Scrapbook Memories

Ideally, this story should be entitled “Yearbook Memories,” however, mine were all lost in the flood, so Scrapbook it is.

Most teenage girls at least kept some kind of scrapbook in their high school years. I was no exception. I would like to share some of the information and photos from my scrapbook covering my high school career and especially my senior year, 1959, at Rockland High School on Lincoln Street.

This is the type on my scrapbook cover. I asked my brother, Harlan, the artist in the family, to do it for me. He inked this in pen and ink.

This basketball program probably came from 1956 or 1957. We played Crosby High School of Augusta that night. All boys games were played in the Community Building because the high school gym was too small and couldn’t hold much in the way of an audience above the floor. We won this night, 76-51. Our players were: Richard Smith, Ralph Hooper, Richard Gardner, Walter Wotton, Bill Flanagan, Vince Carr, Dick Trask, Bill Atwood, James Smith, Sam Glover, and Charles Mahoney. The coach was Mike DiRenzo. We had killer teams in those days. I’m sure I screamed at the top of lungs and was hoarse the next day as usual.

I also had this report for a game in 1959 against the Lawrence Bulldogs of Fairfield. Our boys really tromped them that night.

I played on the girls’ basketball team but I don’t have a picture of our team. I did have this story in my scrapbook though. We won 80-75.

Kippy Karnival was our big money-maker of the year. It was usually a two or three-day event, culminating in a stage show with each class participating. I usually had some part in the show, usually as a tap dancer. Here are the girls who were up for Kween in 1959. They are, left to right: Carolyn Bird, Dorothy Childs, Marie Gardner, Gail Ladd, Donna Poulin. (We loved the letter “K” didn’t we.) Dottie, Marie, and Donna were all Southend girls.

Dottie was crowned Kippy Karnival Kween in 1959. Here, Principal Boothby crowns her. She was also named as the first Sea Princess for the Lobster Festival later on that year.

We all received our share of certificates when we were in school I participated in Band, Chorus, Basketball and other organizations while in school. Here are a couple certificates I received:

This is a chorus certificate signed by Principal Boothby and our beloved chorus teacher, Winola Cooper.

This is my basketball varsity certificate signed by Principal Boothby and Coach Lawrence Plummer.

Graduation Day 

My scrapbook contains all the activities associated with being a senior including end-of-the-year doings leading up to and including graduation.

The first event we participated in was Class Night in which many of the scholarships are given out. Our Class Night was held at the High School auditorium on Lincoln Street. This picture shows the award and scholarship recipients for that evening. I received the PTA scholarship as I was going on to teacher’s college in the fall. Don’t ask me why some of us were in cap and gown and some weren’t or why the boys are sitting and the girls are standing. Our class motto in the background is “The Past is Gone, the Future is our Own.” In the back row left to right are: Eleanor Batty, Pat Wade, Nancy O’Brien, Priscilla Newbert, Gail Ladd, Anna Coughlin, Me, Louise West. Seated left to right are: Tim Corey, Rowland Wasgatt, Bob Hunt, Todd McIntosh, Joe Terrio, and Russell Spear. Of those pictured gone are, Pat Wade, Priscilla Newbert, and I believe Rowland Wasgatt.

The next event was Baccalaureate. By this time “senioritis” is really setting in. Our class advisor, Mrs. Martha Viik, is pretty disgusted with us and has to keep begging us to stop passing yearbooks around for classmates to sign and listen to her about the order of the procession into the Community Building etc. I don’t think we listened very well, but things went on as planned anyway.

The Baccalaureate Service was held on June 7, 1959. The processional and recessional, as always, was Pomp and Circumstances. We marched two by two, girl and boy; tallest to shortest; one step at a time, then halt, then another step. Our marshal, Bill Montgomery, who carried a staff loaded down with our class colors, maroon and white, kept a steady beat for us. I marched with Ernest Watlng, voted the most handsome boy in the class.

The service was essentially a religious affair. The invocation was given by Rev. R.O. Johnston. We sang hyms: “Let there be Song;” “God of our Fathers…;” and “Praise Ye the Father.” Scripture was read by A. Alan Grossman. Another prayer was given by Rev. Chester M. Staples. The chorus sang. Earlene Sayward, of the class, sang a solo “Lamb of God.” Gail Ladd, of the class, played a piano solo by Chopin. The sermon was “What is Man,” by Major Alexander Pike. The benediction was given by Rev. William Robbins.

I don’t know if all this religious activitiy is allowed these days, but it certainly was good practice for we seniors for the big day to come on June 9, 1959.

Graduation Day finally came. It was a bittersweet day. On the one hand, we were excited about finally graduating from high school after four long years and on the other hand we knew we would never see some of our classmates again. Those four long years seemed very short to us on that night. Some of us would go on to college; some to the service; some would move away for one reason or another; and some would remain in the area. Our reunions every five years from them on became precious times to us.

Our Salutatorian was Robert Plummer; Valedictorian, Rowland Wasgatt. Besides our motto, our class song was “Lift your hearts ye sons and daughters.” I know none of us actually voted on or chose that song. If we had, it would have been some rock and roll song of the day. No doubt, Mrs. Cooper picked that out for us. Class colors were maroon and white Class flower was yellow rose.

Our class officers were: President, Todd McIntosh; Secretary, Priscilla Smith; Vice President, Gail Ladd; Treasurer, Pete Stratton.

The commencement address was given by Dr. Marion Bradshaw of the Bangor Theological Seminary. I don’t remember a word of her address and I doubt any of our teenage minds that day paid much attention to it. Many of us just wanted to get down off that stage and go on to the parties to follow.

Tim Corey sang a solo and Harriet Ladd played a piano solo, “Rhapsody in Blue.”

The Mary Perry Rich Educational Club Scholarship was given out. I don’t remember who it was given to. Then Superintendent Bruce J. King gave us our diplomas; Rev. Roy I. Bohanan gave the benediction and we were on our way out in the recessional.

We still used Pomp and Circumstances that day, both going in and going out. We were all in a hurry to get out of the auditorium. One of us, Barbara Staples, caught her heel on one of the steps going off the stage. The shoe came off and our regular recessional beat was in great jeopardy. Oh dear, what to do. One of our teachers, one of the men, I don’t remember who, was sitting in the front row. He quickly ran up to the steps and placed Barbara’s shoe down on the next step so she could step into it. She did and didn’t miss a beat.

Outside the auditorium doors we all hugged and admired our diplomas. Some cried. Some laughed with joy to finally be done with school. All of us vowed to keep in touch with each other. Some of us did. Some didn’t. I have enjoyed all our class reunions though. We celebrated our 50^th in 2009. I’ll see some of them when I go home this summer.

To the future student of Oceanside who may do a term paper on local education history, here’s a good place to start. Good luck to all the Oceansiders in their high school careers and in their future endeavors.

“Go…whatever mascot you decide on.”