A recent, late August gathering at the home of George and Maria Churchill in West Tisbury saw 14 classmates plus seven spouses and friends gather for their 56th high school reunion. Good eats and good stories enlivened the reunion. This was the Tisbury High School Class of 1959. The class was — like those of Oak Bluffs and Edgartown High School — the last to graduate from the various town high schools before the opening of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School In addition to kids from Vineyard Haven, Tisbury High School also educated kids from Gay Head (now Aquinnah), Chilmark and West Tisbury and the gathering included members from all four towns as well as a few who came from off-Island to attend: Les Benway from Maine, Carol Hall Merchant from West Yarmouth, June Pine from Vineyard Haven and Cape Coral, Fla., and George Churchill from Gladstone, N.J. Attending from Vineyard Haven were Madeleine Carroll, Mardell Francis, and Judy Araujo, while Conrad Kurth, Phyllis Look and Emily Frank came from Edgartown. Virginia Jones and John Alley came from West Tisbury, Marie Scott from Chilmark (and Vermont) and Doug Vanderhoop from Aquinnah (and Utah).

Over the years we have lost Roger Andrews, Francis Duarte, Anthony Francis, Janet Morrice, Eileen Mayhew May, Margaret Norton, Wally Pinkham, Judy Snowden and Ruth Silva van Brakle. The whereabouts of a few, including Joyce Kszystyniak, Kenneth Mansfield and Leah Perlstein, are unknown.

A good time was had by all and it is hoped that the absent members of the class whose whereabouts are unknown will check in with George.