Golden Grad Celebration
Class of 1975 | Stay tuned for event details
We look forward to welcoming back the class of 1975 for their Golden Grad Celebration in 2025. To receive your invitation ensure your contact information is up to date with Alumni. To revise your contact details please complete the online form.
Golden Grad Scholarship
To commemorate this special occasion The Golden Grad Scholarship will be established and
awarded to a student who exemplifies academic excellence in their area of study.
We invite you to honour your Golden Grad celebration by a contributing towards this scholarship,
supporting the next generation of Mohawk College students on their academic journey.
Mohawk College Foundation will match all gifts up to $1,000 to be distributed during the 2025 academic year.
To make a gift please visit our Golden Grad award page.
A comradery they'll never forget
Take a glimpse into 1974 Golden Grad, Gary Halyks time at Mohawk College.
Does the release of the iconic "YMCA" by the Village People bring back any fond memories? How about when Toronto built the CN Tower? Or the release of The Exorcist with Linda Blair?
If any of these flashbacks have you remembering where you were when these blips in time happened, you might wear the Golden Grad pin with honour.
1974 was the year Gary Halyk graduated from the Computer Systems Technology program at Mohawk College.
“Computers were on the rise back then, and believe it or not, a TV show called ‘The Time Tunnel’ intrigued me so much that I decided to enrol in Computer Systems Technology and never looked back,” Halyk said.
He developed a passion for computers, creativity, and working with people and wanted to explore it. The Computer Systems Technology program wasn’t easy, Halyk made sure to express that.
“We're talking about the 1970s when the only computers available were mainframes and mini computers,” he said.
Halyk’s classmates bonded over the need to collaborate on assignments.
“Computer Foreign programming languages were foreign to the class and required group work, if you didn’t have that relationship, you weren’t going to make it through. We relied on each other to figure things out,” Halyk said.
The reliance on each other translated to trust, and little did the graduating class of 1974 realize that the relationships they formed during the program would blossom into friendships that would last 50 years.
“Even after we graduated, we still relied on each other in our jobs in the real world,” Halyk said. “I’ve gone to family functions, weddings, and funerals—I was even in one of my classmates' wedding parties. It truly is friendship.”
From phone calls to emails and eventually Facebook, it never crossed Halyk’s mind not to stay in touch with his classmates.
Halyk married his wife the year he graduated and went on to have a computer-focused career. He worked for the Federal Government before moving to Westinghouse, which merged into Siemens, handling steam, gas and wind turbine communications across Canada. He then worked for Hamilton Health Sciences before finally retiring.
His classmates went on to pursue careers in government, and hospitals, and one continues to run his own consulting business. Spread out across the Philippines, Australia and Ontario, they all manage to stay connected. Halyk noted all are retired now except for one person.
“The program not only set me up for my career, but it created such deep friendships that I have been able to carry with me throughout my life. I know if any of us needed help, we could rely on the others to be there,” he said. “It’s nice to see how people have grown and to meet their families, to see what everyone is up to. It gives us something to look forward to when we get the chance to meet up.” Halyk added with a grin.
The grads were back on campus on Oct., 19 after 50 years to celebrate this golden grad milestone.
Stay tuned for the return of the 1975 golden grad ceremony.
Yearbooks
Go back in time and browse our collection of Mohawk College, Hamilton Institute of Technology, and the Provincial Institute of Textiles yearbooks below.
1972-1973
1973-1974
1971
1970
1969
1967-68