By JENNY GIAUQUE
Plans are underway for a new BYU alumni group for people who never actually attended BYU — they are graduates of BY Academy and BY High.
Maurine Brimhall, a graduate of the BY Academy, is organizing the group. Brimhall said she has been working with foundations to raise money to restore the BY Academy building. She said she thought of the idea of a separate alumni group last year at Homecoming.
“I did not see anyone I knew at Homecoming and there were no reunions scheduled for classes before 1945,” Brimhall said. “Nothing reminded me of my school and going to the Academy.”
Last year Brimhall organized a party for the older generation. She said the group had a wonderful time and hopes to have functions similar to this in the future.
“It will be up to the group themselves to decide exactly what they want to do,” she said. “But, we should have social activities around three times a year.”
Brimhall said that Homecoming, Education Week and Emeritus Club Day are good opportunities to plan events.
The former ballroom in the BY Academy building will be known as the BY Academy Alumni Room and will be available for banquets, reunions, wedding receptions, seminars and other gatherings, according to a news release.
The news release also states that the purpose of this organization will be to capture and share memories of the “good old days.” In addition to class reunions and programs, activities could include tours, historic and cultural events, a newsletter and collecting and preserving BY Academy memorabilia.
Dixie Giauque attended BY Academy in the 1930s. She said that she would like to be a part of the new alumni group.
“It would be nice to interact and share memories with people I attended school with,” Giauque said.
Brimhall said that they would like to hear from anyone who has ideas for the group, especially during Homecoming Week.
“We’d like people to send us their name, ideas for what they’d like to do, and thoughts on what kind of a committee we can establish,” Brimhall said.
Anyone interested in joining the alumni group is invited to send their name, address, telephone number and connection to or interest in BY High or BY Academy to: B.Y. Academy Alumni, PO Box 12, Provo, UT 84603-0012. For more information, call Maurine Brimhall at (801) 224-8066.
