Fifty years after graduating from PGSS the class of 1968 are coming together for a reconnect this summer, said a member of the organizing committee.
John Aitken said August 17 and 18 there will be about 85 former students and a few of their teachers converging on Prince George to spend some time together. There was more than 360 that graduated that year.
Perhaps best known for being the first class to graduate from the new school, those attending the reunion will take a tour of the secondary school.
In the winter of 1968 about 1,000 students did the 'great trek' from the old Prince George secondary school on Ross Crescent to the new school that still exists today on Griffiths Ave. The event made the front page of the Prince George Citizen newspaper on Feb. 1, 1968.
Aitken, class of '68 president who was awarded for his leadership, said the whole process of organizing the event has been really fun, reaching out to all the former students who are coming from all over the country, and from right here in Prince George.
On Friday, Aug. 17 there's going to be a gala at Bentley Hall at the University of Northern B.C., starting with a mix and mingle, buffet dinner, speakers, including the class valedictorian and class poet, and open mic for those wishing to share their memories, followed by an evening of dancing to the music of the era in which the students graduated.
Saturday, Aug. 18, the group will gather at Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park, to spend some time together chatting and enjoying each other's company.
Aitken said the era was when Prince George's population was growing tremendously and it was the summer of free love, which made graduating and venturing out on their own that much more fitting as many of the students took off to different parts of the country to make their start in life.
"It'll be great to hear about people's lives now and what they've done during the last 50 years," Aitken said. "We're a pretty diverse bunch."
Aitken recently returned to town after many years away.
"I'm grateful that I got back to Prince George just in time to attend the event," he said. "Fifty years later, this might be the last time we get to interact with each other and I think it's a special thing."
