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Twenty five years and counting

Twenty five years ago this winter, the mud-and-ice choked field at Glancaster and Rymal Road was busy with the roar or equipment, the lifting and banging of blocks, the hum of blast heaters, and the whirr of tube cutters and drills.

Out of sketches and blueprints, the new campus was arising in the countryside. Guest would crunch down the gravel hallways, trying to imagine classrooms and labs, team sports in the double gym, proper shop classes, and a soccer field where the corn was just harvested. Was this really happening? The legal and political barriers had tumbled and the wait was over.

Getting ready for the education of the 1990s

It was an exhilarating winter. We were getting ready for the education of the 1990s, and this place was going to be cutting edge. We heard that the hallway ceramic tile would be patterned after Eastgate Square, and that the rooms would feature colours of the 90s: teal blue, dusty rose and prink. Alas, some of those colours still remain. We also heard that there would be room for all of us in one building – no more portables!

Missing some items

At the time of construction we tried to think of everything, but of course a few things were missed. In the 1980s, disability access was just on the horizon. We included an elevator but didn’t design a wheelchair accessible washroom (added later) and power doors (coming soon). And we thought the classroom air circulation would be sufficient without air conditioning – that was corrected in the following years.

As we celebrate twenty-five years in the Glancaster campus, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness to HDHC, and are encouraged to stand on God’s promises as we look towards the future.

This article by Harry Meester originally appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of Connections.