Bill Langley, OCHS Gym Teacher Played for the Oshawa Pistons Basketball Team

Not only was Bill Langley a gym teacher at OCHS, he played lacrosse for the Green Gaels Junior A and was involved in sports most of his life. This is what he looked like when he taught at OCHS.

 

He was inducted into the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame:

The URL is : https://oshawasportshalloffame.com/inductees?limit=10&pg=4

John Kreisz Got His Wish ~ Over 30 Years Too Late

 

So John Kreisz, in his graduation year from Oshawa Catholic High School wrote an op-ed letter to the editor bemoaning the fact that Oshawa did not have a university.

Well, he got his wish but wayyyyy too late. Durham College transmogrified into first into University of Ontario Institute of Technology, or UOIT and finally into Ontario Tech University. It was granted its charter on June 27, 2002 and opened for classes on September 4, 2003.

It occupies the old Durham College campus on Simcoe Street North and has other buildings in downtown Oshawa. This is a photo of the library building on Simcoe Street.

Apparently the university has an excellent reputation for Robotics.

1970 Boys & Girls Trip To Huronia

(click on any photo to enlarge)

note: The headline has a typo: I think they meant "approves" instead of "appears"

This was a big freaking deal for the time. The French Club in 1970 planned a boys and girls class trip to Huronia, i.e. Midland and Georgian Bay. The ostensible reason was that they wanted to visit and absorb the history and culture of when the French established a colony near Midland Ontario on the Wye River called Saint-Marie-Among-The-Hurons (Sainte-Marie-au-pays-des-Hurons) way back in 1639. The settlement was built by French Jesuit missionaries as a central residence and headquarters for their mission to the Wendat (Huron) people. It lasted ten years until 1649 when the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) wars devastated the region. Eight French Jesuit missionaries, collectively known as the Canadian Martyrs, were killed. They consisted of six priests and two lay helpers (donnés). The entire settlement is rebuilt with the log cabins, native longhouses and displays of life among the Hurons. Photos below. Also built in 1925 was the Martyrs Shrine cathedral near Midland across Highway 12 from the recreation of Saint-Marie-Among-The Hurons (first photo below). If you want to go to church there, fergitaboutit! Last summer we were vacationing in Georgian Bay and it was over $10 just to get into the parking lot at the church. I did pay to see Saint-Marie-Among-The-Hurons though and the photos below are from there.

Below is the recreation of the log church built by the Jesuits when they arrived in Huronia in 1639. There are graves in the building of Fr. Isaac Jogues and bits of Fr. Jean Brebeuf. His skull is in the Martyrs Shrine cathedral across the highway.

Saint-Marie-Among-The Hurons had wooden palisades and spiked walls in a fort configuration outside the settlement. They had this neat little canal where you could paddle up from the Wye River in a canoe without opening the gates and it also supplied drinking water when they were under seige from the Iroquois. Inside the fort, friendly Hurons pitched tents and built longhouses.

 The interesting bit about the French Class trip to Huronia, was that they had to get permission from the school board because it was overnight for four days. The girls got to sleep in cabins and the boys had to tent it. I must admit that being a teenager at the time created certain biological propensities that welcomed overnight trips with girls, but for me, there was one problem -- you had to be a member of the French Club. Since it was French and you had to like it, joining the French Club was onerous for me. I had to pass. I took French for three years at OCHS, being taught by Mrs. Kearns, Mr. Bellehumeur (who I later found out with the brother of Mrs. Kearns, and Gary Ranalli. Gary used to take us outdoors during French class under the trees on summery June days. The irony was that I didn't particularly enjoy French, but ended up having to study it at the University of Ottawa which was an officially bilingual university and you had to learn either French or English whatever was opposite to your mother tongue. For two years, my roommate in residence was a French speaker from Senegal and I learned to speak fluent French. I lived for a couple of decades in Quebec and I was a technical architect for the Government of Canada, where I operated in a bilingual milieu. So ultimately, my aversion to the French language was in vain, and I missed out on the trip to Huronia. C'est la vie! I still am fluent in French today, and I have a home in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec.

