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Last Updated: August 16, 2008
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Mendham High School
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Greetings to all MHS Alumni!
Take a look back in time, remembering
life as a student at Mendham!
Plus Some History and Alumni
Links, too!
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Hello to MHS Alumni!
This little website is
mainly for the 70's, 80's, and even 90's alumni to remember life as a kid
at Mendham, and to see what's up
at your old school so you aren't too disorientated at your next
reunion!
So basically, if you know who English teacher Mrs. Crane was, then you are the
right age for this site! If you never heard of Mrs. Crane, then
you must be quite young still, as there is no way any alumni
could forget Mrs. Crane!!
Shown above are two photos
of Mendham High, taken 20 years apart.
If you were at the school before 1991, you will certainly
recognize the top photo above, taken around 1985!
You probably
remember entering those orange doors, or maybe catching the bus out front.
Well, things have changed quite a bit - our alma mater looks quite
different now. The bottom photo shown above is the current front of the
building - what a difference! Some friends and I originally wrote this website since
it seems so many of us don't live anywhere near Mendham or Chester anymore, and
haven't seen the town or school in years and years.
So many of us now live all over the world, and so far from our
childhood homes!
Guess I am an exception - My name is Sue (from '88), and
I am a lifelong resident of Mendham, and my family goes way
back here, first settling in Mendham about 175 years ago. Mendham is
an important place to many of us, so this
site was written to help keep a little piece of
Mendham's past alive in cyberspace!
I am also a member of the
Mendham Borough Historical Society, so "old" Mendham stuff is right up my alley.
This webpage actually has a name - www.OldMendhamHigh.com and
also www.OldMendhamHigh.org
(somehow I wound up with them both), but I can't get it to appear in the
address box (my web skills aren't that good!). Since I was from the Class of '88, I
fully admit there is a definite 80's student view here -
but some kind friends from the 70's have
been helping me write their perspective, too!
So check it out!
(Like you have nothing better to do) - this page
is divided up into 2 sections:
1. Photos of the current school
- Just keep scrolling on down
2. Mendham High History and Alumni-Related Links
- Yes, links about (gasp) The Grove even!
And remember to study
the photos here, so you don't get too disorientated
at your next reunion!
Have fun traveling down Memory Lane!
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Look at the School Now! →
Do you recognize this?
Maybe not!
This is a current photo of the front of Mendham High. What a difference!
A huge construction done in the early 1990's changed the whole outside
of the front of the building, and quite a bit inside, too!
Notice the parking lots are different, too -
as there are more of them now, and they are all paved! No more gravel!
Whole front is nothing like it used to be!
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← Front Photo
Here is a closer photo of the front of the school. Completely
different than the old days! Notice the
grand Clock Tower! Even though the clock looks great, it
almost always has the wrong time nowadays, not sure what's up with that.
Anyways, the second floor "white" wing is the new
library, and the old library off the
Lobby is now classrooms. And notice there is no mound anymore
on the Circle, as it got completely flattened! Wow!
And nowadays, there are two different memorials
on the Circle now (see below).
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On The Circle #1: The Fountain →
On the Circle now is a very pretty fountain
with benches. The fountain is to honor math teacher Mr. Julius Wargacki, who rose through the
teaching ranks to become vice principal and then principal of MHS. (For you 70's folks who didn't know him,
he's the husband of math teacher Mrs. Michelle Wargacki). Very sadly
he passed away a few years ago, while still serving as principal.
The fountain was built in 2005. Anyone remember the Mendham High Sign, that
was on the Circle? It got removed when the fountain was built, and I have
no idea what happened to it since. It was there for so long (25 years) and is quite an icon, so I hope it returns someday!
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← On the Circle #2: Veteran's Memorial
Also on the Circle is a new Veteran's Memorial, built around November 2006.
