1952 Technical students hold reunion
Today they are pushing sixty and considering retirement from distinguished careers in business, the professions or government service. But back in 1952 they were scared kids about to take their first tentative steps into the world of secondary education. This morning News 5’s Janelle Chanona listened attentively as a special group of old friends got together for a long weekend.
Harry Usher, Former Technical High Student
“The education that we got here was the beginning of what we are. And if you look at each of the individuals who graduated at that time, who attended at that time, they made their mark. In some respects they made their mark here, others, they made their mark outside Belize.”
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Today, fifty years after they first walked through the gates of what until recently was known as Belize Technical College, now a campus of U.B., the first people to be enrolled in Technical High, back in 1952, were back on campus. These men and women are in Belize to reunite with former classmates and forever friends. Organiser of the event, Harry Usher says the group has never forgotten their time here.
Harry Usher
“We consider ourselves a very, very special class. We were very close. We were twenty-one females and twenty males. This part of the building were for the females, this is where they taught home economics, sewing cooking and so on. And way down at the far end, they taught woodwork, metal work and in the middle, they taught the general subjects such as mathematics, drafting, chemistry, physics and so on. And out of the product of that has come many doctors, architects, engineers and so on.”
Marie Brown Young, Former Technical Student
“I taught here from 1970 to 1992, I was a home economics teacher. That is what I learnt here at Technical and I’m so appreciative of what I did.”
John Searle, Former Technical Student
“We walked in, we got together here for the first time fifty years ago as perfect strangers. A lot of us met yesterday as old friends and pretty well as strangers who hadn’t seen each other in fifty years and some of us wouldn’t have recognised each other you know. We were looking at the building today and one of the young ladies said, it looks a little run down, I said well look at us, we look a bit run down ourselves…that’s what fifty years does to you doesn’t it.”
Under the theme, “Leading the Way in Technical Education”, the class will spend the next three days participating in various events, including a church service and trips around the country. Today they toured Belize City and even had a chance run-in with the Prime Minister.
Elsa Plunkett, Former Technical High Student
“So many have passed and so many are still here. And it’s so good and wonderful to see how, the rest the here; it’s just great.”
The class reunion officially ends on Monday. Reporting for News 5, I am Janelle Chanona.
If you are a 1952 technical student and would like to participate in the remainder of the reunion, please contact Harry Usher at 224-4175.
