Golden Grads lunch a great chance to catch up
25 November 2019
On 24 October, about 360 special alumni – the Golden Grads – attended a special lunch in which they reminisced and kept up their networking.
Each year, the University recognises this group of alumni who either graduated 50 years ago or have turned 70.
One such guest was Dr Gordon Nicholls, (BSc, 1946; PhD in Chemistry 1949; Doctor of Science, 1985). Gordon, 93, was the oldest in the room, but wasn’t letting that hold him back. “But I did have a bit of trouble finding a car park,” the active alumnus said.
Asked what he does in his retirement, he laughed. “I still work! I’m writing.”
Gordon was recently inducted into the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in Appleton, Wisconsin, the first New Zealander to be recognised. He had worked at the Institute of Paper Chemistry in Appleton in the 1960s and 70s. A former student picked up his plaque for him and sent it to New Zealand.
The Golden Grads lunch, held in the Great Room at the Cordis hotel, featured speeches from former Vice-Chancellor Sir Colin Maiden and current Vice-Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon as well as a keynote speech by Dean of Engineering Professor Nic Smith.
An after-lunch performance by soprano Dr Morag Atchison delighted the crowd.
