Rickstones Yearbook 1986

In 1986 I was the only American student in Rickstones Secondary School in Witham, Essex, UK. And being so, I thought we ought to have a yearbook, which is a foreign concept to the Brits. So along with a friend of mine, Dave Seacombe, we petitioned in March, convinced the Headmistress, who then found a printer for us. I guess they thought, well as long as he leaves us alone...

We were given a quote of £600 for 32 pages, 1,000 copies. This was later reduced to a no-frills £395.

I started the comic in April, took photos, and all that business. Like in America, I hoped to find businesses to put advertising in the yearbook to offset the costs...but this proved impossible. We were probably bad salesmen, Dave and I, and nobody knew what a bloody yearbook was.

Photos were all hand developed in June in the school darkroom. Just think, all this would be digital now, but my memories of making this are full of stop bath solution and rubber cement for pasting up the flats.

On June 26, the book was done, but the delivery day was set for after I went away on vacation. But something stupid happened (I can't remember the reason), and the yearbook was never delivered until September. A big disaster for me!!! Nobody wants a yearbook when they're going back to school, so apart from my classmates who were waiting waiting waiting, most of the copies sat there in a box.

Still, now I've scanned, corrected, and tweaked this project, and it's up online for people to see in all its teenage glory. Maybe some ex-Rickstones peeps will find their names while searching the 'net...

As usual, view large to fully appreciate.

29 photos | 527 views

items are from between 04 Apr 2005 & 21 Dec 2007.