THE ALUMNI CENTER

For almost a hundred years since the beginning of our alumni organization in 1905, meetings were held around town in churches, private homes, stores or schools.  During all those years important records, photographs and numerous other keepsakes ended up in closets, attics, garages and other handy places.  The need for a different arrangement was obvious.

In the fall of 2001 the initial idea of an Alumni Center was proposed to then Superintendent Barbara Pillsbury, who immediately recognized the need and agreed that further effort should be madeto solve the problem.  She explained that a reorganization of the school facilities was being considered and that space for such an alumni area on campus might be a real possibility. A follow-up meeting was scheduled in January with Barbara and the principal, Nelson Beaudoin. Their planning resulted in freeing up a large meeting room,  a restroom and small office space, all adjacent to a kitchen facility,  alsoavailable for our use. It did not take very long for their kind offer to be gratefully accepted. The new Alumni Center at Kennebunk High School was in business.  Almost.

In the weeks that followed Maintenance Director Dick Lewia identified some very acceptable used furniture and soon we had a large conference table and a dozen or so chairs in place for our meeting room.  A desk, chair and filing cabinet completed the office area. A couple of sharpened pencils were all that we needed to take us happily into the next hundred years.

Well, not quite.

The Alumni Board of Directors walked in and sat down for its first meeting in the new Alumni Center in June, 2002 and continued to meet there regularly for the next thirteen years.  Open House events were held on the day following our annual banquets each year when many visitors enjoyed looking at displaysof old photographs, scrapbooks and just spending time together. The Alumni Center had become not only aplace to preservememorabilia but a friendly place to breathe new life into valuable old memories.

In 2015 plans were made to begin a vast renovation of Kennebunk High School, which would include a new Alumni Center to be completed in the next year or so.  In the meantime our old place has been packed up until we can move into our new facility.  We look forward to that.