The McNeese State University Governor’s Program for Gifted Children, a seven-week residential program for gifted secondary education students, will celebrate its 50th anniversary this weekend with performances, an alumni reunion and a special ceremony honoring program founder Dr. George Middleton.

The final performance series will feature “Once Upon a Mattress,” a musical comedy, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, July 23-25, in F.G. Bulber Auditorium, “The Curious Savage,” a comedic play, at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 24 and 25, in Ralph Squires Recital Hall, and a chorus and large ensemble performance at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 26, in Bulber Auditorium. These events are free and open to the public.

The Governor’s Program for Gifted Children serves both academically and musically gifted students and provides an introduction to great books and critical thinking skills for students in middle school through the sophomore summer of high school.

The anniversary weekend will include a ceremony honoring Middleton, who died in April at age 85.

“When Dr. Middleton began what was first called the Summer Enrichment Program at McNeese, gifted education was a radical innovation on the American educational scene, and a residential program for middle-schoolers on a college campus was a radically new idea,” said Joshua Brown, assistant director of the program.

About 200 alumni of the program, which includes scientists, writers, attorneys and educators, will attend anniversary activities.

“The alumni are a living testimonial to Dr. Middleton and the program,” Brown said.

The Summer Enrichment Program was renamed the Governor’s Program for Gifted Children in 1965. While it receives a state appropriation annually, the program is also dependent on tuition and charitable gifts for its continued existence. Information about the program is available at www.gpgc.org.