teachers," said Bill Dugan of
Wellfleet, who joined the Peace Corps
after high school and went on to get his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.
In particular,
Dugan was inspired by English teacher Alice Teed. "Miss Teed was a great English teacher - she did everything from the Iliad to Shakespeare," Dugan said. The class had to memorize portions of
Shakespeare's plays and present them
to the class, and although he was initially terrified at the prospect, it did "make Shakespeare come alive. Before that, I thought of him as just another dead
white guy," Dugan said.
Ellen Fulham
Lopez of West Roxbury also remembered Teed as a woman who "had a voice that could fill an auditorium, coming from this teeny, bird-like woman discussing the Iliad."
Walking through
the hallways, Lopez said she could feel the tug of old feelings and habits. "It's like you regress ... into the school zone," she said. "Everything was so
controlled back then."
Dugan said that
political science teacher Mr. Chapman's class had been another favorite, particularly for its relevancy during such tumultuous political times. "It was during the Vietnam War, so there was plenty to
talk about. He had a way of asking questions
and getting us to look at things differently."
At least one
former teacher made a live appearance at the reunion. As the tour group passed by the main office, retired social studies teacher Gerry Murphy walked out to greet them. "A lot of us just flocked around
him," said Babson. It was early in his
teaching career when Murphy encountered the Class of 1965 and "a lot of people remembered him with great fondness," Babson said.
Added Ed McCarthy
of Raleigh, N.C., "It was fun to see Mr. Murphy. I liked his jokes [in class] about not being fat, but having relaxed muscles." With a smile, McCarthy said, "I guess we all have relaxed muscles now."
Other memories
emerged in the course of the tour. Encountering a closed classroom in which high school students were taking the SATs, McCarthy said he remembered the day of his PSAT, when the roads were slippery
from a recent ice storm. "On the way
to the test, my car did a [360-degree spin]," he said.
Again and again,
members of the Class of 1965 said that the assassination of John F. Kennedy during their junior year was unforgettable - many knew exactly which class they were in, who the teacher was and how they
found out, Babson said. "I felt
for the first time in my life that I was living history," said John Fitzpatrick of Dennis, who played football, basketball
and hockey at WHS and graduated from
Babson College. Anne Sargent Walker, who married fellow alum Fred Walker after reacquainting at a 1971 party, called the assassination "one of my [and everyone's] pivotal moments."
Cyndy Perron
Monjot of Cleveland, Ohio, didn't remember a lot of the building, but she did remember the principal's office. She hastened to clarify that she had not actually
spent a lot of time in the principal's office. It was just one of those places she happened to remember - and one of the many reasons she was happy she came back.
"I just feel
comfortable here [at the reunion]," she said. "I was afraid to come here, but it's better than it used to be. Everyone is much nicer now than as classmates in
high school."
Who's Who in '65
* The WHS Class of 1965, based
on those who answered an online questionnaire:
* Graduates live in 35 states
and three foreign countries. Sixty percent are living in New England; 6 percent are still in
Wellesley.
* Since graduation, they have
moved their residence an average of 7.3 times
* Seventy-two percent indicated
that they are married. Classmates have been married an average of 1.4 times.
* Classmates have an average
of 2.3 children or stepchildren.
* Over the years, classmates
kept in touch with an average of three other WHS classmates from the Class of 1965.
* About 90 percent received
college degrees.
* Seventeen percent served
in the military
* 21 classmates are deceased
* The reunion committee was
unable to locate 52 classmates
