Originally published in The Enterprise of Brockton.

Heights Crossing has become home to a Brockton High School reunion decades in the making, according to a community announcement.

The assisted living community has become a gathering place for many Brockton residents who grew up in the city, allowing old friends to reconnect and reminisce about their high school days.

Marilyn Buckley, a member of the Class of 1943, fondly remembers her time at Brockton High.

“I just loved being there and I loved my friends that were there, everyone at that time. It was just so easy to make friends,” Buckley said.

She recalls the proms and sports games at Eldon B. Keith Field as special memories.

Rachael Delea, Class of 1942

Similarly, Rachael Delea, Class of 1942, said that Brockton High was a “really great school” where she forged many lasting friendships.

Barbara Keohane, Class of 1949, has her own unique memories. During her time at Brockton High, a bus strike led her and her best friend, Elaine Barry Rock, to walk a mile and a half to school in high heels.

“We went through a lot of nylons that week,” she joked.

Keohane maintained her Brockton pride throughout her career, working as a clerk at Brockton City Hall for 26 years, where she connected with Brocktonians from all walks of life.

Nancy Roberts & Terese O’Connor, Class of 1955

Nancy Roberts, Class of 1955, was a popular cheerleader and made many lasting friendships at Brockton High. She enjoyed attending football and basketball games with her friends and worked part-time at Edgar’s department store. She fondly remembers cheering on the sports teams in Boston Garden and spending time with her best friend Terese “TC” O’Connor, also a Heights Crossing resident.

O’Connor, Class of 1955, cherishes the friendships she made in high school. “It was a great place to be! There was just so much to enjoy there,” she said.

She went on to marry her high school sweetheart, Paul, and the couple has been together for 66 years. After school, she became a teacher’s assistant and librarian at Brockton High School, and she and Paul raised their children in Brockton.

Thomas Oliviere, Class of 1959

Thomas Oliviere, Class of 1959, was heavily involved in the music department at Brockton High. He sang in the 16-member male chorus and even remembers a few lines from the songs they sang. He and his wife met as teenagers while working at Brockton Hospital, and their first date was the Brockton High prom. All four of their children eventually graduated from their parents’ alma mater.

David Eldridge, Class of 1960

David Eldridge graduated from Brockton High School in 1960. As a high school student, he worked in The Enterprise shipping department and enjoyed attending football games with his friends. He later became a pastor and served at the Trinity Baptist Church in Brockton for seven years.

Re-connecting with old friends over shared memories ‘good old days’

After moving to Heights Crossing, these residents’ Brockton pride never left. Their shared memories of growing up in the City of Champions allowed many of them to reconnect. Even if decades had passed since they had seen each other, they said the comfort and camaraderie they felt when they greeted one another in the hallways or sat by the fireplace, reminiscing about the tight-knit Brockton community of the “good old days.”

When Oliviere moved into Heights Crossing, he found old friends, including former neighbors Sis McGillis and Paul and Terese O’Connor. Their families had grown up together in Brockton and had raised their children nearby. The longer he stayed at Heights Crossing, the more people he recognized. Even those not directly from his neighborhood or high school years shared similar life experiences, which allowed him to feel a sense of community.

‘Joyful’ reunions

Terese O’Connor, Marilyn Buckley, and Nancy Roberts immediately rekindled their friendship upon moving in, recalling with joy when they first reunited years after they had drifted apart. When Roberts first moved to the community, she immediately knocked on O’Connor’s door, prompting a “joyful” reunion. When they all came together, O’Connor shares, “it was more like home, like a neighborhood.” For her, it was comforting to know that she always had someone to reminisce with and ask her favorite question, “Remember when?”

The City of Champions is a good name, the Brocktonians all agreed. From the enduring friendships, adventures at Brockton High School, and games on the Eldon B. Keith Field, to the fireplace of Heights Crossing, the shared history and pride in their hometown of Brockton strengthens these residents’ bonds in the community they now call home.