Decades - 1950s

We welcome your comments, questions and volunteer assistance.  Please contact your decade coordinator at 1950s@malverncollegiate.com

Malvern Red & Black Society members, who attended (and taught at) MCI during the 1950s and 1960s, participated in a rousing and memorable joint reunion on September 27^th, 2008. 

Access photographs of the 50s/60s Reunion in 2008 and other events by clicking on the ‘Gallery’ button on the left side of this page.  Similarly, see our 50s/60s Reunion Musings and other Musings editions by clicking on ‘Musings’. Please identify any Malvernites in the photographs for our records.

The 1950s were memorable years in many ways for MCI students and teachers.  This was the Rock & Roll era, with Friday night dances, great football and hockey teams, beautiful cheerleaders, grade thirteen summer exams, spring parade in heavy irritating woolen army uniforms and wooden rifles, girls in blue bloomers in the gym, guys having to swim naked in pool classes, Eaton’s Club, the strike over guys wearing jeans and girls skirts too short, and far more than I can recount here.

  I would be interested in receiving your stories and photographs of your time at Malvern for our archives and future Musings.  Please send any such items to Malvern Collegiate Institute, 55 Malvern Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4E 3E4, attention Malvern Red & Black Society, Archives Committee and mention the 50s decade.

Of particular interest to the 50’s alumni is the recent announcement that the Malvern pool (opened in 1954) will be kept open. Thanks to a tremendous effort by the Save the Malvern Pool campaign, led by Nancy Palmer, grandmother of a member of the Malvern Swim Team, Heidi Deschenes of the Home and School, and Vandra Masemann, President of the MRBS, supported by many others, they were able to show that they had secured enough revenue from donations and permits to use the pool that it was worth keeping open. Congratulations to them on behalf of all our alumni! And thanks to those of you who donated to this cause!

Is there interest out there for another reunion in 2010? Time flies, and memories of good times at MCI with friends and former teachers can be rekindled at the reunions. If you want another reunion, then please send me an e-mail at: rctennyson@aol.com and I will see if the demand warrants the effort. The month of September is my preference due to availability of time to organize it.

The Malvern Vintage Wear survey was successful and will lead to vintage wear being available for order from the MRBS in September 2009. Stay tuned for further details in the Musings. Do you remember what it took to earn the big “M”? What activities and contributions had to be made to get the “M”? Send me your memories and we will compile a page for our alumni readers to peruse.

Our next Musings Letter (by e-mail or regular mail, your request) will be distributed in the fall of 2009.

Rod Tennyson, 1950s Decade Coordinator

Malvern Red & Black Society

1950s@malverncollegiate.com    redandblack@malverncollegiate.com