13th Newsletter
April 27, 2014
Dear fellow classmates,
It is hard to believe but the Class of 1968 Reunion starts in just few days. Can you handle the excitement?
I know I said there would be no more newsletters but I received 5 bios after the deadline and though they are, or will be, on the blog, I wanted to publish them in a newsletter so to ensure that the authors ( 4 of whom are coming to the reunion ) would not be continually asked what have they have been doing the last 46 years – as I expect you are all studying the bios so know exactly what your fellow classmates have been up to.
I am also providing the most up to date database so you could see who is going to what events. We are having great turnouts for all events. In that regard, please note that Ted Clifford and his wife Sarah will be attending as will Sue Gowans . Ted just advised me he is coming and I made a mistake and did not have Sue on the printed attendees” list you’ll get at the reunion.
All systems are ready to go to have a great reunion. The welcome table opens at 4:30 with the food starting to flow at 5:00. Talking about food, Carolyn asks that those bringing baking that want their containers back should have their name on the bottom of their container.
For those who have not been back to the school recently, guess what, our N.T.C.I. was torn down a few years ago and in its place is a new modern school built on the same land though placed differently on the site than where the old school was. As high school graduates you should be able to figure out how to get into the building and from there, there will be signs to our designated party room number 215. You will be given directions on how to get to the house parties at Bill’s and Doug’s.
Looking forward to seeing you in a few days.
Laurie Pascoe
BIOS
Michael Pasic
After High School I progressed into Engineering at U of T but left after a few years always having enjoyed taking pictures went into Portrait and Wedding Photography.
Combining my desire to build things and photography., I took a course in Camera Repair and worked for a number of Distributors over the next several years. Switching over to Office equipment I got an entry job at Gestetner moving on to be Service Manager then Training Manager at Head Office.
Along the way married twice and divorced and had 2 kids in second marriage, now both teachers. Third time lucky, met Sandi the present Love of my Life in 1991 and have been together ever since.
My training career moved to Sharp Electronics Canada Ltd where I worked for 7 years until the recession of late 80‚s. Unemployed for 1 day I went to work at a Copier dealer moving from one dealer to another until the last dealer I worked was bought by Sharp and 21 years late I am back working at Sharp.
Currently I am a Troubleshooting and Networking specialist. Still a couple of years from retiring, we have bought some land on a mountainside in the Okanogan Valley and hope to build a retirement home out there soon.
Megan Whittingham
After NTCI, I spent two years at Bishop Strachan School. Then I went to Trinity College at U of T where I spent three years writing essays in English, History and Philosophy.
These were not the happiest days of my life but at least I got a B.A. Fortunately, the summers were much more enjoyable. After many sunny days (and years) at Camp Onawaw on Lake Vernon near Huntsville, I made the leap to the Rockies.
I was hired as a waitress at Lake O‚Hara Lodge, the gem of the Rockies, in Yoho National Park, for the summer of 1970. I just loved the mountains and worked a total of three summers there. I ended up getting a job in Calgary where I met the man I eventually married. David Malcolm is NZ born, UK raised, a naturalized Canadian and now a US citizen. We have lived in Thunder Bay, Calgary, Mississauga and for the last 22 years, in Kirkland, Washington, home of the Costco Signature products. We moved here for David‚s work which is R&D in wind energy, with our 3 sons. In truth, I came kicking and screaming across the country and south of the border. It has taken me quite a while to accept that I live in the USA but I am now reconciled to the fact. I confess I have a bias against guns and private health care.
I also completed a B.Ed at Lakehead University when David was a professor of engineering there and I worked as a substitute teacher for several years.
Here I work as a teaching assistant at Mark Twain Elementary School with the students learning English. I‚ve enjoyed it ˆ especially the summers off when I come back to Ontario ˆ but I may soon reach my Œbest-before‚ date. We have 3 fine sons, 2 terrific daughters-in-law and now a 10 month old grand-daughter named Joan (my mother‚s name). My parents are in the Mt. Pleasant cemetery *sob* but my brother, Anthony, and both sisters, Valerie and Lorna, are in Toronto. We 4 share our grandparents‚ cottage on Lake of Bays.
