As the saying goes, one picture is worth a thousand words. Since I first picked up a camera 50 years ago I’ve probably taken 10,000 or more pictures, many of them for the newspapers in the Wiscasset-Boothbay area. Over the past year I’ve been converting my black and white negatives into digital images some of which I’ve included in this column. My readers tell me they enjoy seeing these old pictures that bring back fond memories of the “good ol’ days.” I can appreciate that because I sometimes miss those times too.

During this time of year for many of us our thoughts return to high school graduation; our own march down the aisle, or maybe seeing our nieces, nephews and grandchildren wearing a cap and gown and getting their diploma. Take it from me graduation time at Wiscasset High School used to be the biggest event of the year attracting hundreds of guests to the high school and needing police officers to help with traffic control.

It was a week-long event, starting off the Saturday before graduation with the Alumni Banquet. At the banquet, graduates from Wiscasset High School and the former Wiscasset Academy gather in the school’s gymnasium for dinner and share memories of their high school days when they proudly wore red and black, the school’s colors.

The evening’s highlight was when the names of current graduating class were read aloud and each senior stood to be recognized. The following evening, Sunday, the graduating class in cap and gown, gathered on the school’s stage for baccalaureate. The community’s clergy took turns hosting the program that was about an hour long and concluded with light refreshments for parents and guests afterwards. Class Night was next on Tuesday night which was when most of the scholarships and academic awards were presented. The week concluded Thursday evening when graduation was held followed by Project Graduation, a night of supervised fun for the graduates. Wiscasset’s graduation had always been held in the gym until the pandemic when for safety reasons it was moved outdoors and graciously hosted by Wiscasset Speedway.

A few weeks ago the “Wiscasset Academy-High School Alumni,” that’s the group’s official name, returned to the gymnasium for the banquet. The group took a year off during the pandemic in 2021, although the following spring they held a small breakfast gathering in the high school cafeteria. Donations were taken from its membership, the proceeds of which were given to that year’s senior class and used for an all expense paid trip to Funtown-Splashtown USA.

Wiscasset’s alumni have always been a tight knit group that devotes a great deal of time in planning its yearly get-together. Chip Davison, a member of the class of 1980, is the current president. This year’s banquet featured a turkey dinner with all the trimmings prepared by Jodie’s Café. Sheila Sawyer of Wiscasset, secretary of the alumni and a past president, told me that 148 alumni turned out and nearly all of the 22 graduating seniors were in attendance. The oldest class represented was from 1954 with four members present. The two WHS classes recognized were the Class of 1999, celebrating its 25th anniversary, and the Class of 1974 marking its 50th year. A highlight of the evening was a guitar performance by WHS alumnus Caleb Jones.

Attendance at the Alumni Banquet has steadily dropped off the last few years. Some of the more recent graduates have moved away while others are simply not interested in taking part. Class sizes have gotten a lot smaller too. Because of the declining enrollment high school students now share their building, renamed a few years ago to Wiscasset Middle High School with sixth, seventh and eighth graders.

Now, finally what you all have been waiting for, the reunion picture of the Wiscasset High School Class of 1971. The picture was taken by me on the occasion of their 10-year reunion at Taste of Maine Restaurant in Woolwich. I was told this was the first WHS class to hold a gathering of this kind and being about the same age I knew most of the people attending. There were 30 of 65 class members present along with their spouses and guests. Some of you will recognize a lot of these people because many of them chose to make their home in the Wiscasset-Boothbay area following graduation. Not surprisingly, the Class of ’71 is usually the best represented at the Alumni Banquet and will likely carry on the tradition for years to come. 

Phil Di Vece earned a B.A. in journalism studies from Colorado State University and an M.A. in journalism at the University of South Florida. He is the author of three Wiscasset books and is a frequent news contributor to the Boothbay Register-Wiscasset Newspaper. He resides in Wiscasset. Contact him at pdivece@roadrunner.com