Garnet Key: 56 years of tradition
“Hit the road, Jack, and don’t you come back no more, no more, no more, no more...”
So sang the members of the 56th Garnet Key Society during their initiation skit as they were ushered in to replace the 55th Key at the Garnet Key Annual Alumni Banquet on May 4. In return, they were affectionately heckled and loudly cheered.
The event, held at Montreal’s Rialto Theatre, was organized by the society, led by 55th Garnet Key ambassador Jade Ostiguy-Robillard, and Concordia’s Advancement and Alumni Relations.
The Garnet Key is a group of 12 high-achieving Concordia undergraduate students who act as university ambassadors. As the official representatives of Concordia’s Office of the President, they attend events and lectures and promote a positive image of the university in the community.
“Tonight is a huge honour to be presented as the new Garnet Key and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Jaymee Shell, a member of the 56th Key. “It’s also a way to pay tribute to the 55th Garnet Key who selected us. We are really thankful.”
Guest speaker Dina Kefallinos, BSc 84, reminisced about her time as president of the 27th Key, whose annual banquet was held at the Ritz Carleton Hotel.
James Yelland, a member of the first Garnet Key in 1956, recalled that membership to the Key came after an interview with Henry F. Hall, principal of Sir George Williams University, one of Concordia’s founding institutions. Today, top students are invited to join the Key and then must go through a demanding interview process.
During Yelland’s era, Hall coined their motto: “Membership in the Garnet Key Society is the highest honour which may be bestowed upon an undergraduate.” “He did indeed say that,” confirmed Patrick Samborsky, BSc 08, president of the Garnet Key alumni chapter and member of the 50th Garnet Key. “So yes, it’s something we are very proud of.”
Samborsky added that he looks forward to attending the 100th Garnet Key Banquet to share his stories the same way that Yelland did with him. Though each generation brings something new to the Key, many years later, the tradition still stands strong.