Henry Regts (BASc 1967) says he owes a lot to the University of Windsor.

Admitted as a mature student to the civil engineering program, Regts said the education he received prepared him for a successful career in the profession. He helped to bring together several fellow graduates of the Class of 1967 Wednesday for a tour of the Centre for Engineering Innovation.

“It’s Canada’s 150th year and our 50th year,” he said. “We’ve only had one reunion in that time and to me it was a big deal graduating in 1967. You’ve got to celebrate these things.”

The group was part of the inaugural class entering the University in 1963.

“We weren’t as well-known as some of the bigger schools, but the engineering education I got was second to none,” said Regts. “It’s all in how you apply yourself to your studies.”

He married and started a family while a student, and his wife was expecting their second child when he graduated. He recalled support he received from donors as being critical to completing his degree, and said that has motivated him to invest in future generations of students — members of the Class of 1967 have endowed a scholarship fund to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their graduation.

Provost Douglas Kneale told donors at a reunion breakfast Wednesday that their support matters.

“Your gift will open doors and open minds for years to come,” Dr. Kneale said.

Norm Becker (BASc 1967, PhD 1970), founder of the Windsor-based Becker Engineering Group, said the gesture expresses gratitude to their alma mater.

“We have accomplished so much more than we ever expected in our 50 years of professional practice,” he said. “Our successes reflect on the University — we’re the products.”

Besides Wednesday’s welcoming breakfast and tour of labs and facilities, the reunion includes a panel discussion by the alumni on Thursday, sharing their experiences and expertise with professor Jacqueline Stagner’s class “Engineering and Society.”

Is there anything more magical than the surprises of everyday life? UWindsor acting grad Eric Branget (BFA 2016) considers the theatrical possibilities of the quotidian in his comic one-man show Life of Len, which opens this weekend at the Windsor-Walkerville Fringe Festival.

The show’s origins lie in Branget’s student days, as a fourth-year character study based on his uncle Len. New material, written together with Andrew Iles, this production’s director and Branget’s former classmate, explores themes of brotherhood, imagination, memory, and Canada’s favourite coffee.

“It’s a piece meant to celebrate and bring poetry to ordinary life,” says Branget.

Performances of Life of Len are set for July 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, and 30, in the Olde Walkerville Theatre, 1564 Wyandotte Street East. Find a detailed schedule and ticket information on the festival website.

Also on the festival program is Bedwetter, written by drama alumni Tamlynn Bryson (BFA 2015) and Kyle Kimmerly (BFA 2015). Kimmerly (pictured at left) directs the production, in which Bryson confronts the issue of nocturnal enuresis.

“It’s her personal story,” Kimmerly says, noting that the experience is not uncommon.

“Everyone’s too embarrassed to talk about it. One of our goals is just to get the conversation started.”

Read a profile of Kimmerly, a graduate of St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic High School, on the website of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board.

Scientists from the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research will take to the beach at Rondeau Provincial Park to explain how their research helps keep the waters safe for swimmers.

“Water Monitoring 101” sessions at 10:30 a.m. July 29 and 30 will demonstrate taking samples from the water and sediment, says doctoral student Danielle VanMensel, one of the organizers.

“We’re going to explain why we study what we study, and why it’s important to look at the quality of the water,” she says. “Our project is trying to understand the system on a holistic level.

“We hope it will lead to treatment options to keep our beaches open for everyone to enjoy without having to worry about getting sick.”

VanMensel’s research specialty is analyzing sediment cores for the contaminants — chemical or bacterial — that can affect the health of humans and the environment.

“The public interest has been phenomenal,” she says. “People are concerned and they want to be able to go to the beach.”

The presentations are set for Beach Access 10 in Rondeau Provincial Park, located on Lake Erie south of Morpeth. Find details on the park website.

The updated website for student recruitment puts an emphasis on seeing the campus through the virtual tour, key to helping future students picture themselves here, says communications co-ordinator Zora Savic.

“Once we get them on to campus for a tour or an open house they can meet the people who will be teaching their classes,” Savic says. “That’s when we’re really able to connect with them.”

The site uses new design templates created by advertising agency STC and launched in May. Savic says it is clean, organized, and puts “front and centre” some key features.

“I am thrilled that the first thing visitors see is our virtual tour,” she says. “It also highlights the testimonial videos with current students talking about their own experiences at the University of Windsor.”

The move to the new layouts took effect Tuesday. Savic asks that academic departments check links on their own websites to the program description pages to make sure they still function properly.

UWindsor trumpet instructor Ross Turner will lead a quintet of Windsor Symphony Orchestra brass musicians in two free concerts this weekend alongside the Detroit River.

Besides Turner, the group features Norm Engel on trumpet, Iris Krizmanic on horn, Rupert Price on trombone, and Brent Adams on tuba. Their program will range from Woody Guthrie to Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, from the James Bond theme to Georges Bizet’s Carmen.

Both concerts begin at 7 p.m. and organizers encourage attendees to bring lawn chairs, blankets, even a picnic dinner to enjoy in the two waterfront locations:

• Saturday, July 22, at King’s Navy Yard Park in Amhertsburg;
• Sunday, July 23, in the Windsor Sculpture Garden at the foot of Bridge Avenue.

The next concerts in the free summer series will feature the woodwind quintet, August 26 in Colchester Harbour Park and August 27 in Reaume Park, Windsor.

UWindsor instructors Marty Gervais and Michael Karloff are among the presenters at this week’s edition of the Stone and Sky summer literary, music and art series. The event will start at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at the quarry on Pelee Island.

The reading series, curated by English professor Karl Jirgens, will this week turn to resident writing professional Marty Gervais, a prize-winning journalist and photographer, poet laureate of Windsor, best-selling author, and publisher with Black Moss Press.

Karloff, a pianist, will join saxophonist Ray Manzerolle to perform a mixture of pop, standards, and originals as they explore hidden melodic possibilities in each song. Karloff teaches theory, composition and jazz piano in the School of Creative Arts.

Saturday’s agenda also includes a farmers’ market and jazz workshops. Learn more on the event website.

A group of business students is turning its collective promotional expertise to helping a non-profit organization that provides safe and affordable housing to Windsor’s needy.

A dodgeball tournament at the St. Denis Centre on Saturday, July 22, will support the Windsor Homes Coalition. It’s a class project for the course Management and Organizational Life.

All comers are invited to participate in the tournament, says organizer Elvis Duong. Registration is $5 per person, with proceeds going to the charity. The tournament will feature both competitive and recreational games.

“As students, we are representing the University of Windsor and reflecting a good reputation,” Duong says. “We are contributing our own efforts to make a difference to others in the Windsor-Essex region.”

The event will run 2 to 4 p.m., with check-in at 1:45 p.m. Find more details on the Facebook event page.

The UWindsor student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) will host a free screening of the documentary The Matrix at 6 p.m. Friday, July 21, in room 1100, Centre for Engineering Innovation.

The film won four Academy Awards for its portrayal of perceived reality as a simulation created by sentient machines to control humanity.

The screening is open to students in any major. Popcorn and refreshments will be available. For more information, email chapter chair Tara Ahmadi at ahmadit@uwindsor.ca.