Toolin’ Around Town: PHS and SVHS grads from 1960-1969 to gather for Decade Reunion

Harlan Osborne describes the people and places that make Petaluma special|

Summertime and the living is easy - not only lounging, vacations and swimming, but special occasions like family picnics, block parties and social gatherings. It’s also the season when former schoolmates gather at high school reunions to reminisce and share nostalgic memories of their teen years.

In Petaluma, along with the traditional 10-year and 20-year reunions, members of the combined graduating classes of Petaluma and St. Vincent’s high schools from the 1960s will convene for a ’60s Decade Reunion.

While every reunion is special, the decade reunion - a 10-year slice of Petaluma High’s 145-year history - deserves recognition for the hours of work undertaken by a committee that’s been unchanged since the first Decade Reunion in 2001. Combining input from representatives from each class, the 19-member committee worked to refine the details for the 6-hour event, similar to the length of an average school day. More than 4,000 invitations went out for the come-as-you-are afternoon soiree featuring live music, food trucks, no-host bar and a classic car show.

During the 1960s, along with political unrest and the social and cultural changes that swept the nation, Petaluma experienced rapid growth: a population increase of more than 10,000 people between 1960 and 1970, to nearly 25,000 - a large portion of them the baby-boomer generation.

That growth saw new schools being built to accommodate the rising population. An enlarged and relocated McKinley, along with McNear and Valley Vista elementary schools, were constructed in the early to mid-1950s. The original Kenilworth Junior High opened in 1959 and the replacement Petaluma Junior High, in 1962. But the biggest transformation came in the September of 1959, when the current Petaluma High School opened its nearly 24-acre campus to 836 students and 45 teachers.

The new four-year high school was the fourth to carry the PHS name. The original, located on D Street, opened in 1873. A larger school was built on Liberty Street, in 1886, with two instructors teaching 65 students. It was replaced in 1916 by a two-story white brick building on Fair Street serving 170 students and 14 teachers. When that building began to crumble in the late 1950s, the city made plans for a new 1,100-student campus with 18 classrooms, five science labs, music room, shop, library, art room, multi-use room, kitchen, administration offices, gymnasium, lockers and showers. The total cost of site work, various architectural fees, buildings, equipment and furniture was $2,159,913.

It’s worth noting that when the high school was dedicated on Oct. 31, 1959 with great fanfare, including flag-raising, speeches, and an invitation to tour the new site, just 12 people were in the audience.

The students at Petaluma High School in the 1960s weren’t the only ones to enjoy a new school. In September, 1961, St. Vincent de Paul High School moved to its new campus on Keokuk Street after sharing facilities with its grammar school since 1888.

Before the elementary school was built in 1936, all grades were taught in the original building.

Along with joining their classmates at the Decade gathering, the class of 1968 holds its 50th reunion, on Friday, July 13, at the Washoe House, and the Class of ’63 celebrates its 55th reunion, at the Petaluma Elks Club, on Saturday, Sept. 8. A decade reunion golf tournament takes place Friday, July 13, at Foxtail Golf Club in Rohnert Park.

To make the occasion more enjoyable, the committee is inviting the retired high school and junior high teachers who taught in Petaluma during the ‘60s to attend the event as honored guests. They are asked to respond to PHSdecadereunion@yahoo.com to confirm a reservation.

While it’s understood that not everyone cherished their high school experiences and many graduates choose not to attend reunions, those that do remain hopeful that decade reunions become more widespread, because many feel nothing compares to reliving school day memories with those who shared them with you.

(Harlan Osborne’s ‘Toolin’ Around Town’ column run every other week. Contact him at harlan@sonic.net)

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