Six decades after graduation, this couple is paying it forward
Anne (née Franklin) and Mitch Taylor grew up in small farming communities in southwestern Manitoba in the 1950s when social life was centred around local country schools connected to larger schools nearby.
Mitch & Anne in 1965
Following their earlier school years, they ended up studying together at Dand Consolidated School (near Deloraine) and later both graduating from Deloraine Collegiate.
For both Mitch and Anne, it was a bold move to enter Brandon College in the fall of 1962. Like most kids from rural farming areas, money was tight and a post-secondary education was considered a luxury. They were both the first in their families to aim for a university education, propelled by not only their own desires but by the dreams and expectations of their folks, and in Anne’s case, the determined support of her mother. Mitch’s finances were even more precarious than Anne’s, but winning several scholarships and bursaries, along with earnings from his early investment in cattle, paid for his first year at college.
“Brandon College was, as Brandon University is now, a thriving, supportive community which made the transition to university life very easy for us young people from small rural communities,” Mitch and Anne write. “We were immediately immersed in an exciting world of wide-ranging academic studies, a broad societal mix of people and an atmosphere that encouraged open discussion and mind- broadening challenges. Our academic life was enhanced and enlivened by our participation in the social life of the community, of feeling connected to each other through sports, residence life, student government, clubs, and campus social occasions. That feeling of inclusion and connectedness to the college community, while building on the individual’s previous experience in their home community, was, and is, an amazing foundation for a young person’s confidence and ability to explore and test potential areas of interest and make wise choices for the future. We feel so fortunate to have achieved our first degrees at Brandon College where the community was so inclusive and supportive.”
“Our years at Brandon College influenced us forever. We made life-long friendships that we cherish to this day. Our social values were ingrained there.”
They graduated from Brandon College in 1965; Mitch with a Bachelor of Science and Anne with a Bachelor of Arts. They married in 1967 and briefly lived and worked in Ontario and Washington State, but mostly in British Columbia, where they now reside with their daughters and families living close by. They have travelled often and widely and consider themselves richly blessed.
“There is no question that our years at Brandon College influenced us forever. We made life-long friendships that we cherish to this day. Our social values were ingrained there. We left Brandon wanting to make a difference, wanting to make the world a better place, wanting to help those who for whatever reason were not as lucky as we were.”
The Taylors have made a point of staying in touch with BU, attending many Homecomings. Several years ago, the feeling among their classmates inspired the genesis of the Class of ’65 Scholarship Fund as a way to help students begin studies at Brandon University. During Homecoming celebrations, September 11-14, 2025, their class will mark the 60th Anniversary of their graduation from Brandon College. They encourage their classmates and others to contribute to the Class of ’65 Scholarship- Bursary in support of students for whom a university education may be out of reach without financial assistance and to whom they recommend Brandon University as a wonderful place to begin.