What are Your 'Wellesley Memories'?

What are some of your earliest memories of Wellesley? Do you remember the trolley on Route 9? How about the penny candy store? 

Two Wellesley High School juniors, Ben Griswold and Chris Ulian, recently set out to compile and track the memories of citizens. Their website, Wellesley Memories, features stories from local seniors who volunteered their tales. 

The duo placed an ad in the local paper, and interviewed the seven who responded. They have an eighth interview expected to go on the site soon. 

Patch contacted the creators with a few questions about their project, and the duo responded by email.

Patch: How did this project start? What prompted you to interview residents and get their memories?

This project got started as a means to fulfill our WHS leadership class' requirement that we carry out a community service project. We felt that the unmet material needs are rare in an affluent town like Wellesley, so we decided to focus on a less material need: preserving memories and first-hand accounts of Wellesley's past.

Patch: What are some of the most surprising or interesting things you learned doing this project?

Griswold and Ulian: One of the coolest things about this project was that it gave a face to history--instead of just hearing our history teacher talk about the hardships of rationing during World War II, we got the opportunity to hear the perspective of people that had lived through that time, and knew first-hand how hard it was.

It also adds to the sense of community in Wellesley. Hearing about the all-night party in the 1970s or the spirit surrounding the Needham-Wellesley football game in the 1950s makes you realize that Wellesley High schoolers in the past were not all that different from who they are today. 

Patch: How do you think this connects to your leadership class?

Griswold and Ulian: We used a number of skills learned in our leadership class, ranging from making good eye contact, to the ability to dynamically plan and organize.

Patch: Why do you think this kind of project is important?

Griswold and Ulian: It creates a connection between people living in Wellesley and their community. As we said, it is important to realize that citizens in the past did the same things and took part in the same traditions as we do today. It helps us understand what it is about Wellesley that makes it Wellesley. 

Patch: What are your next steps? Do you have more interviews lined up? 

Griswold and Ulian: We do not currently have more interviews lined up. There is one more narrative that will be posted on the website in the coming days, but after that we plan to wait for any other interested citizens with memories of Wellesley to contact us (there is a form on our website through which anybody can tell us their stories).

We hope to maintain this website as a resource and database of Wellesley experiences.

Patch: Any plans to make a book or film, or anything?

Griswold and Ulian: If anybody wants to contact us with a major book or movie deal, feel free to get in touch! But seriously, there are no plans currently. 

Patch: How can people get involved or help out?

Griswold and Ulian: There is a contact form on our website (go to the "About" tab, or to tell us a story go to the "Tell Us Your Story" tab).