55th Reunion Oct 17-19, 2025 In Kingston
Update on Planned events at the 55th reunion
- UPDATED SEPTEMBER 1, 2025
I am writing to provide details of planned events to all those who have indicated that they are planning to attend our 55th Reunion over the October 17 – 19 weekend in Kingston. As this email is only being sent to those who are shown on the list of expected attendees that is posted on our Sc. 70 website (www.sc70.ca/55th-reunion-news), if you know of someone interested in attending who is not on that list, please pass this along.
Below are details of the planned events:
Thursday, October 16 – For those arriving early, we will have an informal get-together on the Thursday evening where there will be an opportunity to chat with members of the Queen’s Rocket Engineering Team (QRET), which we have sponsored for years through the Sc. 70 Student Initiatives Fund. Because the Clark Hall Pub will not be open that evening as there are no classes that week due to it being a study break, we will be gathering at the Queens Students’ Pub, located in the University Centre, anytime after 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 17 – For another opportunity to interact with current students, and also other alumni years, the usual “Ritual” will occur at Clark Hall Pub, starting on Friday at Noon and continuing throughout the afternoon.
For Friday evening, we have reserved for Sc. 70 the Time Out Bar and Bistro at 167 Ontario Street, starting at 5:30 p.m. and continuing throughout the evening. The pub is the same location (although under a new name) as where we had our Friday evening event in 2022, and is only a short walk from the Holiday Inn. They have a full kitchen so you will be able to enjoy dinner during the evening, or just order some light snacks. Of course, they also serve refreshments!
Saturday, October 18 – For Saturday morning, there will be a few alternatives. First, Sc. 70 is sponsoring a “kegger” breakfast, which will raise Sc. 70’s profile with QRET members and other many engineering students who will be there. Having attended the kegger in past years, I know these events are not as wild as their reputation, and it is a lot of fun to chat with many students in a very relaxed environment. The starting time is likely to be 8 a.m., and the location will be announced in a future email.
Also on Saturday morning, there will be a walking tour of the campus exclusively for Sc. 70, which will include a number of interesting new facilities, as well as going by familiar locations from so many years past! The tour will start at 9 a.m. at Mitchell Hall, and will end at the University Centre, which is beside Mitchell Hall where the Smith Engineering buffet breakfast will be underway.
Another alternative would be to skip both of those events and go directly to the Smith Engineering buffet pancake breakfast at Mitchell Hall, which goes from 9 until 11:30. That breakfast requires prior registration, which can be done on the Queen’s Homecoming website.
I have been asked to mention that some Sc. 70 classmates are planning on Saturday to have an early lunch at the Portsmouth Tavern, 96 Yonge Street as a warm-up for the football game.
Of course, the football game will occur at Richardson Stadium starting at 1 p.m. Jim Decker has purchased 50 tickets for the football game so as to ensure that we all are sitting together and in great seats! Anyone wanting to purchase tickets in our block should send $22 per ticket to Bruce Flexman, the keeper of our Sc. 70 bank account, either by Interac transfer to bflexman@advantagebc.ca (auto-deposit is on, so no security question is needed), or by cheque (payable to Science 70 Alumni Reunion Fund) mailed to 4214 West 15th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6R 3A6.
All Tricolour Guard members (50+ year alumni) are welcome to participate in the halftime parade at the football game. As apparently this year tickets will be required to participate in the parade, it is important to register for the parade which can be done on the Queen’s Homecoming website.
Saturday evening, there will be a Sc. 70-only dinner on the top floor of the Holiday Inn, with cocktails starting at 6:30 and dinner starting at 7:30. The full menu is shown at the end of this email, but the main course options are chicken, salmon and vegetarian paella. Before the end of this month, we need you to email Bernie Cousineau (at berniecousineau@gmail.com) to tell him what you want for your main course, and whether you have any dietary restrictions.
With regard to that Saturday dinner, please also email Bernie Cousineau to tell him if you wish to sit at dinner with specific people. Each table can seat between six and eight people. For those who don’t specify in advance, the tables will be open seating.
