As Queen’s gets ready for the 100th anniversary of Homecoming this fall, Oct. 16-18, we’re continuing our monthly “Countdown to 100” story series all about this milestone tradition and the many ways alumni have shaped Queen's over the past century – and continue to shape its future. This month: a photo essay featuring 11 Homecoming pics taken over the past century and the stories behind them.
1926
The front page of the Nov. 16, 1926, edition of the Queen’s Journal captures just how busy the very first Homecoming was. Called “Reunion Week” back then, it went from Nov. 6 to 13. As the headlines show, the jam-packed week included everything from rugby games and dances to an alumni convention to a visit from the governor general and a last-minute thriller of a football game. (Photo: Queen’s University Archives)
1932
Fourteen members of Sc’07 (that’s 1907) pose for a Queen’s Alumni Review photo taken at a party during Homecoming 1932. Some hadn’t been back to campus in 25 years. The magazine noted that those who arrived by Friday evening gathered at Professor George MacKay’s home for “a smoke and a chat over old times,” and left hoping that their future class reunions would come much sooner. (Photo: Queen’s University Archives)
1945
Homecoming 1945 marked the return of intercollegiate football after five years of wartime absence. The traditional game against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues didn’t disappoint. Down 8-0, Queen’s stormed back, with Jack Parry capping an 87-yard run with the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Tricolour won 19-15, and Parry later joined Canada’s 1948 Olympic track and field team. (Photo: Queen’s University Archives)
1950
At Homecoming 1950, about 10,000 students and alumni packed Richardson Stadium for a disappointing 7-1 loss to the Varsity Blues. The weekend still drew one of Queen’s best alumni turnouts yet, with grads from as far back as the turn of the century. At Friday’s reception, Mrs. Norman Malloch, Arts’05, captured the mood: “We’re not on crutches yet.” The October reunion also brought major news: Dr. R.S. McLaughlin’s gift to complete what’s now the JDUC, including Wallace Hall. (Photo: Queen’s University Archives)
1967
At Homecoming 1967, Queen’s marked 125 years since classes began by welcoming about 1,400 alumni back to Kingston. The Queen’s Journal noted that “all were impressed with the changes” since their student days, including Stanley A. Durvis, Sc’12, who said Queen’s was “three times better” than when he arrived in 1907. This 1968 Tricolour Yearbook page captures the weekend’s mix of tradition and student spirit: Queen’s 19-14 loss to U of T and an ASUS float about to head down Princess Street. (Photo: Queen’s University Archives)
1978
Homecoming 1978 was a “wet but wonderful weekend,” according to the Alumni Review. Here, between downpours, engineers take part in the pre-game parade. The SC181 banner is a reference to these Sc’81 students and the special guests that year from the class of 1918. The packed weekend included bus and walking tours, teas, dances, a football win against the Carleton Ravens, and a new “blind date bureau” that paired alumni with students for pre-dinner chats. (Photo: Queen’s University Archives)
1984
At Homecoming 1984, Queen’s spirit filled Richardson Stadium as cheerleaders formed a human “V” in front of a packed crowd. The weekend’s student theme, “Nights (!) of the Round Table,” promised King Arthur’s Castle, Sherwood Forest, and even a Medieval Tournament. On the field, the Golden Gaels gave alumni plenty to cheer about, flattening the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 52-1. (Photo: Queen’s University Archives)
1993
The half-time parade at the football game, now a Queen’s Homecoming tradition, traces back to Science ’33. At their 25th reunion in 1958, the class brought yellow umbrellas to the game in a nod to their frosh-week days, then paraded around the track more than 100 strong. Here, at Homecoming 1993, the Class of 1933 and Science ’33 alumni carry the tradition forward. (Photo: Queen’s University Archives)
2005
This spread from Queen’s Alumni Review captures Homecoming 2005, when highlights included a luxury coach to Kingston organized by the Toronto alumni branch, a Welcome Home reception in Grant Hall, and the 100th anniversaries of both the Queen’s Bands and Grant Hall – celebrated with a bagpipe duet by a current Bandsie and an alumnus. More than 10,000 people also turned out for the football game, though Queen’s fell 33-18 to the Ottawa Gee-Gees. (Photo: Queen’s University Archives)
2016
This Homecoming 2016 photo catches Queen’s in full birthday mode. As the university marked its 175th anniversary, more than 3,000 alumni from 100-plus classes and groups came home, some from more than 15 countries. New touches included Reunion Zero – which welcomed back the newest grads and included a launch party at the Grizzly Grill – and the first Homecoming football game at the revitalized Richardson Stadium, where the Gaels routed Windsor 55-5. (Photo: Queen’s Office of Advancement)
2025
Last year, more than 3,500 alumni registered for Homecoming 2025 – more than any previous year. The weekend’s can’t-misses included the grand reopening of the JDUC, a 10th anniversary celebration of Dr. Art McDonald’s Nobel win, and the alumni parade to Richardson Stadium, pictured here. Joe Smillie, Artsci’70, Ed’71, back for his 55th reunion, said: “I just love it, all of it. The parade. Seeing everybody. Queen’s Bands. And the football game, which we better win – we’re playing the Lancers!” Sadly, we didn’t, falling 31-28 to Windsor. (Photo: Queen’s Office of Advancement)
Homecoming 2026 is set for Oct. 16-18, and registration opens June 24. Stay tuned to queensu.ca/alumni/homecoming for all the details!
