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Last Updated: January 1, 2010
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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!
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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 in
preparation for our 20th reunions, 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 far from our
childhood homes!
Guess I am an exception - My name is Sue (from '88), and
I am a lifelong resident of Mendham. 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
but forgive me since I can't get it to appear in the
address box (have to switch servers to do that and I don't want to pay!).
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! Many photos were updated in
September 2008.
2. Mendham High History and Alumni-Related Links
- Yes, links about (gasp) The Grove even! (You
know you got to look)
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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Many thanks to our own
Mr. Salvas
for helping with this site, plus the Mendham Borough
Historical Society, too!
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See the photos below for a tour of the current building and grounds!
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Look at the School Now! →
Do you recognize this? Maybe -
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! This photo was on the
main wmmhs.org page for almost 2 years, so I am very proud of it! Yeahh!
Nowadays the bushes have overgrown, so this particular angle is hard to photograph.
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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
used to always has the wrong time, but I think they
finally fixed it not too long ago.
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 certainly doesn't look as much
like a "brick factory" as it did back in the 70's and 80's!
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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 (January 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 was completed in 2008. And the farm is still
there with some sheep - haven't seen any cows recently!
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← The New Wing! (Finished Summer of 2008)
Look at this! This is Mendham High's newest addition - a four
story wing off the back of the school! It's HUGE! This wing was constructed
from January 2006 until the summer of 2008. The wing contains
mainly new classrooms.
In this spot before the new wing, there was a green stairs that connected
the school to the Field House. And before that, this area was
part of the original outdoors student hang-out, the Grove -
most of you 70's/80's alumni probably remember that area well!
But as you can see,
the entire area is completely built up now.
Mendham High was getting crowded with increasing enrollment,
so all that new classroom space was quite necessary! If you are really bored right now,
click here to see the new
wing be built from start to finish.
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New Tennis Courts! (September 2008) →
This is new in the summer of 2008 - Mendham High has built some
tennis courts! And check out the location of them - WHOA!
They were placed down the hill behind the school, near to the
Franklin Road side. I couldn't believe it when I saw them, as
this location was a pretty tree-lined area with a wandering path,
but not any longer! There was a very old tree here (that many a
student climbed and sat on), but the tree is no more.
These courts are quite high, surrounded by some
really big retaining walls. There are going to be three
separate courts when all finished. I'm sure the tennis
teams are thrilled to finally get on-site courts.
Click here
to watch the courts get built - yeah, how exciting!
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← Softball Champs Sign
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? I seem to remember we had a student who
was the best pitcher in
the state! 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. The sign is very close to
the tennis court construction (like within feet!), but seems to
be spared. Whew!
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The Oh-So-Exciting Field House →
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Near the new wing and the new tennis courts, you can find
this flat green-roofed building down the hill
behind the school. This is the
aptly-named Field House, a place
where sports teams change clothes and have
lockers and stuff like that. Nothing exciting, sort of a
boring place actually. When I first saw it,
I thought it was a new indoor pool, but nope! I been wondering
if they will rename it someday, like after a gym teacher like
Mr. Bullis
or something, but I haven't heard anything.
It was built in the early 1990's. There was an informal baseball field in
this spot before the Field House was built. I keep thinking that
tennis balls from
the tennis courts will be landing all over the roof.
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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 New Turf Football Field! (Sept 2008)
This is new in September 2008 - Mendham High now has an
artificial turf football field! This field was paid for by a very dedicated
group of parents who raised lots of money with ongoing fundraising.
In this photo, the field is still being worked on, but getting
close to completion. I love the big red "M" there in the
middle. Our Minutemen Football Team will be
unstoppable now! It really looks great, and what a nice addition
to Mendham High.
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Here is a close-up of the big red "M"! Looking pretty good!
And if you look at it from the other side, it looks like a big "W" -
for West Morris Mendham! Hey, how convienent, you can't go wrong!
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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 some meanie 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??
(The roof has since been painted, the evidence is lost in the past now).
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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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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 one single thing 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 November 2009)
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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 all importance. And also are some
eyewitness testimonies from alumni, who are brave enough to share!
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Mendham High Gets Tennis Courts!
(Last Updated March 2009)
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Yep, in 2008, Mendham High has finally built some tennis courts,
much to the delight of the tennis teams who no longer have to
trek to off-school spots to play! But the location of
these new courts really took me by surprise and changes
the MHS landscape quite drastically. Take a look!
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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 was completed in 2008. Yeah, I got to finish that page!
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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 January 2010) -
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 hey, someone has to tell the story.
Yes, on this page you will find out
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 supposed 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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The official Mendham High site is here at
wmmhs.org. It was
completely redesigned in October 2008.
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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
is now the place to look! I doubt many of the
individual alumni pages (listed below) will be updated anymore,
as Facebook has grown
to take over that role. So definitely check Facebook - many
classes have their own networks and groups.
You have to have an account to log on, and
if you search for "Mendham High", you'll see many groups pop up. I admit
I am old fuddy-duddy and still a novice about Facebook.com, but
for you youngin's out there who understand this site,
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!).
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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 1978 -
Here is the class of 78's website - lists all the members
of the class.
I don't think this website is updated anymore but you
never know.
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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.
The site also contains lots of photos
from reunions - 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 1986 - (NEW in Fall 2008)
The Class of '86 has a page on Facebook (as does many other classes now).
If you are from '86, this is the place to be nowadays
for connecting with old friends.
The link is
here, or
go to Facebook and search for "Mendham High School Class of '86", and
the group is open so it's more interesting to browse through.
Hope you all can figure out how to use Facebook - your kids can probably
can teach you.
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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.
There's a lot on the site - 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 was one of the weird ones
with a senior photo where my hair doesn't defy gravity and actually touches my head.)
They also started a group on Facebook.
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Class of 1989 -
Here is the website for the Class of '89, an awesome class. (I had
a couple of good friends from this class, so I am biased here!).
The site has great stuff - a guestbook, "Look at us now" photos, possible forums, and reunion
news. This is one of the newer alumni websites started - check them out!
They also have a Facebook page.
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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: January 1, 2010
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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
Me and some friends (plus some very kind alumni who emailed!) helped
write this site in preparation for our 20th
reunions. Our reunions have long since past, so not sure
if I will be adding anything at this time. But hey, it costs
me nothing to keep this site up in cyberspace!
Many thanks to the Mendham Borough
Historical Society, which me and my family are members.
I apologize to anyone who emailed in the last
few months, as my email account got completely spammed-up and
became next to useless! One of
these days I will finish crawling through the 1000's of spam messages
and find the real emails. Arggg ....!
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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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