This memorial honors veterans from the local area who fought in
various wars and served the country. Finally completed in early 2008,
the main focus of the memorial
is a statue of a soldier. The soldier has a pensive expression
on his face, as he dresses in his uniform as he prepares to go to war.
The intent of the memorial is to
make us think about the concept of war.
Students themselves
designed and created this memorial. Surrounding the statue is
a brick walkway, with names of soldiers written into them, plus a large plaque.
My family has a walkway brick for a relative (D. Quimby) who served in WWII.
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Time Capsule →
This is new, too! On the Circle, the current students made a time capsule.
It's not supposed to be opened for 50 years. This is located near the
Veteran's Memorial. Not sure if I'll attend the opening when I am 86 years old!
Inside the capsule are things like newspaper clippings, and even a CD
of interviews. Whether a CD can even be played then will be an interesting
question! CDs will probably be as obsolete as our
prized record albums (I still got Michael Jackson's Thriller!),
our 8-tracks (anyone still have those?), and our three-inch disks by then!
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← Entrance by the Parking Lots
Remember the side entrance near the faculty parking lots, which entered
the building near the faculty lunchroom and the cafeteria? And there
was a pay phone outside by that entrance? Well, you
probably don't recognize it now! In 2003ish, they added new music rooms out front,
and a new ramp, so it is all different.
The school doesn't look as much
like a "brick factory" as it did 20 years ago.
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The Smokestack →
The smokestack is still there, to vent whatever comes out of that chimney!
In the early days, this smokestack was much taller, I believe! Now
it's much more proportioned to the rest of the building.
And what is
really cool is that there is a big "M" on it for Mendham! This is
great for community spirit! Go Mendham!
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← Forget About Drake Road!
This photo is of where Drake Road connects to the parking
lots. Anyone remember parking on Drake Road, the road that
came through the subdivision? I sure do!
Nowadays, forget about it! Parking on Drake or any nearby
side street during school has been banned for years! Student
car and SUV parking is very restricted nowadays.
And now the exit to Drake is gated shut most of the time,
except for a few minutes at opening and closing. In my day
in the mid 80's, I seem to recall there either was a
nonmobile rusted gate, or just the "definition" of a
gate (like the poles) was there. It was always open then, you could
go through anytime. No more!
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Side View (2008)→
Here is a side view of MHS, taken way up high from the steeple of
Hilltop Church. You may be surprised to see that new wing on the back
of the school! It's being completed in 2008. And the farm is still
there with some sheep - haven't seen any cows recently!
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← Back Side Of School (Totally Obsolete Now!)
Here is what the fields behind the school looked like, up until
late 2005. Isn't it pretty here? This is
the back side of the school, where the original "Grove" was.
You probably notice there is a really nice stairway (built in early 1990's)
but it's already gone - got chopped up in early 2006.
There is massive amounts of construction going on here, as a new
4-story wing is being built! It is projected to be completed in 2008.
The new wing has made this photo completely obsolete,
as everything has changed so much!
I'll be updating this photo soon when the construction is
completely done (and all the mud and dirt is gone, and everything
becomes nice and pretty again).
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The Tree Everyone Sat On →
Maybe you will recognize this, maybe not, as it
sure has grown! This is a tree
(obviously!) but not just any tree! This is located behind
the school, down the hill closer to the Franklin
Road side. I believe this tree has been very popular to
climb and sit on over the years (at least I been told that!).
I think the tree is older than the school itself.
I believe many old yearbook photos have been taken with
students sitting in this tree. In the 1970's, this
tree was FAR smaller, how it's grown over the years!
With all the new construction, I thought it was a safe
distance away and would be spared. But ......
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*** UPDATE!! (May 2008)
***
Uh oh ....
This photo was taken in May 2008.
The tree now has a giant orange "X" painted on it.
It's painted on both sides, too. Many other trees nearby
also have big orange X's. Hmmmm. Something tells me
this is not good. I am getting a bad feeling here .....
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← Softball Champs!
