Hundreds of alumni celebrate BU Homecoming

BRANDON – Brandon University (BU) alumni wrapped up four days of Homecoming celebrations on the weekend.

The 2017 Homecoming was BU’s largest in several years, with more than 200 people attending Saturdays’ Dinner and Awards at Harvest Hall. Additionally, hundreds more took part in the Dick and Verda McDonald Sports Wall of Fame Brunch and the Brandon University Bobcats/Brandon College Caps Football Reunion.

“We were thrilled to welcome back so many of our alumni for a great weekend of rekindling old friendships and forming new connections,” said Carla Eisler, Director of Advancement and Alumni Affairs at BU.

“This year was very special as it provided us with the opportunity to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of our final Brandon College Graduating class. We’re already looking forward to building on this year’s success as 2018 Homecoming will mark a 50-year reunion for Brandon University’s first class of graduates.”

In addition to a well-attended reunion for Brandon College’s Class of 1967 — the final graduating class before BU was received its charter that year as a degree-granting university — Homecoming included milestone reunions for the classes of 1987, 1962, 1957 and 1952. Even the Class of 1942 was represented on the weekend as Alixe Ryles attended Homecoming 75 years after graduating from Brandon College.

“The milestones are very popular with the alumni from those particular years, and we believe that next year will provide a great reason to return for graduates from all years as we celebrate 50 years as Brandon University,” Eisler said.

Five awards were presented on Saturday evening as Ben Dietschi (Distinguished Young Alumni Award), Elder Gordon Williams (Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service), Dr. Lynn Whidden (Distinguished Alumni Award for Career Achievement) and Dr. Anthony Chow (Wall of Fame Award) were honoured by the BU Alumni Association, while Elder Doris Pratt received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Brandon University Senate. The evening included a special announcement from the Class of 1965, which has initiated a new scholarship, with $40,000 already raised to fund the award, while the Class of 1967 is also marking their 50^th Anniversary with the creation of the Class of ’67 Bursary.

Other Homecoming events included the unveiling of the renewed Brandon College Portrait Gallery, a jazz concert and a celebration of authors in the BU Journal of Graduate Studies in Education.

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