1967 Mechanical Class Fused Together for Five Decades
Their friendship is older than Algonquin College.
That’s part of the unique legacy of the 1967 Mechanical grads from Eastern Ontario Institute of Technology. This campus gave them the training to build their lives, but it also forged bonds that have lasted a lifetime.
Three of those grads – Bill Jamieson, Herb Dean and Jim MacMillan – reunited recently to rekindle the past amidst their collections of EOIT memorabilia – from yearbooks, hats and jackets, to class photos and beer mugs. If it wasn’t for the grey moustaches and occasional wrinkles, their enthusiasm could almost pass for that of freshman college students.
EOIT merged with Ontario Vocational Centre Ottawa (OVC) to form Algonquin in 1967, so they feel welcome at the College’s 50th festivities. “This is your party for Algonquin,” Herb says. “But we just wanted to be a part of it because we had a hand in kind of starting (the College).”
Their school memories include cutting-edge classroom training, broomball matches, “beer chugging teams,” and even police paddy wagons (during one legendary noisy party).
Jim grew up in a dairy town in eastern Ontario, so moving to Ottawa to live on his own was “a big event.” His diverse group of classmates – rural and urban, French and English – formed an instant connection. Jim credits his degree for “learning how to work with people, and work as a team to achieve a common goal.”
The class shared a seemingly equal passion for education, sports, music, and partying. It was no Animal House, but it was certainly a high-functioning, hard-working zoo.
Balancing “class, extra curriculars and partying” taught Herb “good time management.” Meanwhile, Bill learned that “playing hard and working hard is a successful formula.” While the class supported EOIT activities like soccer, broomball, car rallies, and mechanical club – not to mention outside ski trips, and beer-chugging contests with Carleton University students – all three graduates affirm that none of their classmates would have survived the program without disciplined, hard work.
“You learn all the basics and then you learn how to apply them,” Herb explains, noting their training remains valuable. Herb recently uncovered one of his manuals on piping design and says “everything in it is still totally relevant” today.
“There are a lot of things like that,” he adds, from air conditioning to heating systems to building design. “Things have gotten more efficient over time but it’s all the same.”
The skills their group took away set them on diverse career paths. Bill joined Ford Motor Company; Herb spent the majority of his time at Ottawa University, “looking after building operations and design.” Jim spent years at Northern Electric, which became Nortel.
But it’s often their extracurriculars that stand out the most. “We (had) car rallies and we had quite a few parties,” Bill recalls. “We (also) had our own class band.” It was that group’s “rocking” sound during a legendary “Bell Tower basement party” that landed the class in minor trouble with the police. “All of a sudden the entrances were blocked with big police guys,” Bill recalls. The class had attracted a noise complaint. A number of students were herded into paddy wagons and taken to the police station. But the only repercussion was a few $10 fines, and possibly a few sleep-deprived neighbours.
Fittingly, for a class that loved sports, Bill summed up his peers’ attitude as “never quit” and “drop back, punt, and start again.” The students worked to earn each other’s respect, and that translated to their eventual places of employment. Many companies (including Ford and Automatic Electric) hired multiple grads from the same class, so a number of friends became colleagues – and even roommates in their early careers. Herb recalls the power of alumni connections. “We even met up with grads from the year ahead of us at our new place of work who showed us the local watering holes and further cemented our relationships.”
Their class has been getting back together – in groups big and small – since the day they received their diplomas in 1967. They held their first reunion that same year – a celebratory cottage weekend. Seven reunions followed, on every second year, for 15 years; then families came along and the parties dropped off.
In 2012, they held a 45th reunion at Renfrew’s Best Western that attracted 13 classmates out of a class of 32. Each gave a five-minute presentation on their careers; Bill recalls an “impressive scope of responsibilities and accomplishment” all stemming from their EOIT education. The group’s recent 50th reunion was attended by 17 grads.
Clearly, the camaraderie and spirit from ’67 still exists today. The memories may be old, but they remain fresh. As Bill says, “we vowed to keep the spirit, the friendships alive.” They may have graduated 50 years ago, but their class was never dismissed