On the fence around a baseball field ways down the hill near Franklin
Road, this sign is still hanging. If you were around in the mid 80's,
remember the girl's softball team was
undefeated one year? This sign, old and faded yet still readable,
graces the fence to inspire the next generations of players! That
sign has been up for over 20 years now!
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Field House (Obsolete View) →
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You can't miss this out in the fields behind the school! This
large building is the Field House, where sports teams change and have
lockers and things like that. When I first saw it,
I thought it was a new indoor pool, but
alas nothing that exciting!
It is located in between the football field and the school.
It was built in the early 1990's. There was an informal baseball field in
this spot before the Field House was built. In 2007 and 2008, this
view is currently incased in mud from the construction, but this
photo is much prettier so I won't change it yet!
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← My Generation's Grove (but maybe not yours!)
Well, you knew this was coming!
There is no way to avoid mentioning "The Grove", the
infamous student hangout area in the back of the school!
In my day in the 80's, the area in this photo was part
of "The Grove". (Interestingly, The 1970's kids had a different area for their
Grove, on the other side of the school).
But nowadays, the area in this photo is no longer much of a student hangout.
Actually it's quite clean and nice looking!
And what's this - there's a basketball court in The Grove
now! Weird! And that stairs didn't used to be there along
the building, I think that appeared in the 90's.
The Grove lost importance in the early
90's, when a smoking ban went into effect, so kids migrated
to an off-school area near Drake Road instead.
So the name "The Grove" has sadly become meaningless to current students.
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More Grove Info:
Since putting up this site, I heard from many alumni describing
their school days spent hanging out in The Grove! (Many thanks to all who
shared!). These alumni have described 3 different places for The Grove.
The 70's folks say "The Grove" was on the back of
the school, below the Circle and down the hill (part of where the
Auxiliary Gym stands now). Other alumni mention hanging out
behind the old library (when it was off the lobby)
as their "Grove". And other 80's alumni hung out in the area
in the photo above. So the Grove's history is quite
complex, to say the least!
So we decided it was time to give The Grove it's own webpage, to keep it's story
alive! So you can now read all about the Grove - where it was located,
what was going on out there, and what eventually happened to it.
Click here to read about The Grove,
as it was quite a big part of Mendham's past!
Ok! Now back to the photos ...
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"The Corner" →
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Here is "The Corner", which is where the current students
sometimes hang out. This spot is on Drake Road and technically off school
grounds, if you stretch your imagination! Kids go here since
there is a smoking ban on school grounds in New Jersey.
This area replaced The Grove many years back, I
think around 1989. In this photo, my dog Ruby the Pug (with her
big tongue hanging out) fortunately decides to cooperate and poses
here at "The Corner". But I swear, The Corner just doesn't compare to The Grove,
it isn't even remotely the same!
So ... we used to call kids who hung out in The Grove
"Grovers" - so I wonder what the kids at the Corner are called?
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← The Football Field
The Football Field is still there, still has all it's glory. Still got the
track around the outside. How I remember running around that field
in gym class!
I don't believe the field has changed much at all in 20 plus years. I think they
added some small things like a shot put area, but the bleachers
and track are generally the same. The other fields are in
nice shape, too, as they do a great job maintaining
the grounds.
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The Hill by the Football Field →
Here's the hill by the side of the Football field. Why take a photo of that?
Well, back in the old days, the current year used to be cut and etched into the grass.
I totally forgot about that until someone emailed me and reminded me!
It was quite a tradition at the school! I remember at my graduation seeing
the "1988" written up there. But as you can see from the photo, the etching
is gone. Nothing is there even to remember it. I am not
sure what year the tradition started, but I been told it ended in 1993,
as someone in the administration stopped the practice. So nowadays, it's just
a boring hill. Rumor has it that the seniors on the football team were
the ones responsible for writing the year into the grass, but whether it was
true, perhaps we will never know .....
