The Grade 13 Class of 1959 reunion committee planned an all-day reunion event for this past Friday, May 24. About 55 grads and spouses started their day out by reconnecting at and touring MEI Secondary. The group enjoyed lunch at Garden Park Tower, then visited the Mennonite Heritage Museum, and finally returned to MEI Secondary for a catered dinner and evening program.
The event was attended by former teachers John Ratzlaff (1954-1988) and Vic Thiessen (1954-1957).
Thank you for blessing us with your presence on campus; your approval and kind words of support, along with just being on campus and being seen by students was so enriching to our community.
Pictures from May 24, 2019 Reunion
Previously Posted
Gerda Neumann and team have planned a reunion for the Grade 13 class of 1959 on Friday, May 24, 2019!
All classmates who shared any grade with the MEI grade 13 class of 1959 are also welcomed.
Timeline
- 9 am – 10 am: Guided tour of MEI Secondary. Please arrive at / after 8:45 am, as the parking lot is very busy with regular school traffic prior > See campus map parking
- 10 am – 11 am: Meet in MEI Secondary Library
- 11 am: Offsite at Garden Park Tower, Mennonite Heritage Museum
- 4 pm / after: Return to MEI Secondary Library
- 5:00 pm: Group and candid photos with Paul Funk (MEI photographer)
- 5:30 pm: Dinner
To Keep Informed
- Update your address with the school
- Contact Gerda Neumann (Ph: 604-864-9782 | Email: gnperceptions@shaw.ca)
A Reflection by Teacher Les Stobbe
Source: March 12, 2019 response to MEI Alumni email about a class of 1959 reunion
“I taught Canadian History to the Grade 13 class of 1959–if Pastor Vern Heidebrecht was in that class. If that is the case, reflections are easy. Carol Ewert, who became his wife, was a student in the English Honors class I taught that year in Grade 12–and sat on a chair between two rows of desks because I had 53 students in that class. The administration didn’t want anyone in study hall, so they assigned a bunch of them to English Honors. Guess how many failed the provincial exams in that subject!! Carol’s father was our SS teacher for 15-18 year-old boys in South Abbotsford M.B. Church and played a major role in my development as a Christian–and as a leader when I was a student at MEI.
As a family that was a unique year. Our son was born in April, 1960, and while my wife and he were in the hospital I received a telegram from Moody Press asking me to come for an interview. I was given a job as supervisor of the selling floor of Moody Bookstore, which morphed into manuscript evaluation editor of Moody Press, reporting to Dr. Kenneth Taylor while he was working on the translation that became The Living Bible. The many essays I assigned to students at MEI developed my ability to evaluate others’ writing. You never know how God will use an assignment to prepare you for the next one. “
