WILMINGTON, MA — A brochure from the 1950 high school dedication ceremony. A copy of the proposal for the construction of the old high school. Two letters from then Town Clerk Mary Gilligan recording votes regarding the funding and planning of the old high school. That’s what was in the time capsule, planted 65 years ago during the construction of the old high school, which was opened during a ceremony last week.
Deven Langenfeld, the President of WHS Class of 2016, opened the contents of the capsule, with the assistance of Gerry O’Reilly, Vice President of WHS Class of 1951.
O’Reilly discussed what Wilmington High School was like back in 1950.
“The school was incomplete when it opened,” recalled O’Reilly. “It took 2.5 weeks for the lockers to get installed. There was no library initially – books were stacked on radiators. There was no library, no gym, no fields, no courts, no auditorium – those would all come years later.”
The school, which cost $467,000 to construct, included 11 classrooms and 2 labs.
“Discipline was not a problem. The teachers called the shots,” said O’Reilly. “There were 300 students – freshmen and sophomores were taught on the first floor, juniors and seniors took classes on the second floor…. Boys wore a shirt, tie and sport coat, while girls dressed conservatively.”
Students were very excited over the cafeteria, the first of its kind in a Wilmington school.
“The cafeteria ended the dreaded peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” joked O’Reilly. “Meals were 25 cents and, for an extra nickel, you get a glass bottle of milk.”
Teachers were paid $1,700-$1,800 a year, according to O’Reilly.
“1950-1954 was an interesting time, a great time, and a changing time,” said O’Reilly. “The new high school really helped open up the town, with Wilmington’s population increasing from 7,000 to 9,000-10,000 in just a few years after the school’s opening.”
Superintendent of Schools Mary DeLai and Town Manager Jeff Hull also made some brief remarks.
DeLai discussed the 1950 high school dedication ceremony, noting that Edith Nourse Rogers, the first woman elected to Congress, was the guest speaker.
Hull said the ceremony provided a perfect opportunity to look forward to Wilmington’s future and look back at its rich history.
Hull also compared the cost of living in Wilmington from 1950 to today, noting that when the school first opened, the average Wilmington house cost $8,450; a car cost $1,500; gas was 18 cents a gallon; and the average Wilmington income was $3,210.
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