..... ...Class of '57

NORTH KINGSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL

My last contact with anyone in the class was with Ken MacLennan over forty-one years ago. The rest of the class I last saw or spoke with at our graduation in 1957. For me, the reunion began in May 2002 when John Clark located me. I subsequently located Lynn Harris [Lindsay]. The three of us were "military brats" who, for our Senior year only, lived on the base at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island where our fathers' were stationed. We became a close knit group, along with John O'Mara -- whom Jack also found but who was unable to attend. Janet Comer [Murphy] a fellow classmate and close friend of Lynne's remained in the Wickford [Quonset Point] area throughout the forty-five years and she kindly agreed to be escort, tour guide and town/Naval base historian for Lynne, John, and me.

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At Janet's suggestion, we pre-arranged to meet at "Duffys Tavern" at one-O'clock on Saturday for lunch. The pictures tell the rest of the story. To skip the base stuff and go right to the reunion click on the link at the bottom of the page.

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From Duffy's Tavern, where I enjoyed the Crab Cakes and Clam Chowder for which they are noted, we could see our Alma-Mater directly across the street [now a junior high school]. Not much appeared to have changed except for an addition on the right.



Following lunch it was off to the base. Perhaps I should say, it was off to what is left of the base. It is one of those which has been closed. Many of the locations that we might have recognized have long since been leveled or disappeared. The main gate, the chapel, the PX and commissary, the movie theater, swimming pool, etc. are nowhere to be found. Fortunately, Janet and Lynne had scoped it out the day before so we had a pretty easy time finding the few things that remain and would be familiar. Lynne's house was an easy landmark as it sat up on a predominantly limestone hill. Not the kind of hill to be easily leveled. The circular driveway leading up to it and the large outcropping of limestone remain as distinctive as 45 years ago. However, the house has been razed - probably to save someone taxes.

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From Lynne's it was off to Davisville to look for John [Jack as we always called him] Clark's house. On the way we passed the Davisville Pond where we had ice-skated during the winter of 56-57.



Davisville itself was fenced off and we were unable to get to what had been the housing area where Jack lived. On the way back from Davisville we stopped at the side road that in 1957 was restricted and led over to the Nike site. Surprisingly it is still a restricted area; albeit, for reasons other than back then.

My memories of that road are of the F-105 (?) crash at the open house on Memorial day. Four of us from the class were driving on that road and directly under the final flight path. The 105 passed no more then 50 feet over our heads, sheared off a tree and exploded in a 1/4 mile fireball. The class nearly lost four graduates that fateful day and the Navy did lose a dedicated pilot. Jack Clark, myself and I believe John O'Mara were in the car...the forth person I do not recall.

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From there we continued over to the golf course which was (45 years ago at least) directly behind my house [Quarter's "H").



Well, all but one of the houses have been torn down. In driving back later from the main gate area -- point to point as best as I could remembered it -- Carol and I ended up in front of the house that Janet had earlier shown us. Assuming that the hole on the golf course is still in the same spot, I would say the one remaining house is the one next door to the one I lived in 45 years ago.

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We continued the tour past the industrial areas of the base...



passing facilities where our dad's used to work, the airfield, and then on down to the town of Wickford.

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We probably had spent 2 1/2 to 3 hours reminiscing about old times when Janet realized that it was getting late and they [she and Lynne] needed to get ready for the official reunion scheduled to begin a couple of hours hence. Click on the link below for pictures from there.

Class of '57 Reunion