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 Keeping the Connection
by Warren Mackenzie
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On October 27/2007 Donna Johnson Wagnell '71 had
another one of her famous Halloween parties with over 25 people in attendance...
Alumni in attendance included: Lenny Price '71, Chris Brown '70, Donna, Greg
Gogan '70, Joanne Hale Gogan '70, Debbie Penny Brown '72, Julia Papucciyan '72,
Chuck Lennox '71.
Beverley Allen (C-53) with Phil (C-52) and Carol Fullerton
For many years Carol (Ward) and Phil Fullerton ran a very successful restaurant
business in Franconia, New Hampshire. Following retirement the couple moved to
the east coast settling in Brookline, MA. close to Boston.
Carol says, "before moving here we were driving 25,000 miles a year
when living in the North Country or as the locals say, "north of the
notches". Keeping active as much as possible is now the main part of
our daily routine, walking whenever and wherever we can, to doctor's
offices, the post office, bank, drugstore, etc., and we love it. We use
public tranportation only when our destination is not within reasonable
walking distance".
Phil and Carol are both very active at the Brookline Seniors' Center as
participants and volunteers. "It is one of the best and biggest in the country,
very diverse with Russian, Chinese and French conversational groups. Phil is
very active in the Men's Club where once a week they 'solve all the world
problems'. Says Phil, "if you want any local or world
problems solved just ask me". We also spend a lot of time traveling to visit our
sons and their families who are widely scattered.
"We really enjoy
receiving all the CCHS news from the monthly letters and the many sections of
the alumni website."
Beverley Allen (Collins), who lives in Ottawa,
visited Phil and Carol last month says, "We've been friends since our teen
years. Both Carol and Phil were attendants at my wedding."
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| Alumni Photo of the Month |
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| Photo Galleries |
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Photos from other South Shore communities are also welcome. All those busses came from somewhere in the area.
Please send your photos, with a short caption, via email or contact Warren Mackenzie for snail mail instructions:
Photo Editor - Warren Mackenzie
In both photo galleries you see Preview Pics. These are a gateway to many larger sized photos. To access simply "double click" on any preview pic. |
Alumni Association News
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The full Board of Directors of the association met on Tuesday, December 11th.
The main topic of the meeting was to explore programming for Reunion 2010 and "out of the box" ideas were encouraged.
The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18th 2008.
This seems an appropriate moment to thank all our members, including a
surprising number who have been with us ever since the early days, for your
support and patience and messages of goodwill. We trust that in 2008 more of the alumni will join with us in support of today's Chambly and the continuance of the friendships initiated during our school years.
Merry Christmas to you all.
The members of the CCHS/CA Alumni Association - Board of Directors
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Alumni Association Distinguished Service Awards
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The Alumni Association Board of Directors has established a
Distinguished Service Award program to recognize the contributions individuals
have made over the years to the alumni association and the preservation of
school spirit for the school, and current student body. These contribution may
have been monetary, a free service or, as in most cases, the donation of voluntary
time and effort.
A large number of people need to be recognized and it will
take several months to makeindividual
presentations to all those selected. To keep you informed, your newsletter will
feature two or three recipients each month with a brief description of why they
were chosen. Our first two honorees are Fergus Groundwater and Anthony McGarr. Fergus Groundwater - Class of 1956 It is probably safe to say that our large scale, all year
Reunions, beginning in 1995, would not have happened if Fergie hadn't stepped
up. It was his organizational skills, perseverance and hard work that made the
1995 event such a large success. Fergie also provided valuable assistance to
the committee when the 2005 Reunion was in the formative stages and looking for
badly needed direction. Of course we all know that the Alumni Association is a
direct off-shoot of the 2005 gala,
therefore, perhaps the Association can trace its roots right back to Mr.
Groundwater.
He was also
responsible for establishing the annual bursary program that now has been
passed on to the Alumni Association and arranged to transfer the remaining
surplus funds from the 1995 event, to the Association, so this tradition can be
continued - next year will be the 14th year of the bursary awards.
In addition, his company, Advanced Dynamics, has been a perennial supporter of
the school year book.
Rumor has it that Fergie will be retiring within a year but,
we'll believe when we see it.
If it does happen, no one deserves it more. Whether your working
or basking in retirement, the Alumni Association wishes to extend its warm
thanks for all you've done.
Sometimes help comes in a discreet, almost invisible way and
that is how one would have to classify Tony's contribution. Although Tony was unseen, working completely
in the background, without his support the 2005 Reunion and the Alumni
Association just wouldn't be the same. Anthony McGarr - Class of 1977
In 2004 Tony owned Planet Velocity which hosts our
Reunion 2005 and Alumni Association website. Server space was
provided at no cost and Tony and his people helped get the website up and
running. He also registered the www.chamblycounty.com
name on our behalf and provided technical support free of charge whenever
needed. Although now more mature and richer in content, the original website
continues to be the backbone of the Alumni Association organization and it is
hard to imagine where we would be without it.
Tony sold his interest in Planet Velocity in
early 2007 and we no longer enjoy the free ride we had in the early days.
Tony, it sure was nice while it lasted, please accept our
sincere thanks for your generous contribution to the Association.
The plaque illustrated below are being shipped this week
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| Alumni News from Abroad |
The bright red bloom in the picture is the flower of the NZ Pohutakawa tree. A
species unique to our country it is commonly found along the coastline of
NZ.
