Photos: The 1961 commencement that should have been
Prior to 1961, Batavia High's graduating classes held their commencement ceremony at Mancuso Theater, but in 1961, with a new high school built, school officials told the Class of ' 61 that its graduation would be at the new facility.
There was talk of protest then, but it took the class a half century to actually pull it off.
As part of the class's 50th Reunion, class members walked from Batavia Middle School to the former Mancuso Theater, now City Church, and held a ceremonial commencement with current BHS Principal Christopher Dailey handing Jim Owen back his original diploma as a symbolic graduation. Dailey then delivered the same commencement speech delivered to the Class of 2011.