50 years later, the 1974 class of Memorial High School looks back on the school they helped define
By Stephanie Gertsch
Little-known fact about Newark Memorial High School: It’s a chimera. In 1973, Memorial High opened and offloaded students from the established Newark High. In the 80s, declining residency led to the two schools fusing. “They kept one name from each school, and also kept one color from each school,” notes Sherry Wright, who was part of Memorial High’s first official graduating class in 1974. She laughs, “Nobody knows that history!”
This August, the 1974 class is holding their 50th reunion at Swiss Park in Newark. Fifty years have seen many changes to the city and the students, but the first classes to join the brand new Memorial High School have a special bond that has kept many in touch decades later.
Although Memorial opened in 1973 to a handful of seniors and classes ranging from 8th to 11th grade, 1974 is the first official graduating class. That means the majority of those students stayed together for two years. Cliff Edson, Reunion Chair and ‘74 graduate, says, “We were like King of the Hill two years running!”
But what people remember is friendship and camaraderie at the brand new school. Wright remembers, “I have a connection to Newark, but I have more of a connection with my classmates. Because our class was so small [174 students]…we all became super close friends, more like family.
Edson clarifies that for the 50th, all graduating classes are welcome. “That’s why we decided to invite all the classes that we did, because we were friends with classes from 1974 until 1977.”
Building dynamics
What makes the original group of students so unique is that Memorial opened its doors before the building was even finished. “We didn’t have a gym,” says Wright. “We had locker rooms. And we had two other buildings and a library and a cafeteria.” The open plan concept was big in the 70s, so often three or four classes would meet simultaneously in one shared space. (Luckily, band had its own practice room.) Edson says, “It could get a little noisy sometimes, but back then the teachers did a really good job of keeping everything under control.” (Wright’s version is, “They tried!”) Mutual respect between teachers and students, and among students, gave structure to the chaos.
In fact, the lack of resources provided opportunity. “Senior spirit day at Newark High usually meant everyone got to go swimming. Well, we couldn’t go swimming because we didn’t have a swimming pool! But you know what, we had water balloon fights. You had to come up with different things that you didn’t need technology for.” The overall attitude was: “OK, everybody, let’s push everything together. We’re going to have relay races [in the cafeteria] because it’s raining outside and we don’t have anywhere else to go.”
At a new school nothing had been established, Wright says. “So there wasn’t any ‘Oh it has to be like this because that’s the way it’s always been.’ We didn’t have anything to go by, so if we wanted to create a special day to do something, we could do that.”
She summarizes, “Choosing the school colors, helping pick out a name, picking out and writing a fight song. So many things you just assume are the legacy of other schools, we got to create those legacies.”
The two see present-day high school students as having a different experience, without those strong underlying friendships. Edson says, “We all had great respect for each other, even though once in a while we could get into a little beef. You’d get into a beef with someone, and then a day later you’re out playing football with them. It’s not like nowadays where…it’s this thing that can’t be fixed. It turns into being forever angry.”
Similarly, Wright notes, “I have grandkids that are in my school. Kids live on technology. They’re so into their phones and into their devices that they don’t know how to interact with each other.”
It’s hard to imagine parents today sending their kids to a school without technology and even a finished campus. But the experience of Memorial High’s first classes shows that teens are resilient and creative when they are given a space to thrive and be themselves. That environment has nothing to do with the latest equipment.
50 Years
Memorial’s reunion committee has helped graduates stay in touch over the years. “I think reunions are getting fewer and farther in between,” says Edson. “It’s unfortunate that more people don’t do this.” This year, they’re hoping to do a tour of the current Newark Memorial campus as well, since so much has changed. On a preliminary visit, Wright was sad to learn that football and baseball trophies from the 70s were no longer on display, and that the current principal didn’t even know the school had been just Memorial at one time.
The local area has seen its own changes. Newark has changed as well, from farmlands and salt flats to a home for commuters who work in San Jose or on the Peninsula. Wright says, “I miss all the old stuff that we used to do. The farms that we could go and pick fruit from. Riding our horses down the Alameda Trail.”
Some of the class of ‘74 have passed away, and others are in poor health. Edson has been calling up former classmates and urging them to attend if they can. Just hearing their voices brings back memories. He’s already reunited with some old friends in person, though. “I hadn’t seen Mark and Andreas for 50 years. But then we sat down in a room, and it was like we’d never stopped seeing each other. That’s why I was so interested in getting involved putting this together, because as I contact people–you know, life moves on–it all comes back how lucky we were to grow up with such good people, such good friends.”
Memorial High School 50th Reunion
Saturday, Aug 17
2pm–10pm
Swiss Park
5911 Mowry Ave, Newark
Registration: $75
Committee contact: Sherry Wright [email protected]
I’ll be there