The all-in cost by the Holiday Inn for each dinner (including room rental, food, mandatory service charges and taxes) is approximately $100 per person. In addition, for each Sc. 70 classmate who is attending the weekend, we are requesting that they contribute an additional $100 to cover other costs related to the Reunion and the website, which costs are summarized at the end of this email. Accordingly, we ask that singles attending the dinner send $200, and couples attending the dinner send $300, to Bruce Flexman, either by Interac transfer to bflexman@advantagebc.ca (auto-deposit is on, so no security question is needed), or by cheque (payable to Science 70 Alumni Reunion Fund) mailed to 4214 West 15th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6R 3A6.
Finally with regard to Saturday evening, there will be, during and after dinner, a few speeches, a visit from the Dean, fun entertainment and dancing – and a cash bar.
Sunday, October 19 – On Sunday morning, QRET will be hosting Sc. 70 to show us the rockets that they have built and used in competitions, and to tell us about their activities. Many of those who attended the QRET demonstration on the Sunday morning in 2022 have told me that it was one of the highlights of that weekend. The time and location will be emailed to you well in advance of the Reunion.
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If you haven’t yet registered for Homecoming with Queen’s, you can do so on the Queen’s website (www.queensu.ca/alumni/homecoming). When registering, select that you are part of the Tricolour Guard, and also sign up for the Halftime Parade and the Smith Engineering breakfast if you wish to attend.
Below are details of the dinner menu, and of the anticipated expenses.
We are looking forward to a terrific weekend. See you there.
Wally
Saturday Evening Menu
Appetizer – Italian Caesar salad with bacon, crouton and parmigiana
Entrees -
1. Breaded Pecan Chicken with Cajun potatoes and buttered seasonal vegetables, served with pomedoro, or
2. Grilled Salmon with oven-roasted corn, avocado salsa, duchess potatoes and sauté vegetables, or
3. Vegetarian Paella with spinach rice, bell peppers, peas, artichokes and chickpeas
Dessert - New York vanilla cheesecake, with fresh berries and chantilly cream
Expenses
Annual website fees until 2029 and webmaster fees $1,950
Touch up of Sc. 70 Crest at Grant Hall $220
In Memoriam posters and table stickers $130
Friday night hosting of QRET past and present leaders $300
Saturday a.m. kegger $400
Total expenses $3,000
Here’s Who You’ll See at the 55th reunion
- UPDATED SEPT 16, 2025
Over 55 alumni and their guests have already indicated they will attend our 55th Reunion this Oct 17-19, 2025. Here is the latest list of classmates who you’ll see in Kingston. You can sign up by connecting through the Contact function above and with your permission, we’ll add your name to this list.
Grant Anderson Richard Basserman Will Bawden Dick Connelly Bernie Cousineau Jim Decker John Donelan David Field Bruce Flexman Dave Fritz Vic Girard Bill Graham David Grightmire Bob Hobbs Bill Holdsworth Frank Hung Doug King Don Latham Neil Macleod Dee Marcoux David Marshall Peter Martin Dennis McNinch David Messervey Allan Millman Wally Palmer Wallace Penney Peter Rapin Lance Ridehalgh John Robertson Eugene Seymour Dick Slater Grant Smith Tony Suprun Griff Tripp Ralph Wallace David Watson
55th Reunion Summer Update
- Posted JUNE 28, 2025
Happy Summer to all!
As Queen’s has opened registration for Homecoming which will happen this October 17–19, I want to give everyone a quick update on our Sc. 70 plans for the weekend.
We have organized many events, including a meet and mingle with current students on the Thursday evening, a Friday evening Sc. 70-only pub night, a Saturday evening Sc. 70-only dinner at the Holiday Inn, and a Sunday morning visit with members of Queen’s Rocket Engineering Team. The only event that will require prior registration with us is the Saturday dinner – details of that dinner and all other events will be in our next email.
One thing to know for everyone planning to join us at our 55th Reunion is that Jim Decker has already purchased 50 tickets for the football game Saturday afternoon so as to ensure that we all are sitting together and in great seats! The next email will also include information on how to get tickets in our exclusive Sc. 70 block.
If you haven’t already made arrangements for accommodation in Kingston, you can do so out of the rooms set-aside by Queen’s for the Tricolour Guard (alumni graduated 50+ years). Details of the available hotels, and the booking codes needed to reserve rooms, are available at this link: https://www.queensu.ca/alumni/homecoming/homecoming-events/2025/tricolour-guard-hotel-accommodations.
