Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Travelling again, and on hiatus until I land back in the tropics. See you on the flip side -- Hopefully Tuesday.

Mr. Gentry with Autograph

Mr. Herbert Gentry the music teacher signed this pic for me in the yearbook. In retrospect, Mr. Gentry was a class act. His last name described him perfectly. If anyone knows what became of him, please leave a comment.

It was classical Mr. Gentry to sign the photo with a fountain pen.

Update: Herbert James Gentry passed away on August 31, 1987 at 5:30 PM. He is buried in Mount Lawn Cemetery, Whitby Ontario. He was 96 years old. In Pace Requiescat.

George Callender Watching Football

George Callender was usually nattily dressed, but in the photo he comes out casual for watching a football game.

Heard it on the Telephone - Anne Brady

Tom Chase Typing

Pictured above, is Tom Chase typing in the office at Mrs. Dubie's desk.

A Reader Writes:

A reader writes in response to the pic of the population of Oshawa in the 70's (click here):

I would guess its about 150,000 (current population of Oshawa). These are great pictures, amazing to look back on what my school is like from then to nowadays. I currently attend Dwyer A.K.A. OCHS, and am a Grade 12 Student. The field, gym, and front circle hasnt changed much, but the back of the school doesn't even look like the same place anymore, along with many other parts of the school, due to renovation. Any pictures of the cross country team from back in the day, that would be interesting to me. My coach attended the school back in the mid 70s, you may have known him. Kevin Dillon?

I personally have not been back to visit the school since I graduated. It is tough now, since I live in the Bahamas, and our Canadian dwelling is in Quebec. However I have a brother who is ten years younger than me and he attended Dwyer as well as most of our family. He tells me that the school is no longer "H" shaped.

When I attended, that was the case. Apparently the back which used to be two separate wings is all filled in now. I think that the population of the school at the time was around 350 when I was in Grade 9 and was 500-600 when I was in Grade 13.

As for cross country, it was featured prominently in the 1974 year book. When you opened the yearbook, the binding cover (the very first page inside the cover was a spread printed in blue ink) that looked like this:

Dale Irwin is third from left. Andy Williams is on the extreme left (thanks Anonymous).

Update: Runners from left to right (top photo) are: Andy Williams, Michael Scott, Dale Irwin, Don Hamlyn, Michael Whorms, and Tom Zavesiczky. (thank you)

And the back cover looked like this:

I have more pics of the cross country team that I will post in due time.

As for the Kevin Dillon dude, did you mean this guy?

Cheers, and thanks for the comment. If the present is anything like the past, Dwyer (OCHS) has produced some real fine people, and the Wikipedia entry on famous alumni is sorely lacking. I have a partial list of people, who are world renowned in their field, who walked in the some of the same hallways that you do now. Good Luck.

Sister Theresa Rodgers Typing Class

The line down the middle of the picture is because the photo was printed across two pages. Sister Theresa Rodgers took over teaching typing from Stella Barnett.

Monsignor Dwyer Presents Diploma to Eva Stanko

Monsignor Paul Dwyer presents a graduation diploma to Eva Stanko. Seated in the front row to the left of Monsignor Dwyer is Sister Mary Dennis Ogle, and Sister Mary Jane Trimble.

Ivor Boyagoda in the Staff Room

The amazing thing about the picture in retrospect, is how long Ivor Boyagoda's hair is.

A Photo Montage of the Principal

A photo montage of Sister Conrad Lauber. Pictured in the lower right is Herbert Gentry and Sister Dorothy Schweitzer.

How To Torture a School Boy For Years

The film, "The Graduate" starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft came out before I went to high school, but by the time I was at OCHS, it was being shown on TV. In the film, Dustin Hoffman, a college graduate has an affair with an older woman. She was the wife of his father's law partner, a Mr. Robinson. Simon & Garfunkel's hit "God Bless You Mrs. Robinson" was a part of the soundtrack for the movie.

Mrs. Robinson was also a teacher at OCHS. I was in one of her classes, but I honestly do not remember what she taught. I don't even know her first name. I probably said three words to her all term. When I asked her to sign my yearbook, she signed it as above -- "Love and Kisses, Mrs. Robinson".

I immediately canvassed all of my male friends to see if they got the same signature in their yearbooks. They didn't. Why was I singled out for this? Was it a whim? Was she toying with me?

I have wondered about this for years. I still do.

Shirley Smegal, the school secretary is blurred in the background.

Off Hiatus ... Yearbook 1974

I hadn't planned on posting for the duration of me being away from the tropics. My digital data archives are all in Nassau, and I thought that I would have a break. However I am ensconced in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec with a Canon Scanner and a yearbook, so I thought that I would post yearbook images from the 1974 version of OCHS.

The frontispiece page:
And it's opposite:

Barb Gannon and Gloria Murrant signed these pages on my yearbook. I am not sure who wrote "HELP" on the picture.

On Hiatus -- again

I am travelling again, possibly for up to two weeks (maybe less) and as a result, this blog is going on hiatus.

I leave you with a few images from Oshawa in the 1970's.





Note the Bobby Orr autograph on the shirt.

Lineup in the Gym

I am not sure what the lineup in the gym is for. Herbert Gentry stands in the foreground. In the background, left to right, I can make out only some students. I can see Tim McKenna (second from left), Dennis Gleason (fourth from right behind Mr. Gentry's head), Rocco Ambra (second from right) and Mario Romano (far right).

Halloween Dance Bum -- Jim Holland

The indigent costume was effective at the Halloween Dance. I couldn't identify this character, but John Coleman could. This is Jim Holland.

Girl's Gym Class 1969

During my first year at OCHS, the girls still wore formal gym uniforms pictured above. Boys weren't allowed to watch girls gym. Luckily, I was a yearbook photographer. I used it like Jim Carey used his limo driver credentials in the movie "Dumb and Dumber".

Kangaroo Court "Punishment"

Pictured above is one of the "punishments" meted out by kangaroo court for minor niner student initiation. In the background to the right, you can see Sandra Mozic administering it to another victim while on the left Francis Kreisz and Mike Foley have a good laugh.

Sister Mary Buckley's Math Class

Sister Mary Buckley expounds on the finer points of math. Jim Dickey's back of the head is in the immediate foreground.

Student Rock 'n Roll Band

A student band put together by Shawn O'Driscoll played several times during our high school tenure. Shawn always anchored the band as the drummer. In a previously posted pic, we had fellow classmate George Dragota playing guitar or base. In the above incarnation of the band, we have Ed Johansen on keyboards (far left).

Yet Another Student Model

Another frame in the long line of the student fashion show series. The little dots that you see is dried hypo clearing agent (a darkroom chemical) on the negative.

Update: A reader left a comment that this is Nancy Bond. Thank you.

Ingulf Trettin, Biology Teacher

In looking back, I really enjoyed the classes of biology teacher Ingulf Trettin. He was the one who expounded on the Kreb's cycle and the chemical mechanics of cellular respiration. He had a subdued smile, and a restrained but present sense of humour.

Esoterica

I debated whether I should put this pic up. It is not very good. The shutter speed was slow, the light was low, and the bus was bouncing around, as a result it is out of focus. Yet it conveys the feeling well of being on the bus. Everyone is in their own space, and yet confined to a bus.

I can make out various people here including Roslyn Warner, Linda Dupont, Mike Taras, and Steve Shine. This picture conveys an esoteric atmosphere that takes me back to those student daze at OCHS.