Totally Unaware of Ownership Change of OCHS

 

(click on images to enlarge)

So I was going through the archives of the Oshawa Times for 1969 and came across this news article of the Ontario County Separate School Board in negotiations to buy "all or part" of Oshawa Catholic High School from the Sisters of Saint Joseph. I was aware that the Sisters of St. Joseph were instrumental in starting the high school, but did not realize that they owned it.

Interestingly enough, this was in the days before regional government when we were in Ontario County instead of the Region of Durham. Today the school board is known as Durham Catholic District School Board. 

It's no secret that the school board eventually did gain control of the high school from the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

This was another article from the 1969 archives about the acquisition:

And we had to walk miles to school in a snow storm, uphill both ways!

 

Two things are apparent from the February 1971 Oshawa Times article. First was that high school students were not given snow days or early dismissal. Secondly OCHS was not considered part of the five Oshawa high school according to the Times editorial office. I suppose that was because grades 11 to 13 were considered private, not public schooling.

Ahh but we were tough in those days. We even had a Winter Carnival to celebrate winter. It seems that the cold, ice snow and winter conditions were mere piffles that didn't occupy much worry space in our brains in those halcyon teen years of ours.

OCHS Math Teacher Linda Langero ~ RIP

 

Linda Langero

(below while at OCHS)

Obituary

On February 18, 2025, our dear Linda was taken from us unexpectedly and far too soon, in her 76th year. She is survived by her sister, Margaret; her brother, Larry (Patricia); her nieces, Alison Varney (Dave) and Jessica Caister (Jeff); her great-nephews, Theo and Malcolm; and her great-niece, Lennon. Linda faced any challenge in life with calm resolve and cool logic. When confronted with a difficult choice, her friends often came to Linda for sound advice. Linda had a distinguished career in education. She was a caring, competent Math teacher (St. Joseph’s College), a respected Vice-Principal and Principal (Loretto Abbey, Our Lady of Victory), and a Student Services Consultant at the Toronto Catholic District School Board. After retirement, she devoted herself tirelessly to her passions: travelling the world, supporting opera, ballet and theatre, and caring for cats. She established a thriving cat-sitting business and still found time to volunteer at cat rescue shelters. She will be sorely missed by her furry friends and their owners.

There will be a private service for the family at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Toronto Cat Rescue and the Toronto Humane Society would be appreciated.

in pace requiescat

The California Cuties Came To OCHS in 1969

 

Melinda Marks wrote the above Teen Talk column for the Oshawa Times, taken from their archives. In it, among news of a Christmas dance played by a band called the "Rubber Banned" (which ironically is a strange name for a band to play at a Catholic school), Melinda also told of a toboggan party at the Oshawa Golf Course. I must say that Sister Conrad, the principal liked these sort of student activities and encouraged them.

But the big news was that the California Cuties were coming to play the boys basketball team at OCHS. I looked them up. They were a comedy, wannabe team emulating the Harlem Globetrotters. They had a midget on their team. I was able to find an online image of some of the players.

Since this was entertainment and not real basketball, I don't think that the score mattered. This was big news in the Oshawa Times:

Ronald Black ~ RIP

 

Ron Black was an early student at OCHS. Joanne Bond was a classmate of his and sent along this obituary.

Ronald BLACK Obituary

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts we announce the passing of Ron Black of Thorndale, Ontario, who passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday, September 27t, 2026. Ron leaves behind his loving wife, Janet, and his four sons: Chris, Ryan, Steven (Madison), and Jeff (Steph). He is also survived by his 13 grandchildren and his sister, Diana Black. Ron was predeceased by his parents (Robert and Geraldine Black) and his brother David.

Ron grew up in Oshawa, working at Miracle Food Mart in his early years, where he met Janet, and they have enjoyed life together ever since. Ron worked at General Motors Oshawa for over 34 years before retiring to the family cottage at Carnahan Lake in Mountain Grove, Ontario. Ron and Janet spent many winters in Yuma, Arizona, where they met many friends. Ron received a second life in 2014 after receiving a double lung transplant and spent his final years in Thorndale, Ontario, north of London.

