Wistful history

Their lives reach back deep into the last century, some as far as the Sacco and Vanzetti trial and Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic. They remember Dedham Square as it was, nearly three quarters of a century ago, and can recall when Wardle Drug was a relatively new business.

Dominic "Archie" DiVirgilio, Marie-Louise Kehoe, Frank Geishecker, Lofts "Mickey" McGuire, Roberta "Bobbie" Beckvold and four other longtime Dedham residents reflect on their decades living in the more than 370-year-old town in the documentary "Memories of Dedham," which will be shown free tomorrow at 8 p.m. at Dedham Community Theatre.

"It's a beautiful film. It's going to make people cry. It's very inspiring," said Peter H. Reynolds, one of the filmmakers and co-owner of The Blue Bunny children's bookstore on High Street.

DiVirgilio, 76, former Department of Public Works commissioner, said that the film is an expression of the town's history. "Some of the things people will get out of it is learning what Dedham was like, how quaint town was, how it was less congested and more town-oriented. It was less hectic than today," he said of the Dedham he knew half a century ago.

The 25-minute film was a labor of love for Reynolds, his brother Paul, and Paul's wife, Janet. Originally, the three - members of the civic and merchant association Dedham Square Circle - wanted to foster appreciation for Dedham Square among today's residents, some of whom are too young to recall when the soda fountain at Wardle's - which has been in business more than a century - was the town hangout.

The project evolved into a feature about Dedham as a whole.

"We're trying to bring back (the memory) of all the things that make a town special," said Peter Reynolds. "It's a universal story about a classic American town."

Businesses like Wardle's are the "treasures" that make Dedham unique, said Peter Reynolds. "They are significant in this day of box stores and businesses coming and going fast. ... We want to remind people that if we're not careful, we'll lose these treasures," he said.

Bobbie Beckvold, 72, hopes the filmmakers will make another movie about Dedham. "I would like to see them doing more videos of other parts of the town," she said. Beckvold's father and mother worked at Dedham Community House, which is still a cultural institution and community center at the corner of Ames Street and High Street in Dedham Square.

Beckvold's father was a custodian and her mother worked as a youth coordinator at the Community House.

The film is dedicated to McGuire, who died in January at age 84. The former Dedham Junior High School principal and Navy pilot enjoyed sharing personal memories of Dedham's most beloved treasures with younger generations, said Amy Haelsen, executive director of Dedham Square Circle.

As his former neighbor, Haelsen spent many hours talking to McGuire and getting a sense of his love for the town's history. As the film project got underway, she realized McGuire's contribution could be an essential component.

"He was one of a kind," said Haelsen. "Unfortunately, he was never able to see the finished product, but I know this is something he would be proud of."

Joseph F. Pagliuca, who, like McGuire, was a football star at Dedham High and later worked for the Dedham School Department for 28 years. He was a custodian at Dedham High and Ames Elementary schools. He retired in 1981 after working as a maintenance man at the High Street post office for seven years.

Pagliuca, 92, bantered with McGuire about historical milestones from the 1920s - the Sacco and Vanzetti trial in Dedham and Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic - during their interview with Paul Reynolds.

Dedham Square Circle won a $2,000 grant for the project from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to support the group's efforts to "document the oral histories of Dedham Square," said Reynolds.

The grant will be awarded now that the project is completed, reimbursing the filmmakers for their work and expenses. "We only paid for editing," he said. Twenty percent of the editing was completed by Matt Porter, a student in Paul Reynolds' television field production class at Boston College last spring. Paul Reynolds is an adjunct professor of studio and television production in the communications department, and Porter, his former student, will be paid from the grant.

Her wish for more films about Dedham may come true. Although the film is only 25 minutes, there is still almost 80 hours of footage left, said Peter Reynolds.

A reception will be held at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Dedham Community Theatre before the film's premiere.

Daily News staff writer Anna Kivlan can be reached at 781-433-8336 or akivlan@cnc.com