Tonight will mark the first high school graduation Lt. Col. Clifford Christian has attended in 51 years.
Christian was a grade 13 honours graduate from Fort Frances High School in 1947. He then left town after signing up with the RCMP when he was 21, and served for more than 31 years in the RCMP and RCAF before retiring in 1979.
Now he wants to make sure other students get the same chance he did.
The Lt. Col. C.A. Christian student bursary of $1,000 will be handed out for the first time at tonight’s graduation ceremony at Memorial Arena. Receiving the inaugural award will be Casey Anderson.
“I always appreciated the start I got at Fort Frances High School,” Christian said. “I think the principles and ideals you get when you’re young combined together determine whether you can succeed or not.”
To be eligible for the bursary, the graduate must pursue within six months of leaving high school further education or special training that should improve significantly his or her employability in Canada.
And while academic achievement may play a part in a student receiving this bursary, it doesn’t rely solely on marks.
“It’s very open-ended,” noted FFHS vice-principal Mary Hickling. “He said he trusted the school to make a good decision.”
“I want that bursary to be given surely every year [to] a boy or girl who has proven themselves deserving to be helped along the way and improve their employability in Canada,” Christian said.
“I think people should be able to go on and get a little better education,” he added. “That’s what it’s all about.
“I’m sure [the school] can find such a person.”