Queen Elizabeth visited the St. John’s campus in July 1978 to turn the sod symbolizing the start of construction of the library named in her honour. The Queen Elizabeth II Library would officially open in May 1982. Here she strolls the campus grounds with Dr. George Alain Frecker, Chancellor of Memorial University.

30 years ago
First engineering degrees awarded
May 1974 – Memorial marks another milestone in its history when the first bachelor and PhD degrees in engineering are conferred.

25 years ago
Grenfell college named
May 1979 – The provincial government has announced that the regional college in Corner Brook has been named the Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. Dr. Cyril Poole, principal of the college, said the name is fitting because the school serves the area in which Dr. Grenfell did most of his work.

20 years ago
Archaeologist a fine fellow
May 1984 – Dr. James A. Tuck, chairman of the Anthropology Department’s Archaeology Unit, has been elected to fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada, recognizing his extraordinary contributions to the study of prehistory and history of Newfoundland and Labrador and adjacent areas.

15 years ago
Science fair largest ever
May 1989 – The 1989 Canada-wide Science Fair was the largest Canadian science fair ever. In one day alone, 5,000 Newfoundland students toured the fair.

10 years ago
May 1994 – The death of Dr. George Morley Story on May 9 is keenly felt at Memorial. Dr. Story is known to many Newfoundlanders as co-author of the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.

Five years ago
May 1999 – A concrete canoe designed by Term 7 civil engineering students Jason Phillips and Trevor Bolt was awarded first place for presentation and innovation at the national concrete canoe competition in Sherbrooke, Quebec.