Mr. Speaker, on Friday, June 1, the Mack Alumni Association celebrates its 100th anniversary.
The St. Catharines Training School and Nurses' Residence was founded in 1874 by Dr. Theophilus Mack and was the first school for nurses in Canada under the Nightingale system. The alumni association was founded 26 years later.
The school continued until 1969 when government regulations precipitated changes. The new Mack School of Nursing carried on at the college level until 1974 when the last class of nurses graduated. That year the school ceased to exist and the nursing school was incorporated with Niagara College.
During its 100 years of existence, 1,862 persons graduated from the Mack nursing program. The alumni association has done much to keep the Mack tradition alive and I am sure the association will remain viable as long as there are living graduates.
I congratulate the Mack Alumni Association on its 100th anniversary and I look forward to participating in its celebrations this weekend.