The Berkeley Institute Class of 1950 had a reunion that can best be described as out of the ordinary. It was an event with activities spread over a three-day period, which was hardly surprising when one takes a quick glance at the motley achievements and occupational areas of the old classmates.

Those areas include the civil service, the professions of medicine, dentistry, education, business, pharmaceuticals and science.

Also there were those who have achieved in construction and entrepreneurial endeavours.

Perhaps typifying the group was Charles (Chuck) Nearon. He had dropped out, or should we say opted out of the Berkeley and migrated to the United States in the early Sixties. There, he said, he recognised the importance of education and through self-study Chuck achieved professional engineering qualifications and registration in three states ¿ New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Chuck has an accumulation of more than 40 years of professional experience including designing and expansion of airports, managing transportation programmes for rail transportation in Venezuela and, to put the icing on the cake, engineering projects with the US Navy base in Bermuda, now known as Southside, and at the L.F. Wade International Airport.

The first day of the reunion was an informal soiree that brought others home from abroad, and regrets from those unable to visit. That evening affair seemed to set the tone for other events that followed.

On the second day the group attended a church service at Crawl Gospel Hall, where classmate Dean Furbert, an elder of the church, preached the sermon.

After the service they ventured to the nearby Landfall Restaurant for brunch.

The third day was highlighted by a tour of the new multi-million-dollar Berkeley Institute complex.

The ageing Berkeleyites were evidently overwhelmed by the magnificence of he new school.

That tour was followed by a ferry trip to St. George's for lunch at the Wharf Tavern. Time was taken out to remember deceased classmates, among them Carlton Burchall Askia, Rosemarie Cann, Roderick Cox, Leonie (Betty) DeSilva, Wilma DeShields, Louise Dowling, Glenora Furbert, Dr. Janet Grant Tyrell, Emily Hamilton, Evelyn Hamilton, Barbara Jones, Clifford (Bobby) Leach, Hubert Minors, Eugene Pearman, Elliott Richardson, Frances Simmons, Marie Richardson Simmons and Adolphus Thomas.

Our picture shows Lionel Dowling, Grace Hodgson Swan, Sylvia Cannonier Francis, Dorothy Nearon Williams, Dean Furbert, Glenda Peets Phelps, Edieann Burrows Curtis, Charles (Chuck) Nearon, Delmont Talbot, Lois Outerbridge Baker, Geraldine (Tucker) Waldron, Joyce Joell Hayden, Madree Jones Orridge, Lorna Dyer Singh, Vera Todd Turner, Alfreda Usher Samuels, Frances Pearman Patterson and Roderic Pearman.

Classmates not seen who were either late for the photograph or unable to attend were Dr. Gerard Bean, John Bethel, Clara Burch Hollis, Sheila Burch Burrows, Desing Burgess, Delores Burrows Thomas, Barbara Butterfield Sandoval, Lois Clarke, Claire Cox Cann, Edith Darrell Morris, Gladys Darrell Furbert, Julia Furbert Durham, Harry Hendrickson, Eustace Jones, Mavis Lake Palmer, Rodney Lambe, Dr. Ronald Lightbourne, Ann Minors Troy, Nelda Outerbridge Cann, Lionel Pearman, Lawrence Rawlings, Leon Richardson, Lowdru Robinson and Hyacinth Simmons Lightbourne, Donald Smith, Marva Stovell Phillips, Esther Swan Bean, Walter Trott and Letitia Webb Aube.