One final point – if you haven’t yet let us know you are coming, please send me an email at wallyjpalmer@gmail.com. We have been compiling a list of expected attendees, and we will soon be posting it on our Sc. 70 website at https://www.sc70.ca/55th-reunion-news. Once we hear from you, we will add your name to the list in order that others will know you are coming.
We are looking forward to a fun time this Fall. It will be great to see everyone, and to enjoy a few days in the place where we shared so many wonderful experiences. We really hope that you will join us!
Wally Palmer
55th Reunion Spring Update
- Posted APR 26, 2025
Greetings to Sc. 70!
It’s time to firm up plans for our 55th Reunion on Homecoming weekend in Kingston this October 17 – 19! In 2022, with classmates and spouses, we had almost 100 attendees, and we are optimistic that we will have another large turnout this year.
In addition to the University-planned events, including the football game, there will be lots of Sc. 70 events, including a meet and mingle with current students on the Thursday evening, a Friday evening Sc. 70-only pub night, a Saturday evening Sc. 70-only dinner at the Holiday Inn, and a Sunday morning visit with members of Queen’s Rocket Engineering Team. Details of the planned events will be provided in our next email.
The most important issue for those planning to attend is to secure accommodations. Queen’s places a hold on rooms for the Tricolour Guard, being alumni graduated more than 50 years. Although we have been told that there are still rooms available in the Tricolour Guard blocks, they are filling fast. We encourage anyone who hasn’t yet reserved a room to do so now. Details of the available hotels, and the booking codes needed to reserve rooms, are available at this link: https://www.queensu.ca/alumni/homecoming/homecoming-events/2025/tricolour-guard-hotel-accommodations .
We would really like to know who is planning to join us in Kingston in order that we can post a list of attendees on our website. Please email me at wallyjpalmer@gmail.com if you are planning to attend, and also tell me how many spots you would like at the Saturday dinner.
We will be sending out another email within the next couple of months with details of all planned events. As always, you can check our Sc. 70 website (https://www.sc70.ca/55th-reunion-news) to stay up-to-date on what is happening.
Our planning committee works hard to make each successive reunion the most memorable yet—and we’re confident this year won’t disappoint! Please join us this Fall as we rekindle the legendary Sc. 70 camaraderie that defines our legacy. Let’s come together to celebrate the lifelong journeys and successes that were launched during our formative years at Queen’s.
Wally Palmer
55th Reunion Confirmed for Oct 17-19 at Queen’s
- Posted Jan 29, 2025
Hello to all!
It’s hard to believe that 2025 is here, but the good news is that we get to look forward to our 55th Reunion in Kingston this October 17 – 19, 2025!
Our Reunion planning group has already met a few times to get ready for a fun weekend. Based on feedback from our last get-together in 2022 when we joined in the Queen’s events on the Saturday evening, we have decided to go back to a Sc. 70-only Saturday dinner. It will be held at the Holiday Inn on October 18 in the beautiful top-floor room where we had our dinner in 2015.
On the Friday evening, we will have a casual drop-in at Chicago Wings Sports Bar & Restaurant, which is the new identity of the bar near the Holiday Inn where we had our Friday dinner in 2022.
Also, in addition to planning opportunities to get together with members of Queens Rocket Engineering Team (QRET), being the student-led program sponsored by our Sc. 70 Student Initiatives Fund, we are attempting to organize events for class members and their spouses to see what is new at Queen’s, and to interact with students not involved with QRET.
We will be sending out more details on all of the planned events this Spring. As always, you can check our Sc. 70 website (www.sc70.ca) to stay up-to-date on what is happening.
For now, the only thing we need you to do is to put into your calendar a trip to Kingston for the weekend of October 17-19, 2025. As members of Queen’s Tricolour Guard (alumni graduated more than 50 years), we are entitled to book hotel rooms in the blocks arranged by Queen’s. Even though these rooms have been put on hold for older alumni, they will be filled up before this Fall. Therefore, we encourage everyone to reserve a room now. Details of the available hotels, and the booking codes needed to reserve rooms are as follows:
https://www.queensu.ca/alumni/homecoming/homecoming-events/2025/tricolour-guard-hotel-accommodations
Although so many years have passed since the time we spent at Queen’s, my memories of those fun times are still warm and happy, as I suspect they are for many of you. We are looking forward to getting together in Kingston to rekindle those memories, and to catch up on what has happened in the all-too-many years since. I hope you will join us!
Wally Palmer