Former teaching students finally reconnect

Sixty-two years ago, graduates from the Macdonald College teaching program set out into the world on a mission to educate and inspire young minds.

Last week, six of those teachers reconnected, some for the first time in decades, to reminisce about their time at school together and catch up on each others’ lives.

“It was a spur of the moment thing,” said Shirley Maynes Beakes, one of the grads.

Maynes Beakes explained that after seeing 80th birthday announcements in The Record of classmates she recognized, she thought it would be nice to get back in touch.

While only a few of the classmates had kept in touch over the years, Maynes Beakes explained that each one in the group had kept a connection with at least one of the others, which eventually brought the six back together.

“We hadn’t seen each other, some of us, in 40-50 years,” she said.

“Most of these girls taught quite a number of years,” Maynes Beakes added.

The program they took at Macdonald College, according to Maynes Beakes, was a one-year intensive.

“We were all in residence,” she said, explaining the program was very rigid with training six days per week.

They were seated in class in alphabetical order, which is how Maynes Beakes first met Marge Mason Thomas.

On the very first day of school, Maynes Beakes remembers leaning over to the M-named girl beside her. “Are you from Montreal?” she asked.

Mason Thomas replied, “no, I’m from a little town you’ve probably never heard of; Iron Hill.”

“I was from Waterloo,” Maynes Beakes said, explaining. The two were fast friends.

“We didn’t go home very often,” commented Maynes Beakes, which allowed the classmates from the program to spend a lot of time together.

“If someone got a food package, we would all get together,” she said.

“We’re all 80 years old now, but we can still giggle, we remember the water fights we used to have,” Maynes Beakes said. “It was really amazing,” she said, regarding the mini reunion.

“Lou hadn’t seen June for years. The first thing June said was ‘Hey Benny!’”

“Nobody calls me Benny anymore,” Lou replied. She had acquired the nickname because Bennett was her maiden name.

Maynes Beakes said she taught for eight years, spending time in Drummondville, Granby, and Waterloo before changing careers.

Among the students she taught were Brent Smith, from Waterloo, who went on to become a trainer for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team. There was also Carleton Monk, who became a lawyer, practicing in the Townships for years. He helped Maynes Beakes on a number of occasions with legal documents.

The combined teaching years of the six mini reunion attendees likely had a lasting impact on the lives (or at least the spelling and diction) of hundreds, if not thousands of Townshippers.

“We were thinking we should have done something bigger,” Maynes Beakes said, after having so much fun reminiscing.

“I hope we will do it again. Maybe this will spark an interest,” she said, prompting other graduates from the class of 1955 to reach out.