Class of 1975 Civil Engineering reunion
Last September the University was delighted to welcome back Class of 1975 Civil Engineering alumni, fifty years after they journeyed to the campus for the first time to start their courses.
The group gathered in the Harrison Hughes Building, home to the School of Engineering, where they caught up and reminisced with one another over lunch in the Mason Bibby common room. The lunch was attended by two of the original teaching staff and two current members of staff. Afterwards, Adam Mannis, Lecturer in Construction Management and Engineering Sustainability, lead the group on a tour of the structures laboratory, lecture theatres and other facilities, and gave them an overview of all the exciting activities students participate in today.
Andy, the reunion organiser, enjoyed seeing the campus again and hearing about how the course has evolved in these fifty years. He said: “Returning to the campus was wonderful, particularly in Freshers’ Week, with the buzz of excitement and anticipation. I was a bit apprehensive before seeing old friends after such a long time, but we immediately fell back into easy conversation as if no time had elapsed.
“The talk and tour with Adam were the highlight of the day,” he said. Andy and the group particularly enjoyed hearing about “how the focus has changed from purely engineering to a much wider contextual approach, and from predominantly talk and chalk to a more group-based experiential learning (that’s not to say we didn’t enjoy survey camp or designing, casting and destructively testing a reinforced concrete beam in our time).”
The group then continued their reunion with a walk around the city and an informal dinner together. The event was a success and, even though this was their first get together, the group is keen to stay in touch and perhaps organise further gatherings in the future.
Are you in still in regular contact with peers from your year? If so, let us know! We want to hear your stories about staying connected since your time at the University of Liverpool. Get in touch with the Alumni team via: alumni@liverpool.ac.uk.