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← The Snack Hut by the Bleachers
Around the Football field, the concession stand is still there. Seems
to be in decent shape. Notice
anything unusual about it? Yep, the roof clearly says "Class of
1987"! I have no idea if this was done after 1987, or if the words
have been there for 20 plus years, but I guess it's interesting that
that the class of 1987
left their mark so visibly! So who did this - anyone want to confess and
clear your conscience??
Though now that I posted this,
I bet the words will disappear very soon ....!
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And finally Remember Sutterley? →
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In my day, everyone knew Mr. Sutterley! He was
Vice Principal, and one to be feared and respected!
Many students from the 70's knew him best as Chair
of Physical Education, and a coach, too! He retired
in 1988, after many years in the district.
Nowadays at the school,
there is a very nice stone dedicated
to him. It is located near
the "new Music Wing" - but to us older folks, a better
description is along the Circle outside the windows
in the area of the old
Metal/Wood shop classrooms. It used to be out in
the fields, but got moved to this location in the summer
of 2005. Current students probably
don't have a clue as to who he was. Seeing this stone
still makes me remember how I got sent to his office
for cutting class, though!
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What's Next For Mendham High?
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Since Janaury 2006, Mendham High has been expanding again!
Here is an artist's drawing of what the new 2006/2007/2008 construction project at
Mendham High is going to look like when all is completed.
I pay attention to this since my
nieces will attend MHS in the not-to-distant future, and my property
taxes paid for it!
The new addition is necessary
since most open land in Chester and Mendham
has been chopped up and turned into mcmansions and subdivisions,
and all these new houses have kids living in them!
The new part of the school will be a
four-floor glass-looking wing built off the back of the building.
This drawing is nowhere near accurate, as none of the sports
fields, Sheep Farm, or the neighborhood roads around the High School are
shown, and they are definitely still there - the surrounding land is not that empty
and green!
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Click here to see
the construction! -
In 2008, the new wing is just about completed, so
check the link
to see many construction photos over the last two years, from
a pile of dirt all the way to a huge 4-story wing.
It really is quite eye-catching!
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Thank you for visiting and regressing through time!
Got a few links below, maybe adding
some more someday!
Or back to your merry lives now you go .......!
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Pages and Links
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Below are some more pages, all having to do with Mendham history,
yearbooks, really old pictures, The Grove,
and things like that. The official Mendham High website doesn't
include anything about it's own history, so we try to cover
some of those topics here!
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The De-Evolution of the Grove!
(Last Updated April 2008)
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Every 70's and 80's alumni must still remember the Grove, the
outside student hangout area behind the school -
It was quite the place back then!
Well, I'm sad to say that
nowadays, the Grove
is pretty much gone and has no meaning to current kids.
So on this page, we tell the history of
the Grove - where it was, what went on, where it moved to, and why it
lost it's importance. And also are some
eyewitness testimonies from alumni, who are brave enough to share!
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Construction 2006-2008 - (Last Updated May 2008)
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Click this link to see construction photos of a huge new
addition being built onto the back side of the school that we
will never enjoy (well, maybe our kids will). It
started in early 2006, and it's going to be completed
in 2008!
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Looking Back at 1982! (900 Shows a Year) -
(New in January 2008)
This link is for the early 80's crowd.
Did you know a Social Studies teacher
wrote a book about teaching? It's called
900 Shows A Year, written by our own Mr. Stu Palonsky, who
taught from 1982-1984. The book describes his first year teaching
at a fictional school called "Oldham High" in 1982, and he used many
of his Mendham-related experiences to write the book.
Wow! Reading this book just brings back many memories
of being a kid in the 80's!
So many details are mentioned in the
pages, like how many tables are in the lobby (yes, very important stuff).
If you remember him, check this webpage out!