I have happy memories of NTCI, notably the music classes and various Junior Band concerts. During the first music class at the beginning of Grade 9, Heather MacNeill and I raised our hands to play the oboes in Dr. Couke‚s class. I wanted to follow in my brother‚s footsteps. Anthony was two years ahead and he played both the oboe and English horn. The difference between us was that was that he was musical and had talent!
Heather and I used to frighten her cat with the terrible noises we made during our rare practice sessions. Therefore, our mothers agreed that we should alternate our practices between one house and the other, to spread the joy around.
I have never forgotten Dr. Couke‚s immortal words, „Let‚s hear it again without the oboes.‰
There was a great camaraderie in those years with leaf rakes and car washes to raise money for the United Appeal. Lots of school spirit! It was fun playing in Maytime Melodies and at Kiwanis competitions.
I wish I could see all my old friends from those days but I will have to aim for the 50th reunion for the Class of 1968.
Tom Kalvik
After high school I went to U of T at Scarborough College, where I graduated with a BA. The majority of my courses were in Economics. While in university, I managed a men‚s hostel in the evenings. When I graduated, I knew that wasn‚t the life for me, so I took a job as an underwriter in insurance. I thought I‚d try that out for six months and see how I liked it. 42 years later, I‚m still in the insurance industry, and have acquired numerous designations. I have enjoyed working in various areas including estate planning, advanced marketing, project management and as a group insurance representative. For the past 25 years, I have worked as a commissioned sales person.
I was married for 7 years and that didn‚t take, so I tried the single life and got tired of that. I have now been with the same partner for the last 30 years and we enjoy travelling, together. She is an avid reader and I‚ve also picked up the habit.
In my spare time, I curl, golf and swim, preferably in a lake or an ocean. I find that I am now spending more and more time up north at the cottage or at my Florida condo in the winter months. Reducing my work load gradually into retirement is working well for me.
Sue Gowans
I must have enjoyed school more than I realized, because I kept going back. After NTCI, I completed my BA (Sociology) at York/Glendon. After a hiatus of a few years, when I travelled and worked at this and that, I completed a Diploma in Child Studies at the Institute of Child Study/UofT. Then, two wonderful children later, I took a long and scenic route to my MEd (Adult Education) at OISE/UofT. For the past 20 years I‚ve worked with the Macaulay Child Development Centre, supervising various community and family support programs. I‚m still there, not yet ready to hang up my skates. I have two beautiful grandchildren who live in Ottawa, and consequently, somewhat to my shame, I‚ve become a fan of Porter airlines. All in all, I have been fortunate, and right now, being in my sixties feels like something of a sweet spot. Almost as good as 1968...
Wilson Mor
After graduating from Chemical Engineering at U of T in 1973, I went to work for Allied Photo Services, a photo-finishing subsidiary of 3M Canada. After 3M merged it‚s various photo-related businesses into one division, I moved from production into the lab, and in 1984, relocated to London, Ontario. Moving through a series of jobs in manufacturing, marketing, and the lab as a technical service rep, I initially supported 3M products used in image processing in photography and photo-finishing, and subsequently, in graphic preparation and offset printing.
With the onset of digital technologies, 3M developed numerous innovative products to anticipate the market needs. Coated film products were replaced by software and hardware, and my product support moved to digital printers and computer-generated (CG) graphics. My last assignment at 3M was in the creation of very large format graphics for signage applications, until I fully retired in 2011.
My wife Deb, also a 3M‚er, and I have 4 children between us. Samantha & Kahlie live and work in London, while Troy is away at school pursuing a nursing career. Riley lives in Toronto and works for an international manufacturer as a field engineer. My mother and my father-in-law both live in London, and fiercely embrace their respective independent life styles.
Deb and I like to travel, and enjoy cruising in particular. There are several destinations left on our bucket list. We‚re both active motorcyclists, and I‚m a passionate Huf ŒN Puf hockey player. Even in retirement, I‚m still associated with 3M, through the Retiree‚s Club, and we perform volunteer work for a variety of charitable initiatives and events, throughout the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment