When Ben Berrey walks across the stage to receive his Bachelor of Commerce degree Thursday (June 4), his grandfather, Gil Berringer — who received the exact same degree 70 years ago — will be there cheering him on.
There’s been big changes to the program, at the university, and in the world, but the grandfather and grandson share memories that reveal that no matter the differences, the heart of their experience is much the same.
Ben, who grew up in Vaughan, Ont., only visited Halifax once before deciding to study in the Faculty of Management. It was the summer of 2018, when his grandfather brought him and his family to Lunenberg, N.S., to see the community founded by their ancestors and the place where Gil grew up.
It stuck in my mind how much I enjoyed the atmosphere and the scenery.
Ben says during that trip, he became enamoured with the east coast, adding, “it stuck in my mind how much I enjoyed the atmosphere and the scenery.” And four years later the feeling has grown stronger. “The city was amazing. I thought it was phenomenal,” he says.
- Every graduate has a story. This is one of them. Follow along as we share more each day throughout Spring Convocation.
“We didn’t have computers then”
It sounds a lot like the welcome Gil received in the 1950s when there was no male residence at Dalhousie and a glass of beer at the Lord Nelson Hotel cost 10 cents. Like other Dal students, he lived in the dorms at the University of King’s College, which is nestled next to Dal’s Studley Campus.
“King’s was a place that became my home for three years, and the people there were my family," says Gil.
Ben smiles as he listens to his grandfather explaining the rules. “There was no mixing with the girls. In my last year, we had a party and we invited the women to the party. It was the first time that the women had officially been in the men's residence.”
A few months shy of his 91st birthday, and still curling, Gil reminisces about intramural sports. Both a curler and a basketball player, he’s proud to have won an intercollegiate championship for curling. And while Ben didn’t play either of these sports (he prefers hockey), he agrees that intramurals are another great aspect of university life.
A yearbook photo of Gil with quote "a sunny disposition is the very soul of success."
Sitting next to one another, as they contrast and compare their experience, Gil reminds his grandson: “We didn’t have computers then. So, if I made a mistake, I had to go through all these spreadsheets to find out where it was and then connect it all again.”
While ‘no computers’ is hard to imagine in 2026, it’s easy to understand that there are certain requirements of the program that students dreaded then and ones they don’t like now. In the 1950s, Gil says it was the mandatory science and two English classes that everyone disliked. Ben says it’s quantitative finance — known as quants courses — that he and his contemporaries love to hate.
Reminiscing about camaraderie
Even though his grandfather graduated from Dalhousie unsure if he would pursue law or do an MBA, Ben knew from the beginning that accounting would be his major. He spent his three mandatory work terms with Deloitte in Toronto, which deepened his love for accounting. He’s already studying to become a chartered professional accountant. His grandfather ultimately chose the MBA and had a long career working with Shell.
As they meander through the signposts of each of their cohorts, the thread which connects them emerges. These two graduates of the BComm at Dal have a deep gratitude for the people they met, and those who taught them. Ben could be speaking for both when he says “honestly, we just got to know everybody so closely. My favorite part of the four years was just getting to know people and the camaraderie.”