They came from rival Island schools in Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, and Tisbury, brought together to spend their senior year in 1959-60 as the first graduating class in the new Martha's Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS). At a reception Monday night honoring the class of 1960, the blended group of 11 alumni who attended was all smiles.
(From left) Principal Steve Nixon, Linda Ben David, Jackie Dawley, Michael Carroll, Judy Cronig, Donna Gazaille, Judy Williamson, Catherine Deese, Elsie Gilman, and Sandra Brown at the class of 1960 reception. Pam Zimmer and Judy Pachico, not pictured, missed the photo op.
The MVRHS school committee hosted the festive event in the high school's culinary arts dining room. The alumni reminisced against the backdrop of music provided by a student string ensemble including Willoughby Smith, Hilary Dreyer, and Bethany Pennington.
Chef/instructor Jack O'Malley and culinary arts students Max Moreis, Cody Maciel, and Alexis Wiseman prepared and served a delicious array of appetizers and desserts.
Before the high school was built, Tisbury School was the largest Island school, and included students from Gay Head, Chilmark, and West Tisbury, Judy Cronig of Tisbury said. And not surprisingly, she added, Tisbury protested the most about building the new regional school.
"We weren't happy about it, moving to the new high school," said Judy Marchant Pachico of Tisbury. "But everybody worked together well, and it was a good year. We've had class reunions every 10 years."
Pam Kurth Zimmer, who lives in North Babylon, New York, comes back to the Island often to visit family and stays in touch with her old high school friends. Chatting with her at the reception, Michael Carroll of Tisbury recalled the great party she threw when "the class of '60 turned 60."
Thinking about his senior year, Mr. Carroll said he remembered how difficult it was for high school athletes to go from being competitors to teammates.
Elsie Kingsbury Gilman, who now lives in Montague, N.H., said she had no problems coming from Tisbury School and blending in with students from other towns. As Ms. Gilman reminded Donna Berube Gazaille of Edgartown, she did her part by dating Ms. Gazaille's brother.
Several of the alumni now have grandchildren attending their alma mater. Linda Maury Ben David of Oak Bluffs has a granddaughter who is a sophomore. Three of Ms. Pachico's grandchildren are MVRHS graduates, with one to go. Jackie Borges Dawley of Oak Bluffs has a granddaughter who will graduate in 2010.
Realizing that the high school would be graduating its 50th class this spring, Principal Steve Nixon made plans to include the class of 1960 alumni in events throughout the 2008-09 school year.
Since last fall, Ms. Gazaille, Sandra Brown Arnold of Edgartown, and Judy Catlow Williamson of Oak Bluffs shared their high school memories in presentations at school committee meetings. They caught up with each other at the reception.
Mr. Nixon said guidance secretary Ellie Parece sent out invitations to about 55 of the 62 alumni (seven are dead) inviting them to the reception and graduation exercises on June 14. About 23 still have Vineyard addresses. Ms. Parece said she received about 30 responses so far.
Mr. Nixon said he planned for the 1960 alumni to march in the graduation procession and walk across the stage to be recognized. However, in discussion among the ladies Monday night, some seemed to be kicking back into a 1960s protest mode.
They said they didn't mind the idea of the procession, but wanted none of that walking across the stage business. School committee chairman Susan Mercier assured them they were welcome to participate in whatever way they choose.
After 50 years, the 1960 alumni do remain strongly united on one front: they're still angry they never got to take a trip to Washington, D.C., like other Island graduating seniors before them.
Throughout the evening the talk kept going back to the Washington trip that never was. There were various theories about why it was canceled. "We got a yearbook instead," someone complained.
"I think the administrators were leery things wouldn't go well, since we had all been rivals before," said Ms. Cronig. "They were afraid to send us all on a trip together."
"Every graduating class went to Washington," Ms. Williamson added. "Life was hard on this Island. We didn't travel a lot, and canceling the trip was a big deal."
After missing out, Catherine Amaral Deese of Oak Bluffs said she decided, "I was going to go, come hell or high water." And she did finally go, volunteering as a chaperone on her children's school trips to Washington.
"How about having a reunion in Washington, D.C., maybe next year?" Ms. Cronig asked the group, who responded enthusiastically to the idea. In fact, Ms. Deese was already talking about escorted bus tours.
From the sound of their conversation, there's no stopping the class of 1960 this time.
