Two became one 50 years ago

RANDOLPH — Doug “Nate” Backer can’t help but chuckle when he looks down at his St. Frances School Class of 1971 ring.

St. Frances School announced plans to close in January of 1970, effectively closing at the end of that school year. The school operated for nearly 70 years and had 300 students that were absorbed into the public school system in the fall of 1970.

Backer had ordered the ring as a junior in high school and when it was delivered months later it was already incorrect. After 50 years, that still gets a chuckle from him.

He finished out his junior year at St. Frances and then joined 14 other classmates to become a part of Randolph High’s Class of 1971, making a total of 58 in the schools graduating class. He recalls that walking into Randolph High for his senior year was a bit like walking into Kindergarten - a brand new school full of people you didn’t know.

“I was really amazed and happy,” the Randolph man said. “It was just like starting school all over again. It was a lot of fun. There were so many people that we didn’t know and got to meet for that last year.” At the time of St. Frances School closing, the total enrollment for the Randolph School district was at its highest, reaching 900 students, and it was considered a Class B school, according to Randolph history books.

Classmate Kathy Meyer of Randolph said St. Frances and Randolph High had always been basketball rivals prior to the schools joining forces in 1971.

“Any time you have two different schools in the same town, that’s always a big rivalry,” she said. “They were always pretty tough and I remember them always beating us. I don’t know if that was true.” Meyer said she recalls the Catholic students

Meyer said she recalls the Catholic students sticking together and the public school students sticking together at first but eventually blending.

“From what I remember, it was wonderful from a student’s perspective,” Backer said. “I don’t know about administrators.”

Classmates got together for the 50th class reunion this past summer at Jerry’s Hilltop where they enjoyed a meal together and reminisced about their high school years.

Meyer and Karen Dowling were two of the people who organized the reunion.

“After COVID, we didn’t know if we’d be able to have it. It was always up in the air but we continued to do our planning,” Meyer said.

The reunion was well attended with some coming from out of state for the gathering, Dowling said.

Backer had some difficulty recognizing everyone at first but they all fell into comfortable conversation easily - just like old times, he said.

“It was so noisy with everyone talking and reminiscing. It was really good. I wish it would’ve started in the afternoon so we could’ve made a whole day of it,” he said.

Backer said some classmates mentioned wanting to get together annually and not wait for an official reunion.

“It would be just for whoever can make it and I’m good with that,” he said.

He stays in touch with those classmates that still live in the Randolph area.

Dowling and Meyer get together frequently with some classmates, too, even traveling together for girls’ trips to Denver, Portland and Kansas City, just to name a few over the years.

Backer said it’s amazing that lifelong friendships were formed after just meeting for the first time as high school seniors.

And friendship was on full display at the reunion, Meyer said.

“It really came together. After the many years, any thinking you may have had as a teenager didn’t matter anymore. We were just happy to be there,” Meyer said.