A half-century later, the spirit of ’76 endures as CCHS classmates reunite
Out of more than 400 graduates, about 140 returned for their 50 year reunion at the Nashawtuc Country Club last month.
For Gretchen and David Schlier, the Acton-Carlisle High School class of 1976 reunion was something of an anniversary. They knew each other in high school, and both went on to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where they were acquaintances, nothing more.
At the high school’s Thanksgiving football game in 1981, a group of mutual friends discussed attending the five-year reunion after Christmas. Only Gretchen and David showed up. They didn’t see each other until the end of the night. They danced, talked, and later went to dinner in Amherst.
“We monopolized the table,” Gretchen said. “They had to kick us out.”
Six months later, they were engaged. The next year, 1983, they married.
On September 19 — 43 years later — they joined their CCHS classmates to celebrate the lives they had built since graduating.
The reunion was scheduled to start at 6 p.m. By 5:30, old friends were already streaming through the room. Few people budged when the food came out. Those who did sat briefly to eat, then got back up to talk and laugh.
More than 400 students graduated with the class of ’76. About 140 came back for the reunion at the Nashawtuc Country Club, some from as far as California and Oregon.
After graduation, they built marriages and navigated divorces, went into medicine and law, became teachers, engineers, and accountants. A few have spent decades married to their high school sweethearts.
Joan and Bret Bero met as teenagers and co-led the youth group at West Acton Union Church. First friends, they started dating and went to the junior prom together.
Joan graduated in 1976; Bret did so the following year. In 1982, the couple said: “I do.”
“We stayed in Carlisle for 22 years,” until their youngest graduated college, Bret said.
From Carlisle, they moved to Boston, then to Harwichport, but Acton remained part of their story.
For Joan (nee Damon), the connection reaches back nearly two centuries. Her family owned the Damon Mill in West Acton, which in the 19th century won a contract to produce fabric for Union Army uniforms during the Civil War.
Acton “is my heart,” she said.
Stories and life lessons
In his yearbook photo, David Walsh had shoulder-length hair. Today, he wears it much shorter.
What hasn’t changed is his fascination with photography: Walsh started taking pictures as a child. After graduating in 1976, he built a career around the camera.
He spent 28 years as a public affairs specialist with the federal Bureau of Reclamation, documenting water management and conservation across the West. He now lives in Boise, Idaho.
“It feels great to see all of my classmates and hear their stories of how they succeeded,” he said.
Alumnus Kevin Reed also traveled back to Acton, but he had been thinking about the town long before he boarded the plane.
“I thought, you know, I’m not getting any younger,” Reed said, “so I need to connect with some of these people.”
A range of memories
The yearbook was among the first things classmates encountered. It sat on a table near the entrance, beside the name tags. Classmates flipped through pages, pointing out friends they had not seen in years.
Among them was John Thompson. “I was the class president,” the 68-year-old said, smiling. “I guess technically I still am.”
He recalled Friendly’s as the best spot to gather after school.
“We would start there and then figure out where everybody was going to go and meet up,” he said. “We might regroup there afterward for a Fribble [milkshake] or something like that.”
The reunion also honored classmates who had died over the years, with a table displaying their yearbook photos and tributes.
While Thompson was in college, a close classmate died in a car crash.
“You think you’re immortal when you’re a senior in high school or just after high school,” he said. “And so that was a bit of a shock.”
Thompson said those years taught him to be open to life.
“Be willing to explore, try new things, test your limits, try and get outside of your comfort zone if you can,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate and enjoyed life.”
This story was written by a journalism student in Boston University’s newsroom program, a partnership among the university, The Acton Bridge, and other news organizations in the Boston area.
