On Being Artful

These are members of the Art Club. Left to right: Suzanne Cooper, Sharon Vitali and Mrs. Jones.

Paul Grady Takes The Stage at OCHS

We fortunate to grow up in the 1970's. The world of rock and pop music was hitting its zenith, and we were there. We had some amazing live bands at our school dances. I have already profiled Downchild Blues Band. We also had the rock group Wednesday, with their North American Hit "Oh Where Oh Where has my baby gone?". There were others.

I have a deep admiration for songwriters who have the talent to emotionally move the masses through their craft. My personal list includes Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and a whole host of others. One of the people making that list is Oshawa's own Paul Grady. He richly deserves fame that he never got in full measure, but he has made his mark on the music world.

The first Paul Grady song that I heard, was Get There by Dawn recorded by John Allan Cameron. The second Grady song to move me, was Another Pot 'o Tea. The song was recorded by both Anne Murray, and Emmy Lou Harris.

The above picture was digitized from a Polaroid snapshot. It shows songwriter Paul Grady taking the stage at OCHS. John Allan Cameron was there as well, but not pictured. The other musicians in the photo are luminaries in their own right. They are from Anne Murray's band who were a monstrous hit machine for a number of years. Shown in the pic are Andy Cree on drums, Bill Spear on piano, Miles Wilkinson on guitar, Paul Grady at the mike, and 16 year old Peter Grady, Paul's younger brother on bass. I went to St. Joe's with Peter who was in my class.

Below are some Youtube cuts of the talent of these people. The first is not a Grady song, but John Allan Cameron's hit "Lord of the Dance" (I couldn't find "Get There By Dawn"). Next is Paul Grady's "Another Pot o Tea" sung by Anne Murray. (email me if you want Paul's explanation of what the lyrics mean).

Paul Grady can be found on the internet at

http://www.paulgrady.net

Brian O'Connell

Brian O'Connell is engrossed in the classroom. He is the brother of Gary O'Connell.

Addendum by reader: And the brother of Kevin O'Connell.

Gary Ranalli -- Playing Chess

Teacher Gary Ranalli playing chess. He was the staff supervisor of the chess club.

Student Council 1973

Back Row: Elsa Lack, Debbie Gagnon, Kathy Taylor, Danny O'Neill, Judy McLinton, Marylee O'Neill

Middle Row: Diane Ciosk, Connor Seaver, John Manley, Gloria Murrant

Front: Don Hamlyn, Joe Neal

The Rest of the Custodial Staff

I would be remiss if I didn't post pics of the rest of the custodial staff. They are from left to right, Mr. Giorgi, Mr. Russo and Mr. Volaric. (I may have Mr. Giorgi and Mr. Russo transposed, and if I do, please leave a comment).

Update: A reader left this comment:

Mr. Volaric passed a couple of years ago. You may want to give him your customary rest in peace.

Thank you. Consider it done. Requiescat in Pace Mr. Volaric.

(My goodness, more people are dying than have ever died before).

Athletic Association 1973

Back Row: Joan Duignan, Brian Noonan, Joe Neal, Cathy Taylor

Front Row: Paul Bowen, Mary Fairhart

School Custodians

Pictured above are the school custodians, Mr. Wolfs (left) and Mr. Penman (right).

And this is Sunday, and I try to include Oshawa memories on Sunday, however my terrabyte drive is not available. What I do have, is a picture that I snapped in Nassau Harbour on Wednesday, that reminds me of my high school daze.

The little laughing gull in the corner in conjunction with the graffiti is a high school litany of not only me, but I suspect of many people.

Mrs. Shirley Smegal -- Secretary

Shirley Smegal was a fixture in the OCHS office. I never did learn her first name, but her signature on the photo says "S. Smegal". She ran a tight ship.

Update: A reader reminded me that Mrs. Smegal's first name was Shirley. Thank you.

The Final March of Classmates of Mine II

Top: Paul Power, Anne Ramrekersingh, Steve Reilly

Bottom: Cathy Rush, Kathy Seaver, Karen Smegal

The Final March of Classmates of Mine I

Top: Mario Romano, Helen Rosicki

Bottom: Joan Sosin, Eva Stanko

Sports Banquet - 1973

A sports banquet was held in 1973 to honour the outstanding athletes of OCHS that year. The best female athlete was Shelly Paulocik, and the male honours were shared by Gary O'Connell and Peter Bathe. The pic on the left shows Shelly being presented her trophy by Monsignor Paul Dwyer and on the right, you have Monsignor Dwyer, Gary O'Connell and at the end is Peter Bathe.

Badminton Club -- Part Le Deux

This is the other half of the Badminton Club picture. For the other piece of the puzzle see yesterday's blog entry below this one.

Top row: Ted Van de laan, Rita Grotenhuis, Margaret Simmons, Paul Corey

Bottom row: Derek Friedrick, Stella Stanko, Rayna King, Greg Vitali

(help !)
Thanks to the reader for the names supplied in red.

Badminton Club

These are shots of the badminton club that were rejected the yearbook. (I was an enthusiastic, but sometimes not very good photographer). I chopped this pic in half because if I ever get the reader who knows all the names perusing these photos again, I will add them to the labels. However I have a limit of two hundred characters for the labels, and it isn't enough for more than say ten people (20 characters per name if I remember my math class).
OK, in this half of the pic, I recognize the bookends -- Ivor Boyagoda on the left upper side and Debbie Sutherland on the right lower side. I invite comments to fill in the blanks.

