Alum Helps Restore Huntington's Class of 1961 Memorial
It was nearly impossible to find, but if a person knew where to look and the grass was trimmed, a monument commemorating the Class of 1961 as the 100th such graduating class in Huntington High School's long history was barely visible.
The folks who run the Huntington School District's website are history aficionados, so the long lost monument situation didn't sit well with them. Soon ideas were being kicked around and discussed at various district levels. It was decided to move the monument from its original rather obscure location southwest of the auditorium to a more prominent one.
Records concerning the monument's original placement and dedication are hard to find. It is believed a tree or shrub was planted alongside the monument, but if it was, the item has long since died. There has been no tree/shrub at the site for at least 25 years, if not much longer.
The monument was donated 50 years ago by Huntington village merchants caught up in a tide of emotion surrounding the 100th anniversary of the first commencement exercises. The commemoration was a major theme throughout 1960/61, which was only the second full year of operation for the new high school.
The new memorial site is located in the grassy mall in front of the guidance/academic wing of the building. There are parking spaces surrounding the grass island. The monument is situated about 25 yards to the north of the flagpole.
The initiative to bring the 100th graduating class monument back to prominence included a decision to include a tree at the memorial site. Since funding for such a project was not included in the 2011/12 school budget, it was necessary to seek out someone willing to make a donation.
Bill Ahern, a member of Huntington High School's Class of 1978 and the owner and operator of Ahern's Landscaping located on Pulaski Road in Huntington Station, quickly stepped forward to donate a weeping flowering cherry tree valued at $575 for the project.
"We really appreciate Mr. Ahern's generosity and willingness to pitch-in," Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said. "The tree makes for a beautiful addition to the high school grounds and we hope it graces the memorial site for decades to come."
Mr. Ahern sent a crew to plant the tree, which was later mulched by members of Huntington's buildings and grounds staff. The monument was then installed on the east side of the tree.
It is somewhat hard to understand why the monument was placed in its original location. It is possible the walkways leading from the south side parking field were configured slightly differently in 1961 and much more foot traffic passed the memorial site during its early years. The "new" Huntington High School opened in November 1958 and the first class was graduated from the building the following June.
"Just as Huntington had been among the fist of Long Island's communities to hire a school master (1657) and to build an academy (1794), so it was among the earliest to form a Union Free School District with a high school (1856)," said Superintendent J. Taylor Finley in 1961. "It was from this school that the first class of six, whose centennial we are celebrating, graduated."
The Class of 1961, which numbered about 350, was graduated on Tuesday, June 27 at 8:15 p.m. in the Huntington High School auditorium. Valedictorian Jane Kurshan and salutatorian William Bendiner addressed the crowd, along with honor speaker Sandra Koch, Principal Robert Cushman, Superintendent J. Taylor Finley and New York State Historian Dr. Albert B. Corey.
Mr. Finley's address was titled "Then and Now." It was trip down memory lane, comparing the district in the era of the Class of 1862 with the one that nurtured the Class of 1961.
Huntington's first commencement exercise was held on Friday, July 18, 1862 when Charles H. Baldwin, Ella J. Conlin, Emma F. Downs, James T. McKay, William G. Nicoll and John S. Sherill received the first diplomas issued by the Huntington Union School during a 2 p.m. ceremony that included a valedictory address by Mr. Nicoll.