Bachelor of Nursing 1966 - 50th reunion

The BSN Class of 1966 met for their 50th Reunion in Vancouver on September 9th and 10th, 2016. Once we recovered from the shock that one half-century had passed since we crossed the stage in UBC’s War Memorial Gym on our Graduation Day, we began our celebrations!

We gathered at the Sylvia Hotel in an 8th floor hospitality suite, arranged by our organizers Diane Hick and Jackie Rohan who did an incredible job. UBC School of Nursing and the Applied Science Alumni Relations supplied each of us with mementoes to mark the occasion.

Nineteen of our class of 29 were able to attend and we shared notable events in our lives since we last met 10 years ago. The energy was palpable and our senses of humour were definitely intact! It struck us how much wisdom and life experience we had accumulated as well as the enormity of our contributions to nursing and to health care. The majority have now retired from their nursing and health care positions. However, it was clear that the knowledge and skills that we acquired during our years of nursing and health care endeavours are being pressed into action as we spend time with family and friends, adjust to changes in our personal lives and undertake community projects. Our lives are enriched by pursuing new interests and acquiring new skills. 

We invited a special guest, Dr. Suzanne Campbell, Director of the UBC School of Nursing. Suzanne seemed fascinated by our stories and joined us for a delicious dinner in a private dining room at the Sylvia. She gave us a brief synopsis of the accomplishments of the School, faculty and students and also informed us about the newer developments in the undergraduate and graduate programs.  We were also taken by the change in nursing education technologies and approaches since our UBC exposure years ago.

The next day saw many of our classmates, along with spouses, meeting for brunch, again at the Sylvia. There was no shortage of energy when sharing more stories, despite our previous late evening. We concluded that the event was a huge success and that we want to come together again, perhaps in 2 years and at the same venue.

We captured the event in photos.  A sample is included below.

Let's do it again soon!

Submitted by Linda Leonard, BSN '66