REUNIONS & GATHERINGS We love to see classmates reunite and reminisce about their time at Thornton Academy !
SENIOR REUNION - FROM THE MEMORY BANKS
Concerns surrounding COVID-19 once again kept us from gathering for our favorite event - the Senior Alumni Reunion . The health and safety of our alumni and our TA community is always our top priority , and out of an abundance of caution we decided it was prudent to postpone . In lieu of photos from an in-person event we asked a few of our regular event attendees to share some memories from their time at TA .
REUNIONS & GATHERINGS
Jesse Philbrick , Sr . ’ 41 : Jesse recalls at the end of one school year ( maybe senior year ?) that all the athletes , both male and female , spray-painted themselves for a ‘ field day ’ type event . The stands were full with families and students . He also remembers helping with track maintenance for track events . Sadly , Jesse recently passed away this February . We send our sincere condolences to his family and friends .
Joleen Philbrick ’ 70 ( Jesse ’ s daughter ): Joleen was co-editor of the senior yearbook with Buddy ( Robert ) Bolduc . “ I enjoyed doing this and it was a challenge for me since I was a bit of a shy person . It helped me come out of my shell since I had to go out to talk to people for the yearbook .”
Cliff Purvis ’ 54 ( Joyce ’ s husband ): “ I was born in New Brunswick , Canada , and moved to Carmel , ME , when I was 10 , and to Saco when I was 15 . It was in October of my sophomore year . Having come from a very small school , entering TA was quite an adjustment for a shy kid , but it worked out fine . All my classmates were friendly and the teachers were very professional and helpful . No one in my family had gone to college , so it was not anything I was considering , but late in my senior year , my shorthand teacher , Miss Ramsdell , asked me if I would be interested in attending Bentley School of Accounting and Finance in Boston if TA gave me some scholarship aid . I discussed it with my parents , and they encouraged me to go . Because of the great teaching staff at TA , and the financial help of TA , my parents , and my brother , I was able to get a great education which served me throughout my life .”
Ginny “ Jen ” Brown Dupee ’ 51 ( Fred ’ s wife ):
“ I have wonderful memories of my four years at TA . The best memories are of all the great classmates and life-long friends I met there . The few of us left are lucky and blessed to be here . Stay safe , healthy and happy !”
Fred Dupee ’ 55 ( Ginny ’ s husband ): “ This is a photo of the class of ’ 55 shop boys taken at the prom . We had some great times together and are still friends .”
Pictured left to right : Gordon Keezer , Albert Ridley , Robert Berry , Robbery Poitras , Fred Dupee , Leroy Martel .
Joyce Thurston Purvis ’ 58 ( Cliff ’ s wife ): “ I enjoyed my four years at TA having great teachers like Mrs . Doris Bacheller for Home Economics and Theodore Chandler who always had humor in his chemistry class . I enjoy all the life-long friends I made at TA like Pat Graffam , Vonnie Sheehan , Liz Brann and many others . I did not participate in sports because I lived in North Saco and had to drive passengers to and from school . I especially like Mrs . Bacheller , the Home Economics teacher . She helped me to get the nomination to go to the National Convention of Home Economics at Purdue University with three other girls from Maine . It was a fabulous education traveling to Indiana by car for a country girl !”
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We look forward to making new memories in person next fall ! Stay tuned for more information about the 2022 Senior Alumni Reunion , celebrating class years 1971 and prior .