Catching up with Class of 1953
Reunions for Kelowna High School ‘53 grad class began in 1973
The class of 1953 is a unique group of individuals. We were all classmates from Grades 10-12. Not all graduated, but we were after all classmates from Kelowna High School (known today as KSS). In 1971, a group of 22 individuals gathered for a meeting to discuss having a 20th-anniversary class reunion. The committee has carried on but, with the passing of some of its members, we are now a committee of eight.
The reunions for this group of people began in 1973. They have had their 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 55th and 60th class reunions. All have been well-attended, both by local people and classmates from out of town. We had several teachers attend the first reunion and this was very gratifying to all of the students.
We have kept track of those attending and we have also compiled a list of the deceased classmates — names that have been in the local newspaper or out-of-town people whose names have been passed on to the committee.
In 2000, the committee decided to start a yearly summer picnic to be held the last Sunday in July. We are fortunate that one of our committee members has a lovely piece of property that we can use for this occasion.
We call it “Stanley’s” Park as he has kept it up beautifully and it is so very much a park. Since 2000, we have been meeting there on the last Sunday of July, with the exception of the reunion year of 2013 when we had the Sunday brunch at Sarsons Beach Park. This past summer was no exception.
As a treat for those attending the 16th picnic, a “garbage can turkey” was prepared. All they had to bring was their own refreshments, salads, plates, knives, forks, etc. – things they normally would take to a picnic, minus the meat. It was a lot of fun and with many laughs, a great time was had by all. This past year, a cake and watermelon were also supplied.
This group of classmates has also been meeting twice a year for lunch since 2010. A luncheon held the last Wednesdays in April and October has been set aside for these gatherings at Freddy’s Brew Pub. For these functions, we have upwards of 40 people (classmates and spouses). They know the date and come from Vernon, Revelstoke, Nakusp, Princeton, and other points in Canada or the U.S. if they are visiting in town.
On numerous occasions when we have one of our gatherings attendees have said, “We are like family and everyone feels so welcome!”
At our last luncheon this past October, we were honoured to have our teacher, Mrs. Ashley (“Mrs. A.” for short) join us along with her caregiver. From our records, all the other teachers have passed away. Unfortunately, Mrs. Ashley passed away in Kelowna in November 2017.
In 2018, we have had three more of our classmates pass away: Bill Newman, Jim Pollard and Eleanor (Anderson) Pritchard.
In 2002, when the school had a march down Richter Street from the old school to the new school on Raymer Avenue a group of 25-plus students from 1953 walked in the parade to celebrate the opening of the new school.
In 2003, under the direction of Mrs. A. and Linda (Ghezzi) Ben Hamida, we sang the school songs at the KSS awards banquet. Most of the students of the day did not know these old school songs. We proudly wore the school colours of black and gold.
Now it is 2018, and it has been suggested that we need no frills, virtually no speeches, no threeday event, no late nights, just a simple luncheon for whoever wished to come. So, on the last Wednesday of April, the greyhaired classmates of 1953 Kelowna High school (KSS) had a luncheon held on a beautiful, sunny, warm, Okanagan day at the Guisachan House Restaurant.
We had 24 classmates and 10 spouses attend. They came from Sydney (Vancouver Island), Revelstoke, Vernon, Nakusp, Chimney Lake, and Princeton. It was a great day of remembrances of what has transpired in our daily lives since we graduated from Kelowna High School back in 1953.
This article is part of a series, submitted by the Kelowna Branch, Okanagan Historical Society. Additional information would be welcome at P.O. Box 22105, Capri P.O., Kelowna, B.C., V1Y 9N9.