Staples High School’s graduation next Thursday returns to the football stadium — a nod to the lingering effects of COVID. The potential for bad weather, construction of the fieldhouse and an ability to better control crowds (and teenagers) drove graduation indoors decades ago.
As the Class of 2021 receives their diplomas, the remaining members of Staples’ Class of 1956 may remember their own graduation, 65 years ago.
To help them recall their high school years — and to show how much things have changed in 2/3 of a century — here’s a look back, through the pages of the 1956 Stapleite yearbook.
Four of the nearly-200 member graduating class are shown below. David Wunsch is now a frequent commenter on “06880.”
The “Senior Preferences” list contained several (presumably) inside jokes. Favorite soap?!
Student organizations included the SSO, Senate (“which made “good progress on the parking problem and tried to curb the smoking”), and a Student Court.
Two popular — but now long-defunct — clubs include the Projectionists (to show movies in classes) and Rifle (which competed in NRA matches).
Finally, a look back at the junior prom of 1955. It featured a live band.
My cousin, Stanley Backiel, was in the 1956 class. I believe David Wunsch once told me he remembered him.
Interesting seeing Jane Yolen’s activities include the Creative Writing Club (which I don’t think still existed during our years). She has had considerable success as an author.
Did David Wunsch have a brother Carl in the class of ’58? I was just checking my ’58 year book because the name was so familiar Carl’s pet peeve was “reactionary politicians”.
Indeed Carl is my brother. He is 17 months younger than I and went off to MIT and became a Professor of Earth Sciences there and was for a time dept chair. We are the 2 eldest of my parents’ five children : the others are Jim, Jerry and Sarah, in order of age. They are all Staples alumni. Carl is now a visiting prof at Harvard.
Thank you!
Prom looks like the Y downtown . I’ve got yearbooks from 1958-1961 incase you want to do the same with other years!
I’d like to know the favorite song and movie for tge classes of ’57 and ’58!
By the way, Pat Lane (Staples ’58) married Bill Willett and they raised their family in Southport.
In my High School (unfortunately, not Staples) we had a projectionist crew. It consisted of 15 boys and two girls, one of which was myself. The girls would show female-related films to the Health classes, which were segregated by sex. I didn’t go to my regular classes for two weeks!