Why does one go to a university Homecoming Weekend when it isn’t a particularly special year?

This year I decided to return to the UofA for its renowned Alumni gathering. It wasn’t my fiftieth or fortieth or anything that significant in terms of the program either. But for me it was a unique moment to celebrate on my own, out of the spotlight a couple of significant moments. It was fifty years ago that we opened the new Students’ Union Building (SUB) — there was no ceremony marking the event this year, the Students’ Union had done that a couple years ago when we marked the anniversary of the ground-breaking for the new SUB. But it was nice to be able to walk through the building, remembering how it used to look and reflecting on the vision of those student leaders before my time that were so visionary. It was the first such building in North America to be built by students, with students’ monies, and for students uses. While the uses have changed over the years, and some features have migrated to other buildings, it still is the centre of campus life and it still is one of the most unique buildings on campus.

In addition, during half-time at the football game between the Golden Bears and the UBC Thunderbirds, they honoured the 1967 football team that won the national championship at the College Bowl. I had been erroneously directed to the wrong seating area so I was not immediately in front of the honourees, but as they were introduced I could visualize each one of them from that team. I had known them all, had been part of the broadcasting history as well as serving as the in-stadium public address announcer, and was friends with their coaches as well. They were a great bunch of guys when we were all students; they all turned out to be a great bunch of citizens. It was again nice to just be able to be in the stadium and observe the students of today honouring them. [By the way, an interesting fact associated with that school year: Clare Drake coached the football team in the autumn to the national championship, and in the following winter coached the hockey team to the national championship — only time is Canadian college sports that has ever happened. Clare is a legend, but more importantly he is a very real human — he always treated non-players associated with the teams with as much respect as he did the players, and he was gracious and polite even when occasionally he would lose a game.]

The grad banquet was interesting in that I was placed at a table, near the back of the hall, with a person who was in the very first class I attended when I transferred from the U of Toronto to the U of A. It was a sociology (320) class with a young professor Kupfer. This fellow student and I also shared a friendship with a third guy (who wasn’t at the banquet, so we got to talk about him — LOL) but hadn’t seen each other in at least twenty-five years. There was another couple who knew me indirectly through mutual third parties; plus, another woman part way through the meal, suddenly said “I know you, it’s your voice — you were the voice of the Golden Bears!!” All in all, a great deal of laughter and joviality — good reminders of the good times we all did have at the university when we were younger.

Sunday was the concert put on by the music department. This is a highlight of the weekend as far as I’m concerned. These kids are talented — especially considering they only had a couple of weeks to fully prepare as a group. First the UofA Symphony Orchestra delivered an hour of simply wonderful classical music. After the break the Wind Ensemble presented a very entertaining concert as well. The only problem: the organizers forgot to provide programs for the people sitting in the balcony and since seats were at a premium, I wasn’t about to go looking for one (and lose my chair with great sight lines to the musicians). So, if you are a classical genius — sorry, I don’t have the breakout at this time. Just trust me when I say that both halves of the afternoon were incredibly delightful.

Monday evening was the Alumni Awards event. Always interesting but nothing jumped out at me that I think merits sharing… The recipients are most deserving; primarily for the conventional reasons that such awards are given. Some people I think should be honoured, never will be, because they do significant and often very important things either under the radar or off the grid.

Stay tuned for next year’s weekend — it will be #50 for my B.Ed. and #40 for my Ph.D. That will definitely call for some good scotch…

g.w.