Wheaton Remembers: Wheaton Community High School In The 1960's - Feb 27th, 2014

I just came across this link today and decided to share it in my blog. I haven't even watched it yet, so I don't know if I'm in it or not.

Wheaton Remembers: Wheaton Community High School In The 1960's - Feb 27th, 2014

This was my high school. I graduated from here in 1968. John Belushi also graduated from WCHS, in 1967--my one claim to fame. I even knew him - sort of. We both played in rock bands, and had a nodding acquaintance in the halls.

In September of 2012, the school was demolished. A Marinelli's grocery store now sits on the site of my alma mater. I haven't seen it yet, and I'm not sure I want to. Why are we allowing beautiful old buildings to be wrecked? It is a disgrace. I don't care if it was a fire hazard, or not up to code. It was the landmark of Wheaton, Illinois, and what a sorry loss.
                                  
                                                                 I loved this place.

I have many happy memories of my high school days from 1964 to 1968. I played my guitar and jammed with my friends and my sister in Folksinging Club once a week after school. We met in Mr. A. Franz Baginski's art classroom. (Ironically, that was the last section to be torn down)

I was in Thespians...

 

 

 ...and in addition to the rock band I dabbled in (called "The Children of Stone,")  I was a member of a folk group consisting of myself, my sister Susan and three friends. We sang "Scarborough Fair" at the 1968 Variety Show. We called ourselves, appropriately, "The Five Folk."

I kept a Diary (we never called them journals!)

 

And I went to the Senior Prom....

 

                                                        and saved memorabilia.........

I went to high school in an era when curly hair was not in fashion. I tried as hard as I could, but I was never able to achieve that long, shiny, sleek look until college, when we had wall-mounted blow dryers in the dorms. This is my Senior Picture.

Even the picture my parents took of me in front of our house in my cap and gown was pretty silly.

 

I didn't think much about my high school days after going on to Northern Illinois University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in art and music, working in the NIU library for three years, and coming to Rockford to take a job at Rockford Public Library - which became a 35-year career.

 

Then, after I retired in 2010, I heard rumblings that the school was going to be torn down.

 

In 2011, I was asked to provide a video of myself singing the school's fight song for our school's Facebook page, so I obliged...in my living room, the year I was losing my hair to alopecia areata.
http://youtu.be/bpnd1aUwWvQ 

When the first brick fell in September of 2012, I got very sentimental about those days. I made this video for my classmates. You can hear The Five Folk in the background...
http://youtu.be/4RauUbGvbNk

And finally, here is a video from YouTube of the demolition. http://youtu.be/5JS7xKHkXyk

RIP, Wheaton Central High School.

 

Life goes on. My hair grew back. I'll visit Wheaton in the near future, I'm sure. But I won't be doing any grocery shopping at the new Marinelli's. There are too many ghosts underneath the frozen foods.