Denbigh Class of '76
Life in 1976
The year America turned 200, disco ruled the dance floor, and the Denbigh Class of '76 walked across that stage into the rest of our lives. Remember?
America's Bicentennial Year
Red, White & Blue Everything
Because we were the “bicentennial class,” that gave us bragging rights at the time. It turns out our Class of 1976 has lived in eight different decades, two different centuries, and two different millennia… beyond graduating during the bicentennial, we’re now celebrating our 50th reunion on the 250th birthday of the country. So we are a little special.
In celebrating our 50th anniversary of our graduation from Denbigh, this milestone reunion is more than just a gathering; it’s a chance to reconnect with old friends, share old stories and memories about life in the 1970’s, connect with classmates you didn’t know at DHS but wish you did, laugh about high school stuff, old styles and fads, and celebrate living a full life over five decades since your days at DHS.
On July 4, 1976, the United States turned 200 years old. From coast to coast, communities threw the biggest party the country had ever seen — fireworks, parades, flags on every porch, and bicentennial quarters in every pocket.
The Soundtrack of '76
From disco to rock, these were the songs that played on every car radio, at every party, and in every hallway.
Top Hits of 1976
- #1 Silly Love Songs — Wings
- #2 Don't Go Breaking My Heart — Elton John & Kiki Dee
- #3 Disco Lady — Johnnie Taylor
- #4 December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) — The Four Seasons
- #5 Play That Funky Music — Wild Cherry
- #6 Shake Your Booty — KC & The Sunshine Band
- #7 Bohemian Rhapsody — Queen
- #8 Tonight's the Night — Rod Stewart
- #9 Afternoon Delight — Starland Vocal Band
- #10 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover — Paul Simon
What We Were Watching
Gather 'round the TV — there were only a few channels, but every show was an event.
Top TV Shows
- Happy Days
- Laverne & Shirley
- Charlie's Angels
- M*A*S*H
- The Bionic Woman
- The Six Million Dollar Man
Hit Movies
- Rocky
- All the President's Men
- A Star Is Born
- The Omen
- Taxi Driver
- Network
The Fashion
Bell bottoms, platform shoes, and polyester everything. We looked good — or at least we thought we did.
What Everyone Was Wearing
What Things Cost in 1976
Remember when gas was less than a dollar? Those were the days.
The Rides
Chrome bumpers, V8 engines, and no seatbelt laws. The parking lot at Denbigh was a car show.
Popular Cars of 1976
- 🚗 Chevrolet Camaro
- 🚗 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
- 🚗 Ford Mustang II
- 🚗 Volkswagen Beetle
- 🚗 AMC Pacer
Back in the Halls of Denbigh
Chalkboards, wooden desks, and that one teacher who changed everything. The classroom looked a little different back then.
School Days
No computers. No cell phones. No internet. Just a chalkboard, a stack of textbooks, and after hearing Mr. Way and the morning announcements over the PA system, the sound of the bell sent you running to your first class.
We passed notes on folded paper, not text messages, and we read The Town Crier hoping we’d get a message in the Valentine’s issue, or see our name in the typed and mimeograph-copied senior “Last Will and Testament” issue. And you have to remember the library had a card catalog, not Google.
There were crushes and broken hearts, and teenage awkwardness, but friendships were made in those hallways, in the band room, on the beat-up athletic fields, around the inside jokes from the smoking lounge — all contributors to the high school rite of passage that was Denbigh High School.
You have your own memories if you pull out the yearbook, or reach out to that one classmate you really would like to reconnect with. Continue to retrieve Denbigh High School memories that have served you. And that’s exactly why we’re coming back together, 50 years later.