When not at work, you would find Ron coaching his children's sports teams, fishing or with family at the cottage, playing Euchre with family and friends, or travelling with Janet. He loved spending time with his family, hosting his grandchildren at the cottage or home and cheering them on through life.

The family thanks all the caregivers and medical teams and staff who have provided care to Ron throughout the years.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Memorial Funeral Home (1559 Fanshawe Park Road E., London) on Saturday, October 17th, 2026, from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. with refreshments. A time to share memories of Ron will begin at 2:00 p.m.

The family asks that anyone wanting to give a donation please donate to one of the following health care organizations that have provided care and support to Ron. (London - Victoria Hospital, Toronto General Hospital, Canadian Cancer Society).

in pace requiescat

Another One of My Distinguished Classmates, Doug Zochodne

 

I first met up with Doug Zochodne at Grade 6 in St. Joseph's primary school on Simcoe Street North. Myself along with Tim McKenna and Barb Gannon had skipped Grade 5 and went directly into Grade 6 and Doug was my new classmate. That association lasted right up until Grade 13 and the end of high school. He went on to a storied career in medical research. Here is his bio from the University of Alberta. He was at the Mayo Clinic, as is one of my other classmates, Shawn O'Driscoll. I had a really amazing bunch of classmates who went on to amazing things, as did many alumni from the school in its early days.

About

Dr. Douglas Zochodne is a Neurologist and Neuroscientist, Divisional Director of Neurology at the University of Alberta and Director of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, UofA. His training included an MD and FRCPC in Neurology at the University of Western Ontario under the supervision of Dr. Charles Bolton and a research fellowship with Drs. Philip Low and Peter J. Dyck at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Zochodne’s career has included faculty positions at Queen’s University, Canada, the University of Calgary and more recently the University of Alberta. He has devoted his career toward understanding the biology and diseases of the peripheral nervous system. Dr. Zochodne’s roles have included  Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences (1999-2007), President of the Peripheral Nerve Society (2009-2011) and lead on the Regeneration Unit in Neurobiology, University of Calgary (2009-2014). He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Dr. Zochodne has channeled his research role as an investigator of diabetic polyneuropathy and peripheral neuron regeneration. His most recent work emphasizes intrinsic molecular mechanisms involved in adult sensory neuron plasticity including unexpected roles for tumour suppressor pathways repurposed within neurons. His laboratory has been funded continuously since 1988 and it has published over 280 research papers and chapters including four books.  His work currently focuses on identifying new molecular mechanisms of peripheral neuron plasticity, regeneration and resistance to diabetes.  His laboratory is currently funded by CIHR,CDA/DC, and ADI.  

Clinical Interests

Clinical Neurology

Neuromuscular disease

Peripheral nerve disease

Diabetic polyneuropathy

Clinical Electrophysiology (EMG)

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Research

Peripheral Neurobiology

Neurosciences of Regeneration

Experimental peripheral nerve disease

Neurological complications of Diabetes Mellitus

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Teaching

Clinical Neurology

Neuromuscular disease

Peripheral nerve disease

Clinical Electrophysiology (EMG)

Peripheral neurobiology

Beginning of The School Year 1969

 

The Oshawa Times printed this article in 1969 after the opening of the new school year in September of 1969. Several interesting facts jump out. First, OCHS had an enrolment of 320 students. It would more than double by the time that I graduated, and now, there is less than 1,000 (now called Monsignor Paul Dwyer High School) after ballooning to over 2000 a couple of decades ago. 

The other interesting fact is that initiation was held where the Grade 10's could haze and torture the Grade 9's or Minor Niners. It was pretty rough and no longer allowed. Kids were humiliated and doused with all sorts of stuff like honey and feathers and made to eat horrible stuff.

Mentions in this article include students Adrone Zelvys, Matt Gimpelj, Ken Johnston, Jim Dyl, Bill Van Veghel and Betty Ann Yanch. Also mentioned are Monsignor Paul Dwyer and Oshawa Mayor Ernest Marks whose children attended the high school.