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Journeyman Covers Page -
(Last Updated August 2008) -
Everyone remembers getting those Journeyman
yearbooks, right? Well, today you probably don't
have a clue as to where your copy went. So on
this page, we scanned the covers of every single
yearbook, so you can remember what
yours looked like! I must say, Journeyman
covers
are rather interesting, as they change with the times. The yearbooks
come in all sorts of designs - some are plain, some are very
loyal to MHS icons, some are artistic, and a couple
are just REALLY UNUSUAL (yes, I am talking about you, Class of 1996!).
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A Whole Bunch of Yearbook Photos (Snapshots #1)
- Here on this page are many photos that appeared in the 35 plus
years of Journeyman yearbooks. Don't worry, it doesn't
show anyone's gawky freshman photos or anything! It shows
lots of things through the years that alumni may recognize -
like old photos of the interior building, the Mound and Circle area,
the Minutemen football team, Mr. Grossman's tie, some stuff about the faculty,
the mysterious food in the cafeteria, and many others, too! You got to recognize something here!
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Even More Yearbook Photos (Snapshots #2)
- On this page, you can find more old yearbook photos, from over 35 years
at Mendham High! This page looks at some photos of really intense issues over
the years - like restrictive traffic signs,
student cars, The Grove, cows, aging technology, ugly things inside the
Biology room, school plays, incorrectly solved math equations, yearbook
sponsors, and feet!
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The Strange Story of How Mendham High was Built -
This link probably isn't really of much interest
to alumni, but here it is anyways!
Yes, on this page you will find out the story
of how Mendham High was designed and built in the late 1960's, until
it opened to students in 1970, where everyone mistaken it for a factory!
The school wasn't supposed to be a factory - we were all suppose to attend a
school of
wondrous ultra-modern architecture! But something went very wrong!
Click the link to read the whole story! (Like you always wanted to know!)
If you are looking for an inspirational story, this isn't it!
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Fuzzy Photos of MHS through almost 40 Years -
Here is a look of how the school has changed over the last 40 years.
Some of these photos are old and blurry, sorry!
Most photos show views that have long since changed. There
are photos from the late 1960's all the way to current days!
There are photos of the original
school, "The Mound", and The famous Mendham High Sign!
Depending on when you were there, you will be sure to recognize some of these!
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Mendham (and briefly Mendham High) in a New Book -
This link is for anyone who likes to read (anyone? anyone? Bueller?)
Did you know there is a recent nationally released book that features Mendham?
In 2005, a new book was written by famous mystery writer Mary Higgins
Clark. It's called No Place Like Home, and the setting is
right here in Mendham! The author uses real Mendham locations in
the book, like St. Joes Church and the Black Horse Inn, plus many
others! Check the link to see more!
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Ancient Artifacts From Mendham High -
Well, these are my own personal "artifacts", that is!
Here are some things I still own from my bygone days
at school, sadly not a lot of stuff though.
Everything's quite ancient, as most are
well over 20 years old. I can't believe my parents didn't throw
everything out!
I actually have my original schedules, as well as some
textbooks, and yearbooks too. So do you have anything left?
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Links to the Official Mendham High Site (wmmhs.org):
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Official Mendham High Alumni Page -
Click here to see the official West Morris Mendham High Alumni Page.
It has some links, but unfortunately doesn't change much anymore and
reunion info usually isn't listed.
There used to be far more on this page but times have changed.
Also has a link to the official alumni online directory (but
it's password protected to outsiders), but I don't think anyone
really uses that directory.
The official WMMHS site is at www.wmmhs.org.
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Faculty Websites -
Look here! The teachers all put up their own class webpages!
Most are never updated, but
still, an interesting read!
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Individual MHS Class Pages & Alumni Social-Related Links:
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Mendham High Alumni on Facebook -
If you are looking for the social part of alumni life, Facebook.com
has quite a few groups! I personally don't know much about
Facebook (I admit I am really old here, guess I am from the
wrong generation), but other alumni
have told me that there are active groups on there.
You have to have an account to log on, and
if you search for "Mendham High", some alumni groups pop up.
