56Th Normal School Reunion Class Of 1956 – 1957

Gloria Wilton Photos courtesy of Phyllis Crosson, Jean Rennie, John Lohrenz, Jake Harms. Email copy courtesy of Janice Kelly

Thank you to all who attended our 56th Reunion, in Winnipeg, May 23, 2013.

The reunion was in two parts. We were fortunate in having a guided tour of the old Normal School, at 500 Shaftesbury Boulevard. The tour guide, Elizabeth Doty, enjoyed our group, especially all the comments and memories we had looking back to 1956 – 1957. The labyrinth of tunnels, under the site, came as a bit of surprise to many. The present site is home to the Canadian Mennonite University. The site continues to be a place of education, enlightment and leadership. Our luncheon was held at the Inn at the Forks, 75 Forks Market Road. The Forks is a national historic site. People have been meeting at the forks of the Red River and Assiniboine River for about six thousand years. We in turn did likewise. It was a day for history. The original Normal School site has had a chequered career. Built in 1921, by the government, it was first of all, a School for the Deaf. In 1941, the Department of Defense utilized the site as part of the war effort of WWII. In turn, the Department of Education took it back in 1945 and it continued to be the Normal School site until 1965. The teacher training was then moved to the University of Manitoba. Once more the site became the School for the Deaf. Many who could not attend the reunion were either on a pilgrimage to Fatima, in Portugal, and a family reunion in Poland (Jeanette Moran); a personal family reunion in the West (Barbara Thomasson); off to Europe (France) with her husband who would be teaching at a university in Toulouse (Machiko Bruzina); arriving in Roblin, Manitoba, with her husband to celebrate a centenary plus at the end of June (Sylvia Goodbun, Woodstock, Ontario). Frances Obedzinski, of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, made the reunion a family affair arriving with her group of seven – daughter, brothers and their wives and friends. WOW! That is what I call a celebration of life. As a group, we continue to be active in our communities, our churches, local museums, hospitals and local support groups. Two alumnae have had their work and effort recognized provincially and federally. Verna Kirkness of Winnipeg, received the Order of Manitoba in 2007, and the Order of Canada in 1998. Joan MacKay (Robinson) of Nesbitt, Manitoba, was inducted, as a member of the Manitoba Fiddle Association, into the Manitoba Hall of Fame, April 28, 2013, in Carman, Manitoba. Alma Vincent (Dayon), travelled to the Dominican Republic in 2012 and 2013 as part of a habitat group. In February and March, 2013, Alma travelled to Lima, Peru, to a site where children needed care and shelter. As a volunteer in a local school near the building sites, educational component will continue to be involved at this level as long as she can continue. Dolores