On July 17, 2016, six old friends reunited at TWU, their first time together on campus since they graduated in 1977.
They stood at the corner outside the North Lower dorm, hands on their hearts, the way they did in a picture taken 39 years ago. When Rod Dyck, Wes Froese, Gerry Kroeker, Ken Fox, David Fuller and James Stobbe first met at Trinity Western University — then Trinity Western College — things were a lot different.
Barely a decade old, it offered two-year Associate Arts programs. There were fewer buildings on campus. The library was in Strombeck, the cafeteria was in Douglas, and chapel was held every day in the original Hanson Chapel.
Fashion choices and physical appearance aside, these ne’er-do-wells are also barely recognizable. The brains behind Golf Wall, a game that involved a golf ball, a hockey stick, a brick wall in Douglas and fast-moving freshmen, now hang frames boasting their PhDs, MEds, DMDs.
They have sort of grown up now, with cresting careers as teachers and farmers, as dentists and managers. They have growing families with roots they’ve planted far and wide. And yet, some things never change.
They no longer sneak into cafeterias at night through the dumb waiter or jump out of windows halfway through class in a waiting convertible car. They don’t buy jalopies for $50 then drive them across the country and they don’t call them jalopies any more. They don’t transform from commuter to resident by converting broom closets into dorm rooms.
Yes, the times have changed. Still some things stay the same.
There’s that glimmer in their eyes, the little rascals’ flame, that still shines bright and you have a feeling that time will never put it out. And when you sit down and listen to their stories, laugh at their shenanigans, you begin to realize that the same close-knit community you’ll find on TWU’s campus today existed 39 years ago. The same mischievous dorm adventures you might hear about from students today happened in Trinity Western’s early days as well. Some things are universal.
But what stands out most with these six men is their camaraderie that has lasted over the years. They’ve been in each other’s weddings. They’ve watched each other’s children grow up. And after 39 years, they agreed to meet back where it all began.
At TWU they found something remarkable. They found a community, a company of rascals. And they never grew out of it.
Every year, we celebrate the lasting bonds of community that were forged on this little Langley campus. This year, at Alumni Weekend, we will be celebrating the impact our alumni have had on the various marketplaces of life. Come and re-experience the community you loved.