For you youngin's out there, this is the place to be!
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Class of 1972 -
Here is the home site for the class of 1972, which was
the first graduating class of Mendham High! (Mendham High
actually opened in 1970 but had no senior class that year, so
no class graduated in 1971. Got that? Good!). Got some
reunion photos and some contact information if there's
a reunion coming up.
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Class of 1977 -
This is the home page for the Mendham High class of 1977.
It has the very-fun-to-see "before and after' photos of most
of the class, with pics of everyone from 1977, and some with
a "now" photo! It also has reunion photos, some news and events,
and some updates about classmates.
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Class of 1980 -
Here is the website for the class of 1980. It contains
lots of reunion photos, some news about classmates, and
contact information. The reunion photos also show
a walk-through of the school.
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Class of 1982 -
Here's the official site for the class of 1982!
They had a reunion not too long ago, in the beginning
of August in 2007. Hope they had a blast!
The site also contains lots of photos
from the prior reunion - looks
like they had a pretty good time there!
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Class of 1984 -
Go '84! Here is the home page for the class of 1984 -
this is a fun site! It has photos of everyone from
'84, with many with an updated photo alongside it, plus
some classmate's updated information.
Also lots of great reunion photos
(I'm biased - my nieces are in some of them!).
And they had obviously had fun playing around with
some photos (someone is very good at using Photoshop!).
Cool site!
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Class of 1987 -
Here's a fun page! The class of '87 looks like they
had a great time at their 2007 reunion! Lots and lots of
photos on here. They are also looking
for everyone's updated information, plus also info
on missing classmates. Take a look!
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Class of 1988 -
Click here to go back to the alumni site for the class of '88, which
is my graduating class! There's a lot on the site - our 1988 senior photos,
some current photos, and many updates on how everyone is doing.
And if you want to see some pictures of "the Big Hair 80s", this is the
place to go! We were addicted to hairspray! (Well, not me, I have one of the only senior photos where my hair doesn't defy gravity and actually touches my head.)
And the 20th reunion has been set for October 2008 - hide your grays now!
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Class of 1993 -
Staying with the times, the Class of 1993 has moved their website
to Facebook.com!
Click here to see the Facebook page, but you have to be logged
in to get there. (It's pretty easy to make an account, and you
don't have to reveal much about yourself if you don't want to).
I had many alumni from the Class of '93 help me on
this site (they have excellent memories) -
can't thank them enough!
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| Site Last Updated: August 2008
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| Website first launched: January 2006
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| suelighthouse oldmendhamhigh.com |
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This site's domain name is oldmendhamhigh.com and also
oldmendhamhigh.org, so take your pick.
I guess
it's a website for old people who went to Mendham High or something!
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Our absolute address is
http://home.att.net/~suelighthouse/oldmendhamhigh.html
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| Send E-mail
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Sue Willis, Class of '88 -
Email at: suelighthouse@att.net
I'm a Local librarian (yes, a librarian! So exciting!)
and an "old blood" Mendhamite as my family first farmed in Mendham (Hardscrabble Road) about 175 years ago.
I am also a member of the Mendham Borough Historical Society, so this
website is my contribution to the history of Mendham! For this site, I wrote the html and did the musty archival research, and
many friends and kind alumni with good memories helped supply details for
the pages - thanks to all!
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* And a big Merci mille fois
to
French teacher Mr. Salvas for helping out with
memories and links!!!! (OK, I know he teaches English now, but this website lives in the past!)
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** If you attended Mendham High and some places or descriptions listed on this site
were different when you were there, I would love to hear about it, and see
how things changed, especially anything about
The Grove!
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For a couple of old friends who wanted to see this (and who don't know how to bookmark anything yet -
the rest of you don't have to look at this, you can go now, really,
scroll back up!) -
My Disney World website is
here at wdwautographs.com
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This link really has nothing
to do with MHS, except maybe some of our teachers were quite Goofy!
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