Clarice Schulz invites former classmates to revisit a bygone era, when a bottle of pop cost five cents, at the 50th-to-70th-anniversary Lindsay Thurber high school reunion.
Schulz is part of a committee that’s seeking to notify all students who attended either Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School or Red Deer Composite High School between 1947 and 1967 about a reunion planned for August 11-13 at the Sheraton Hotel.
Even those who went to the school in the early ’70s might want to time travel back to an earlier era by coming, said Schulz. “We wouldn’t turn anyone away…”
The Crossfield-area native, now 84, remembers staying in the dormitory of what was the Red Deer Composite High School in 1949 and 1950. Classes were then held in huts of the former A20 Army Barracks, where soldiers had been trained to drive during the Second World War. (The Red Deer school division had purchased the base for $1 after the war.)
Schulz remembers running between various class/huts through the snow. One teacher used a bicycle to get around.
Dorm students were from farming communities all over Central Alberta. They were expected to study between 6:30 and 8 p.m. nightly. But free time was between 8 p.m. and lights-out at 10:15. That’s when most young people would head to the canteen to listen to the jukebox, buy a five-cent chocolate bar or pop, and socialize, she recalled.
“We made our own fun,” recalled Schulz, who’s been planning LTCHS reunions every five years since 1987.
She looks forward to reconnecting with old friends during the golf tournament, banquet and dance. The Jack Pallo memorial scholarship is always given out to a young disabled student, and a short memorial will be held on Sunday morning to remember former students who recently passed away.
Schulz said a bus tour to a yet-to-be-announced location will also be offered. But the highlight is always remembering the old days, visiting, and talking about people’s lives.
Schulz, who became a bookkeeper, worked in retail and at the Red Deer Advocate before retiring, expects to see former students from across Canada and the U.S. Past attendance has ranged between 300 and 1,000 people.
Anyone interested in learning more about the reunion, fees for the various events, or about volunteering, can call 403-341-4351, or email cshulz@telus.net.