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Graduation
Day
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 June
26, 1960
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―
The Four Freshmen, 1956
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As noted on the
invitation depicted above, the commencement exercises were to be held on the OHS athletic field, but in the event of rain, each graduate received
the following two tickets to admit family members to the
auditorium for the exercises.
It didn't rain.
Weather in Oceanside, New
York, on our Graduation Day, June 26, 1960:
- High temp: 85.3F
- Low temp: 63.3F
- Average temp: 74.8F
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- Dewpoint: 49.1F
- Wind speed: 5 knots
- Precipitation: 0 inches
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Despite
all the fun we were having, it seemed like we had waited an eternity for
graduation day ― and it was
finally
here. We couldn't wait for
high school to be over, but
when it was, and we knew we had to move on, we suddenly began to realize how much we
would miss it. As the kids in Grease did, we
thought, simplistically and on the surface, that we would always be
together. But deep down, we knew it wasn't going to be so.
Even after everything we were told about
it by our parents and teachers, we still had no real clue how different our lives would be
after leaving high school.
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We felt like we had really achieved something
― and
we surely did.
We were happy to be done and to move on to the next stage
of our
lives. We
thought we were finally adults ―
finally in control ― and
finally ready for the world. It was certainly a time to
celebrate. We
had dozens of graduation parties to go to that last weekend
in June.
And we went to several every night ―
in the knotty pine-paneled
basements of the period ―
and
we partied like it was ― well,
like
it was
1960!
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―
Author unknown
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Truly, it was "... a time for joy, a time for tears."
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And here's how our graduation
day went (kind of):
The program began
with band playing the Overture ― "Selections
from Gigi."
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(Click to hear a live recording of
our 1959-'60 OHS band performing
"Selections
from Gigi" in concert
in 1960). |
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"The
Gift Outright,"
by Robert Frost
(Presented
at our graduation by H. Mitchell Hall and again at
John F. Kennedy's inauguration in January 1961 by the poet)
The land was ours before we were the
land's.
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours.
In Massachusetts, in Virginia,
But we were England's, still colonials,
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no more possessed.
Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves,
We were withholding from our land of living,
And forthwith found salvation in surrender.
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright.
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war.)
To the land vaguely realizing westward,
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she would become.
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Click here
for the
full
text
of Gerda's valedictory address, which she was so kind to share with us
―
again.
And Gerda graciously supplemented it for us in February 2000 with some
present day updating commentary. |
Following Mitch Hall's reading of the
Robert Frost poem, we heard the words of our own class
valedictorian, Gerda Balding (now,
Gerda Balding Kunkel, married to classmate, Joe Kunkel), delivered to us on our graduation day in 1960.
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As reported in
(click on the logo for more Beacon clippings):
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crowd waits for the graduates. |
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The graduates wait, too (tassels on the right). |
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Miss Kinkade leads the police on the never-ending search for
contraband gum-chewing. |
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The
procession is under way. |
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And
now it is over (tassels on the left). |
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The
end of a great day, June 26, 1960 —
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A time we'll treasure through the years.
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"We'll
remember always, graduation day."
 
Trivia Questions:
1. What was our senior class gift to the
school?
2. What was Billboard's
no. 1 song  our
graduation day?
Clue: Our graduation day was its last day
of five weeks as the chart-topper. That means it was also no. 1 on May
28th, the night of our senior prom.
(Click
here for the answers.)
Copyright © 2000-2008 by Howard B. Levy and
1960 Sailors Association Inc. All rights reserved.
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