Gilford Class of 1976 to look back with opening of time capsule, 50 years later

GILFORD — It was a time when the Pet Rock emerged, the country was about to celebrate its bicentennial anniversary, and Led Zeppelin released “Physical Graffiti." Bellbottoms and big hair were all the rage, and funk music was making a (not so) subtle evolution into disco.

A time capsule will be removed from the cornerstone of the wall of Gilford High School on Friday afternoon, placed there in 1975, by the school’s first graduating class, the Class of 1976.

Viella Joyce Evans was the vice president of the Class of 1976, and she expects upward of 30 classmates at the high school to see the time capsule opened. She said the funny thing is, after five decades, she has no idea what is going to come out of the capsule, and she’s not the only one.

“I’ve talked to several classmates, and none of us remember what was put in,” Evans said.

With her class celebrating 50 years since graduating high school, she thought about ways to make it extra special, and had a vague memory of the time capsule. Evans went over to the high school to meet with Principal Anthony Sperazzo, and asked if she could look through a yearbook, because she never held onto hers. Evidence of the time capsule was there, with the former superintendent holding a spade and trowel.

When Sperazzo heard where the capsule was, he couldn’t believe it, but said it all suddenly made sense.

“They pointed it out, and I said, ‘Oh, that’s where it is,’” Sperazzo said. “I wondered about that brick that looks different.”

Sperazzo is excited to see just what was put in there, several years before he was born.

“I’m definitely curious of what will be in there,” he said.

At the time the capsule was put there in 1975, here's what was going on at that time:

• Gerald Ford was the 38th president of the United States, and the Vietnam War was finally coming to an end. Elton John’s "Greatest Hits" was the No. 1 selling album at that point, and the Rocketman put out two other albums that year alone.
• Eight-track tapes were at their peak, cassette tapes were around but wouldn’t become commonplace for almost another decade, and music listeners from that era will still claim records have the best sound.
• Microsoft was created, opening a door in the electronic world, with a company which still dominates the industry to this day.
• Beachgoers never thought of the ocean the same way after the movie “Jaws” exploded at the box office.

Davis remembers the fashion of the time period clearly.

“It was all bellbottoms and tube tops,” Davis said. “There’s no way you’d catch me in a tube top now. Bellbottoms, yes.”

This will be the first time Sperazzo has witnessed the opening of a time capsule, although he does recall his graduating class at Ayer High School, in Massachusetts, having one loaded up in 2000. He admittedly has no idea when that’s supposed to be opened, or where it's buried, but remembers class photos, and items from their senior trip to Florida, being included.

Thinking about Friday's opening of the capsule, he said, “there could be a little bit of anything in there.”

The Class of 1976 will also take a tour of the school following the event. The building was once the home of both the middle and high schools. For some, this will be the first time they have seen the inside of the school since its renovation in 2003, when walls were added to what was an otherwise open area of learning.

“It used to be open concept, and we can show them what has been going on, and the traditions that have been here the last 50 years,” Sperazzo said.

Evans remembers this, saying there were no walls upstairs.

“That led to opportunities for shenanigans,” she recalled with a laugh.

Evans said her class has always had reunions in collaboration with Laconia’s Class of 1975, and this year is no different, with close to 200 total people expected to be at The Lake Estate on Winnisquam celebrating on Saturday. She said it was an interesting time for the class, as they went to school with Laconia students until 1975.

She remembers she and her classmates were the oldest in the school for two years, as seniors were allowed to stay in Laconia, to not be separated from their friends in their last year.

Entering a new school district had its challenges and getting used to, especially in athletics.

“Not having football was a big deal,” she said.

Instead, the school prided itself on solid soccer and basketball programs, and to this day, Gilford excels in those sports. Football has been added since, and has been successful, including a state championship in 2025.

Sperazzo said the opening of the time capsule was publicized to the current student body, as well, but he's unsure who will come. He also said there are some former teachers who plan to be there, and interested members of the Gilford School District community.

“It could be 20 people, or 50 people,” Sperazzo. “I’m not really sure.”

The time capsule will be opened in the lobby of the Gilford High School auditorium lobby at 3 p.m. on Friday.