CLASS REUNION - 1953

David Lidbury David Olson John Bailey Walter Straker

There were only five boys in my graduating class from Radville Christian College (High School) in 1953. We decided to call for a reunion of the guys and four of the five gathered in Cananasca, Alberta, Canada last week.
We had a great time remembering and correcting each others memories. We also had an interesting time sharing our lives and what has happened to us since graduation.

I doubt if there has ever been a class quite like ours. Eighty per cent of the boys have advanced degrees. Forty per cent have earned doctorates. These guys graduated from a high school that competed against all the high schools in Saskatchewan. We all took the same examinations and they were set and graded by the department of education. Our teachers had never seen the exams until the package was opened at the beginning of the testing and our entire years work rested in the examination result.

Our little school did not have indoor plumbing. Our chemistry lab was an old kitchen cupboard. None of us remember a single experiment that worked the way it was supposed to. We succeeded in school because we have parents who motivated us and teachers who were dedicated.

It is interesting that we still have a lot in common.

1. All four of us spent time teaching school. Dr. Olson made a career teaching at the university level. David Lidbury taught high school and was a school administrator until his retirement. Walter Straker is still teaching at the Great Lakes Bible College. I taught 3 1/2 years at Western Christian College.

2. Each of us is still married to the wife of his youth.

3. All have traveled extensively. There are not many countries where at least one of us hasn't visited.

4. One or both of our parents lived more than 90 years.

5. We all have children and grandchildren.

Fifty three years has brought it's changes. While we share many things in common we differ enough to make conversations interesting and thoughtful. I hope we will do this again in a year or two in a place as beautiful as Cananasca.

Thanks David, David and Walter for the effort you made to make this a memorable weekend.

I want to thank R.V. Elliott for coming. He was one of our (David Olson & I) star students. Russell was in grade eleven when David and I taught at Radville Christian College. He received his Ph.D in nuclear physics from the University of Canberra in Australia. We needed him to round out the group and to share and challenge our thinking on a number of subjects.