52 SUMMER 2016
50
YEARS TO
THE DAY
I
magine the buzz
of excitement and
anticipation sur-
rounding the AQ
on Simon Fraser
University's opening day
back on September 9,
1965. Students and dig-
nitaries dressed in their
finest and gathered to
celebrate the infinite
possibilities that lay
ahead—not just for the
University—but for the
world as well.
Fifty years to the
day later, on September
9, 2015, students
celebrate on campus
again (more jeans and
hoodies, less suits and
hats). This time the buzz
is not just anticipation,
but also pride as we
reflect on the journey
from radical campus
to engaged university.
The crowd's hope for
what awaits in the years
on and beyond those
stairs is equal to that
of their predecessors a
half-century before—
now entwined with the
legacy of 50 years of
being a different kind of
university, engaged with
its community at home
and around the world.
— Kathleen Almeida
(BA '09)
(Above) Image courtesy of
Simon Fraser University
Archives. Learning and
Instructional Development
Centre fonds, F-18-1-1-0-2-
IMC65022_65-005. Opening
Ceremonies, Freedom
Square / AQ steps. 1965.
(Below) Paul Joseph
