The Search is on for former Eglington-Bay Fortune students

Beverley Roach
Graphic Staff

Prior to 1967, rural one-room schoolhouses dotted the countryside and many of them have given a second life as community centres or summer cottages. One such school belongs to Gertie Coffin, who along with her husband spent the past 34 summers in the former Eglington-Bay Fortune School.

"At least once a year a former student or teacher would stop for a chat and take some pictures and tell us wonderful stories," Ms. Coffin said. "Over the years we'd talk about having a school reunion but it never happened. This fall, a woman stopped and something said triggered the idea and I decided right then that I would do this in memory of my husband Alva, who passed away in April."

Within days of making the decision, Ms. Coffin has a committee in place and a date set for the first Eglington-Bay Fortune School Reunion that will be held August 6, 7 and 8, 2004. Former students, teachers, and descendants of either students or teachers are invited to attend.

"We are having such fun organizing this event," Ms. Coffin said. "From a personal point of view, it's given me something to get out of bed for each morning, but it's also reunited a lot of people already. Obviously now is the right time to do this."

The committee consists of project coordinator Ms. Coffin; Marjorie Robertson, a former teacher, chair of the History committee; Joyce Dixon, also a former teacher, chair of the Craft Committee; Jessie Noyes, chair of the Quilt Committee and Fulton Underhay, a former student, chair of the Genealogy Committee.

Waldron and Susan Leard from the History Room in Kingsboro will be assisting them establish a web page that will help track and link former students and teachers.

"We're very excited about the web page," Ms. Coffin said. "We are so curious to find out where these people went after starting their life's journey at this little one-room school in rural PEI."