2012 REUNION - September 29 & 30, 2012

Purdys Central High School - All classes to 1962

North Salem High School - 1963 to 1967+

An all-class reunion took place on September 29 and 30, 2012 for all classes (7th through 12th grades) that attended Purdys Central High until it closed in June of 1962.  The attendees included classmates who had moved on before graduation and eventually graduated from other high schools - including the new North Salem High School that replaced Purdys Central.

Word of the reunion spread far and wide during the planning phase.  Even though Purdys Central closed in 1962, we had attendees from classes that graduated from other schools as late as 1969!  The reunion turned out to be a fantastic event and a perfect opportunity to re-establish old friendships.  Nearly 200 people attended from the few hundred classmates that were located...  amazing considering that the average class size was probably about 20 and the school closed 50 years ago!

Classmates spent the precious time we had together catching up and reminiscing about that wonderful place and time we shared a long time ago in our collective history.  Whether you are participant or a visitor, you surely will enjoy the following pages containing photographs and a video from those two glorious reunion days.

Submitted by Pier "Peter" Guidi '62 

Purdys Central High School - Building Facts

The building at 520 New York Route 22, Purdys (North Salem), NY 10560 was completed c. 1927. It was originally called Town of North Salem Central High School and was part of the first centralized school district in New York state. Due to common usage, it became known as Purdys Central High School. The building became home to the Westchester Exceptional Children’s School in 1982. The building has been designated as a North Salem historic landmark and on Friday, September 14, 2011, a plaque was unveiled in a brief ceremony at the school.

Ned Juengst '60, the organizer of the 2012 multi-year reunion of former Purdys Central High students recently talked to the Director of the Westchester Exceptional Children’s School, Linda Zinn. He thanked her for so warmly welcoming our alumni students to the school and advised her that we had sent a $500 a donation to the school to support the wonderful work they are doing. She extended an invitation to come again not only as part of a reunion but that any former students traveling in the area would be most welcome to stop by at the school to see it and how it is being used today.

Ned said “they are a great organization and are making good use of and preserving our old High School. To me it looked just like I remember it and it brought back many wonderful memories.”

To learn more about how our old school is being used, visit the Westchester Exceptional Children’s School website at: http://www.wecschool.org/ On the website you will find several opportunities to support their important work by making a donation or purchasing a memorial paver.

Photos & text courtesy of Pier "Peter" Guidi '62