This Saturday October 3rd, Ryerson is hosting is annual alumni weekend activities. This year the feature years are the classes of 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1975, 1990, and 2005. In celebration of this the Archives decided to look back at those years and see what was happening on campus.
In the school year 1949-1950 Bud Evans and “Honest” John Vail were the SAC presidents, and Ted Toogood was appointed as the Athletic Director. There were 390 day school and 1355 evening school student were enrolled. The first “At Home” dance was held.
RIOT was held for the first time on March 3.
CJRT began broadcasting on November 1st, and the first live T.V. show in Canada was broadcast from Ryerson on November 14th.
Most significantly Ryerson graduated its first class of 212 graduates on Friday May 12. Click here for Principal Howard Kerr’s commencement address.
In the school year 1954-1955 the Blue and Gold Ball was held on February 16th at the Royal York Hotel, and RIOT ’55 was titled “Ghouls and Dolls”. The Ryerson Opera Workshop (ROW) staged Mademoiselle Angot in the Bloor Collegiate auditorium.
“The Ryerson Story” – a CBC TV film presentation directed by Rollo Gamble of the NFB and commentated by Lloyd Bochner – was filmed at Ryerson. It featured many Ryerson students and highlighted Ryerson’s various programs. It aired on February 20th.
And on May 6th, 1955 Ryerson graduated 365 students from the following programs: Architectural Technology; Business Administration; Secretarial Science; Electrical Technology; Electronic Technology; Radio and Television Arts; Fashion; Furniture and Interior Design; Journalism; Printing Management; Instrument Technology; Research Technology; Public Health Laboratory Technology; Laboratory Technology; Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant Administration; Home Economics; Childhood Management; Mechanical Technology; Metallurgical Technology; Tool Design and Technology; and Photographic Arts.
In the school year 1959-1960 Bruce Dobbs was the SAC President. RIOT 1960 was held at the Riverside Auditorium November 18th-21st.
The Blue and Gold Ball was held on February 5th, crowning Joan Fujimoto as Miss Ryerson and Papa and Mama Wycik as Mr. & Mrs. Ryerson.
The second unit of Howard Kerr Hall was taken over by Ryerson.
Convocation for 516 graduates was held May 6th at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
The Graduation banquet was held on the evening of May 5th. The Gold and Silver medalists were presented with their awards during the dinner.
The school year 1964-1965 saw some major changes at Ryerson – the first being its name.
Open House held October 24 – the same weekend as Homecoming.
The clock tower on South Kerr Hall get carillon bells. Wayne Detcher played the bells for the first time during a Christmas Carol concerts over the lunch hour in December.
Ryerson’s annual graduation banquet was held April 8th
Ryerson also changed its coat-of-arms late in the year.
And finally graduation was held May 7th with a morning and an afternoon ceremony.
