The 50th class reunion of the 1961 North Arlington High School graduating class was held this past winter at the Renault Winery and Golf Resort in Egg Harbor City, NJ. There were 28 graduates and one teacher who attended the reunion. Graduates who attended the event had successful careers as Accountants, Secretaries, Nurses, Teachers, and an Analysis Engineer for electronics in space systems. There were also some who worked as Engineering Managers/Project Managers for PATH trains, Marketing Consultants, a Mechanical Engineering Advisor for Exxon, writers and editors for the Asbury Park Press, florists, and a US Air Force career man.
Although the evening had many highlights, the most important was getting together with old friends from high school and grammar school. The class of 1961 has held a reunion every five years since graduation. The best part about the reunion was reminiscing about the good old times in high school and recapturing their youth with memories. Some memories involved talking about the teachers who had an impact on their lives – teachers such as: Mr. Rip Collins, Mr. Michael Praschak, Mr. John Kaelin, Neil Gerard, Janice (Jablin) Glock and Wilbur Ruckel.
The class remembered their senior play Guys and Dolls, getting their driver’s licenses and hoping that parents would lend them the family car! Mrs. Sullivan, one of the attendees and organizer of the reunion, stated that the evening can best be described as having been, “Terrific.” Mrs. Sullivan also pointed out some notable differences between the lifestyles of adolescents in 1961 and those of the present time.
As far as fashion is concerned, boys did not wear jeans during school only after school and on weekends and they wore cotton button shirts. Occasionally, boys would roll up their sleeves and no one would wear baseball hats during school. Sweatshirts and hoodies were not even invented back then, so no one ever wore them anyway. Girls did not wear jeans, only skirts that were below the knee and they were either very straight or full worn with crinolines. In addition, girls wore shirts that were buttoned up to their necks and sneakers were only worn for gym or sports, so they would wear ballerina shoes, penny loafers or saddle shoes.
Another difference that is noticeable is the attitude of students towards their teachers. Back then, no one dared to talk back or question a teacher like many students unfortunately do nowadays. Girls were encouraged to explore careers other than nursing and teaching. There are many differences from the 60s to 2012; however, the most significant is that there were no cell phones or computers in the 60’s! Instead, students relied on dial phones and handwritten notes in school. Getting together for lunch and after school was very important back then because they did not have as much technology to keep in touch like we do today.
Students would meet at local places for burgers such as Eddie’s Sweetshop, Nankee’s Ice Cream Parlor, and Brummers. Most Friday or Saturday nights you would find students walking to the Lincoln Theatre or at a friend’s house for parties or slumber parties for the girls. All students attended the Victory Dances and CYO dances at the Knights of Columbus and listened to DooWop music. Television was in black and white, but the most popular show for the girls was American Bandstand with Dick Clark and some were even lucky enough to get on the show in Philly!
Sports were important back then as they are now, but not many girls were athletes. Girls were only involved in cheerleading, twirling or the marching band and there was no softball, basketball or volleyball except in gym class. The boys basketball team was very good thanks to Mr. Wilbur Ruckel and football games were the place to be on Saturdays.
Some advice that Mrs. Sullivan has for the 2012 senior class is, “To cherish your high school years, make lots of friends, keep in touch and try to go to every reunion. As we get older, we spread out all over the country. Let someone know where you are living or if you are married. Trust us, it makes running a reunion a lot easier in the committee!! Find a job you really like doing and it will carry you for the rest of your life.”