Reader supplied information (thank you):

Top row: Ivor Boyogoda, Michael Whorms, Mary Vandepol
Bottom row: Alessandro Zara, Robert Vandevalk, Donna Whorms, Debbie Sutherland


Here is the original shot in its entirety. Tomorrow, I will rework and post the other piece of the picture.

Kathie Andrews

Kathie Andrews was a beautiful person in every way. She left this earth way too soon. Requiescat in Pace.

(Immediately behind her is Joan Downey).

The List Goes on My Friend ... Even More Classmates

Top Row: Dennis Mok, Keith Leung

Bottom Row: Marie O'Connor, Stephen Ma

Parade of Classmates Continued

Top Row: Gloria Murrant, Jim Nemish, Carol Norrish

Bottom Row: Debbie O'Keefe, Danny O'Neill, Sister Bonnie Ouimet

Happy Jack

I am amazed at how many pictures there are of the staff watching student activities. There was an incredible amount of staff participation in extra-curricular activities. Here a nattily dressed casual Jack Cole is watching events on the field.

Roll Call of Classmates Continues ....

Top Row: Henry Kowalewski, Tom Kraemer, Elsa Lack

Bottom Row: Tim McKenna, Judy McLinton, Christine Moskalewicz

Further Iterations Through My Class

Top Row: Lucy Karcich, Pat Kilistoff, Candy Knox

Bottom Row: Lucy Kostrzewa, Jeanette Kowal, Kathy Kowalski

Back At It Again

I am settled once more (if you can call it settled) in the tropics. Travelling from climate to climate is wearisome. To kick things off in this segment, I am posting a picture of me from the 1970's, doing what I like to do. This is how you would have recognized me and remembered me from high school.

I would like to thank the anonymous poster who took a major chunk out of Easter Sunday, went through every photograph, and identified people and gave commentary via the comments feature. I have incorporated most of the updates in red, naming names and events. Thank you very much whoever you are, and drop me a line at the email address listed. I appreciate your efforts in identifying people in the pictures.

On Hiatus -- Happy Easter

I will not be posting on this blog for a while. I have just returned to the hills of Quebec from a short visit to Oshawa, and after the Easter weekend, I am travelling again to the tropics. I have to settle back in on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and get a grip on my work. After that happens, I will start posting again. See you in the sun on the flip side.

Happy Easter !!!

Joyeuses Pâques

Milostiplné prežitie Veľkonočných sviatkov

Frohe Ostern

A' Chàisg sona

Христос воскресе

Glad Påsk

Hyvää Pääsiäistä

Ondo izan Bazko garaian

Bona Pasqua

Veselé Velikonoce

Boas Pascuas

Buona Pasqua

¡Felices Pascuas!

or however you say it.

Be Happy.

Murder Most Foul

The school has changed forever. I never thought that I would live to see the day. I just got a note from John Coleman telling me that one Dwyer student has murdered another one. Brutally stabbed to death.

As John said, the school is not the same anymore. This news is shocking. While my rational mind tells me that the descent to Hell is the same from every place, I never thought the school would ever become a point of embarkation for this kind of hell.

What has the world come to? What has become of the character and spirit of the people who make up the student body, and hence the school? What has become of the esprit de corps that bound us together in a brotherhood and elevated us all?

I quote my friend John again: "Sorry to have to share that news, but it means a lot to anyone in town and maybe even a little more to us who went to school there. Christian values and all, but the world has changed a lot."

One would think that the school would imbue its students with the armour of life that would prevent murder most foul. Apparently not. As Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote over two thousand years ago, the enemy is within the gates; it is with our own luxury, our own folly, our own criminality that we have to contend. The idea is unthinkable and I am shocked.

To Mike McDonald, may the earth lie lightly on your tender sixteen years, and may you rest in peace.

Anima eius et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum per Dei misericordiam requiescant in pace.

Classmates of Mine -- Part the Next

Top Row: Nicole Gaboury, Barb Gannon, Cindy Germanis

Middle Row: Peter Gibbs, Andre Grotenhuis, Bob Hickey

Bottom Row: Bert Hoefs, Terry Hughes, Mike Ivanco

Some autographs of my classmates: Dan O'Neill, Tim McKenna, Ron van de valk, Cathy Rush, Susan Cragg, Tom Kraemer, Sister Bonnie Ouimet, Peter Gibbs, Chris Montgomery, Pat Kilistoff

(References to the butcher business are plans that I had for medicine. Instead of Toronto, I finally chose University of Ottawa at the last minute.)

Comparison Then and Now

A reader left a comment urging me to go to Google maps and compare the latest incarnation of the high school with the image that I posted of the aerial shot that I took of it in the 1970's. I did.

The basic H-shape of the school is gone, filled in by expansion. This is the new:
And this is the old:

There are new parking lots, a ring road around the school, and a huge building immediately west of the school that wasn't there.

However, I do have a shot of some bulldozers on that location that I did take in 1973, so you sort of knew that the empty fields wouldn't last long:

I guess that the old saying is true, that change is inevitable -- except from a vending machine.