Class of 1984

Dear class of '84,

We hope this letter finds you well. It is with great pleasure that we extend a warm invitation to you for your upcoming class reunion at Mount Allison University, taking place from May 10^th to 12^th, 2024. Your alma mater eagerly anticipates welcoming you back to sweet little Sackville, where countless memories were forged during your time on campus. This reunion promises not only a celebration of the past, but also the chance to reconnect with cherished friends and make new connections across different class years.

One of the highlights of the reunion weekend is the walk down memory lane, where you can rediscover the beauty of our campus and reminisce about the transformative moments that shaped your journey. We invite you to dust off your memorabilia, from old yearbooks to treasured mementos, and be prepared to share your stories with friends who walked the same halls and explored the same academic pursuits.

Throughout the weekend, we have curated a series of events and activities to enhance your reunion experience. From class-specific gatherings to campus tours led by our enthusiastic student ambassadors, there will be ample opportunities to reconnect with familiar faces, forge new bonds and interact with. The schedule can be found on the Reunion Weekend website:

https://mta.ca/alumni-donors/alumni/alumni-events-and-awards/reunion-weekend.

This is where you will also find the link to register and to see the list of classmates who already registered. If you have any questions, please contact Jaryd Morrissey at 506 688 1887 and/or jmorrissey@mta.ca.

In the spirit of fostering a sense of community, we encourage you to reach out to classmates and spread the word about this exciting reunion weekend. Share your anticipation on social media, connect with friends you haven’t seen in years, and make plans to ensure that this reunion is a truly unforgettable experience.

Carolle de Ste-Croix
Director of Alumni Engagement.

Mount Allison lost a beloved member of our Alumni, Arthur Drysdale, in 2013. His passing was felt profoundly and widely not only by his classmates in the Class of 1984, but also by the faculty, the community of Sackville, his hometown of Wallace, Nova Scotia, his work colleagues, swim coaches across the country, and Allisonians across generations. Our sorrow drove a deep desire to keep his spirit alive and thus came the idea of establishing a bursary in his name. Anyone who has grieved the loss of a loved one knows what it means to honour their memory by giving back and thereby making a difference in someone else's life. This is exactly our intention for this bursary. We wish to ensure that future generations of Allisonians know and remember Art, while honouring our classmate who meant so much to us, by giving financial aid to future Allisonians who exemplify Art's personality. Let us tell you about Art by highlighting his legacy. For those who knew Art, it will no doubt evoke emotions from many great memories. For those who did not know Art, we hope you come away with a sense of his bigger than life personality.

Art was special to everyone as the person who had the ability to find the part of you that needed support, encouragement, growth and nurturing. He knew how to make you feel better by being around him and his friends. His spontaneity and somewhat rebellious ideas could bring people together in unique ways that always made them happy. He had a loud voice in volume but even more in what he said. This most often involved his green guitar and singing in cities from Port Alberni, British Columbia to St. John's, Newfoundland.

Art loved his home province of Nova Scotia and was an ambassador to the Maritimes wherever he travelled. He used his music to guide him in life by often quoting song lyrics. He was emotionally intelligent by being self reflective and therefore able to listen to people well and offer assistance in many forms. He was the precursor to Facebook and was always connecting people to help grow the large circle of friends who miss him to this day.   He loved Wallace, Nova Scotia and enjoyed his time there by the campfire at night singing the many Maritime songs that people could join in with the chorus. There were more sing-a-longs there than there were performances; for Art it wasn't about standing in front of people, it was more standing with them.

Want to get to know Art better? You can find him on YouTube (we recommend www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3XSDsT0DPg). He can, however, be found by closely watching those around you. Look for the person that can turn a mundane chore into a fun and crazy one, help resolve any issue as the voice of reason, will drop in unannounced at any time and make you wonder why he wasn't there all along, can orchestrate some great pranks that are non malicious but result in lots of laughs, and last but not least, the person who gets the only standing ovation at their Mount Allison graduation. That person has the Art Drysdale mystic.  They can get anyone up dancing on the dance floor and be the life of the party yet can be that friend you can count on one-on-one anywhere anytime.

We will be asking the bursary recipients to provide the Bursary contributors with a handwritten thank-you letter telling their story and their plans for the future. What a great way to find out how Art's legacy will live on at Mount Allison. Thank you for taking the time to read this, watch the video, remember our friend Art, and perhaps pour yourself a wee dram in his honour while watching the video again!