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Coventry University graduates celebrate remarkable 60-year reunion
The graduates and their partners at the reunion event
University news / Alumni news
Friday 18 September 2026
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A group of graduates have proved that friendships forged at university can last a lifetime as they celebrated a special 60-year reunion.
All ten began their courses in Business Studies at Lanchester College of Technology - now Coventry University - in 1966- the year England won the World Cup, Coventry City finished 3rd in the old Second Division, and the average UK house price was around £3,500.
Now aged 77-79, nine of the group, joined by loved ones, reunited in the Lake District this week.
This year’s event isn’t a one-off either, with the group regularly meeting in their entirety every couple of years since graduation.
Although some knew each other from school in Liverpool before going to university, they all treasure their time in Coventry and the impact it had on their careers.
The college has played a very special part in our lives - it’s really had a defining role in all of our careers. Six of our group were actually friends from school in Liverpool before we went to Coventry but our group expanded at college as we bonded on our course.
We meet each other as a large group every couple of years all over the country and meet up in smaller groups quite regularly too. Some of us are also Godparents to each other’s children. It feels almost unique that a group like us has stayed together for so long, the longevity is remarkable.
University was a fantastic experience - some of us went into teaching and the public sector but the majority of us stayed in industrial and commercial operations. It’s quite common now but back in 1966 it was quite rare to study business and I think what made the pioneering course at Coventry so successful was the sandwich year in industry we all experienced. I think if it had been just a three-year academic course it would have been much different, I feel very fortunate.
Harvey Tully, organiser of this year's reunion
Coventry University has continued to build close links with industry and placements play a key role in many of its courses, just as they did back in 1966.
Find out more about Coventry University’s business courses.
