ROCKPORT — Ben Perry never intended to lead reunions for his high school class. He simply heard wrong. One day in the early sixties, he happened to be sitting in the back of a meeting as elections were held for officers. When he heard the speaker ask for someone to stay after and help clean, he raised his hand and said, “I’ll do it.” His name was announced to the group. Someone made a motion, and then a second to the nomination. From that day on, as Class President, he’s been inviting his classmates to gather with him in celebration of the Rockland High School Class of 1954; the first reunion was held in 1964.

On August 17, 2024, Perry presided over the 70th reunion, held on the final weekend that the Offshore Restaurant, in Rockport, serves meals before relinquishing the building to a new owner, a beauty salon.

This is a momentous occasion said Perry during the reunion.

“Not every school class celebrates 70 years and I think it’s worth acknowledging,” said Perry.

Perry’s class had 68 members. Sixteen classmates are known to still be living, though many of them were not able to attend this year’s event due to various circumstances. The five who attended celebrated with perusal through memorabilia accumulated by Perry through the years, a shared meal, and happy memories. In attendance were Graduate Russell Wixson and his daughter Cathy; Graduate Joan Peters; Graduate Arthur Perry; Classmate Katie Johnson Wiley and her grandson William Wiley; Graduate Ben Perry and his wife Mary; and Janice Dorr, wife of classmate Clayton Dorr.

They were sharp – their memories strong, and aside for a few requests to repeat a sentence, very little got past them. And with the class clown (Perry) filling all gaps with stories of childhood pranks, no awkward small talk made it over the silverware.

It was a different era back then, one that would never be acceptable today.

-The time that Perry and others relocated the Driver’s Ed car to the roof of the driver’s ed. building.

-Holding a full-blown funeral for the school mascot when the tiger was retired. Earl Robishaw made the coffin. (Click here to view this story in a side bar) 

-Spraying a fellow student with a fire extinguisher and ruining his coat (which the Perry family had to pay for).

-A 1959 Ford Galaxy 500

-Riding a Whizzer motor bike in the Warren Street and Brewster Street area while doing paper route rounds.

-Being kicked in the tailbone by a school administrator, with no consequence to anyone, and becoming good friends with that person later in life.

-And, the ABCs: Classmates Arthur Perry, and cousins Ben Perry and Cliff Perry.

Perry graduated and went off to the Navy. He coordinated his leaves to line up with the Maine Lobster Festival, where, for five years straight, he drove a convertible for pageant contestants in the parade .

Later, he gathered his classmates together every few years, and more, in various locations, some more than once.

The first reunion was at a personal cottage. Then there was the Tilt’n Hilton on Ash Point, by the water, a dilapidated venue in Owls Head where people joked about feeling drunk as soon as they stepped on the tilting floor. They’ve also been to Beaver Lodge, a golf club, the Samoset, Flat Bread Company, and a couple of times to the Offshore.

Ferguson traveled the farthest, from Rochester, New York, courtesy of one of his daughters. The others who attended live much closer. Most of them see each other often.

They all hover around the age of 90.

I described the Class of 1954 as I saw them, and asked the classmates if they thought I was wrong.

-Riding donkeys while competing in sports (donkey basketball was the most popular).

-Student smoking lounges inside the high school

-Each individual was a part of multiple clubs

-They carried the mindset that when they made an attempt, and it failed, they chalked it down to a “my fault” attitude, followed by get-up-and-try-again resolve.

-Creative and adaptable

I received several nods. No one denied anything. But, then again, they were in a hurry to return to their conversations with their friends.

In business meeting fashion, Perry held up a forest-green bank book, the savings account set up by the original reunion class treasurer long ago. Recent $50 each donations from the Coffin and Burns families brought the total to $150. Ferguson donated $100 more at the reunion’s close. The group voted to use the money in the future to help fund floral arrangements for classmates, something they’ve been doing for a while now.

Here today, at the 70th, Perry asked his small audience if they thought they might be done with reunions. Nobody argued in favor of more.

In the morning they will return to the Offshore for breakfast, a tradition that they keep up every year.

And, the memorabilia that came from Perry’s now defunct Alumni Heritage Room will return to storage at South School.

“I did this for you guys,” said Perry.

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Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com