The
tree bursts into bright red flower at the onset of Summer.
This
traditionally occurs around Xmas time and hence the Pohutakawa's nic name of the
NZ Xmas tree.
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Snowbirds Corner
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A few suggestions sent in by readers as subjects of interest. Speak up I can't hear you!
- Do you like to get away for the winter
months?
- How about house swapping vacation adds among alumni?
- How about alumni sharing travel adventures -wonderful small inns, hotels, restaurants,
etc.?
Joanne & I love to get away to someplace warm every winter for at least a couple of weeks. She retires next June so we hope then to make our winter sojourns south longer in duration. Some of our recent trips have been to the Algarve region of Portugal, Cuba, California, and Florida. My favourite place remains Bermuda which we have visited many times.
Would anyone in southern California like to house swap for a few weeks in Halifax in March?
If you are driving to Florida on Interstate 95 try the newly opened Holiday Inn Express & Suites of Emporia,Exit 11-B, Virginia. Nice hotel, reasonable rates, but best of all there is an authentic Mexican restaurant across the street that is Superb. Angus (Halifax)
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| Our teachers ..... where are they now? |
 Jean Fraser McHarg
When I retired I returned to Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, my home town and eventually purchased my family home where I sleep in the bedroom I was born in! The house is presently up for sale because last year I bought a second much smaller house thinking that I would like less house to take care of. I did not realize how long it would take to sell what my children call "The Big House". I keep hoping that one person who wants it will soon turn up on my doorstep. In the meantime the new house has undergone much renovation where I used all the information I learned while teaching Housing and Design and it is rented.
I have a beautiful golden retriever named Barry who is just as nice as Verdon who my former students will remember from my last couple of years at CCHS . He attended three leadership camps and a number of conferences but he died of cancer right after I returned to Nova Scotia. Barry would be just as much fun at camp. He keeps me walking a couple of miles a day.
I keep myself occupied with a number of volunteer "jobs" at the local museum, with the Hospital Auxiliary, as treasurer of the Friends of Crescent Beach and I chair The Archives Committee of the Nova Scotia Council Girl Guides of Canada. The average age of that
committee is now 84.6 and I have attended 4 90th birthdays in the last two years! People ask me why I do not "jump ship" and become part of a committee that is more my age group but I feel that these ladies need my help and expertise. Few of them can word process on a
computer! My interest in History drew me to the committee in the first place although I did not realize that they had figured out that they needed to find "some young women" to help them! HaHa. They got me! Not so young. But I have mastered the computer in my retirement.
I spend my summers at our cottage at Crescent Beach which has twice been hit by storms. We just recovered the lawn and gardens after Hurricane Juan and this past month Tropical Storm Noel came with all it vengeance and right now my every spare moment has been spent
raking sea weed and rocks off the lawn once again. I have to wait till the land freezes to have big equipment come and rebuild the retaining wall. I remember in 1996 Ken Bresnen visited and remarked about global warming coming and how my land would begin to shrink. Well, this month the lawn shrank by 14 inches. Ken's prediction is coming true.
Each winter I go to West Vancouver to spend a couple of months with Elaine and Nancy and their families. They live on the same street and each have two children so I have lots of fun playing "Grand Ma Jean", going to swim and dance classes and taking them places during their two week March break. I usually get co-opted into something like organizing the food for their school skating party. It's like I have a sign on my back that says I know how to do that! I have also traveled with them on occasion.
One year, while in Vancouver I organized a Sunday lunch with former students and staff from that other school where I taught. We met at Bridges on Granville Island. Maybe this winter CCHS students who live in the Vancouver area could get together. It is always fun to have mini reunions in places other than St. Lambert. Every year I spend time with Mr. and Mrs. MacLean in Victoria. Perhaps I could convince Mr. MacLean to come to Vancouver for a weekend. Who knows!
My son Gordon is still in London England where he has an underground art gallery, Karen is back in Ottawa after years spent in India (where I visited her) and Ecuador developing community radio and Hugh presently is in Vancouver studying behind the camera TV production. We all manage to see each other on various occasions, usually in Vancouver.
This Christmas Karen will be home and we will have Christmas with my sister and her husband who have moved from California "back home" and live year round at Crescent Beach. We plan to see "White Christmas" at Neptune Theatre in Halifax on Christmas Eve.
I hope everyone has a very happy holiday with family and friends. By the way, I was thrilled to read last year that Chambly Academy still contributes to Christmas baskets on the South Shore. That was always one of our most worthwhile activities.
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Saint Lambert - Photo of the Month |
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| Welcome New Members who have recently joined the association: |
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Joanna Iaboni (Deppisch) (1986), Carol Hollingdrake (Culkin) (1962), Pamela Wolff (Wilson) (1980), Shereen Groeneveld (1984), David Milligan (1961), Dave Baxter (1960), Bruce Hills (1980)
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New Life Members
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Lynn MacKenzie (1966), Peter Folkes (1965), Martha Folkes (Stewart) (1965), David Pollock (1961), Ken Major (1970), Jim Doak (1972)
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The Big Ice Storm of 1998 revisited in pictures and song
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Click here to view the slideshow and hear "The Ice Song"
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| Obituaries |
Ralph Alcorn (Class of 1953) died Nov 25th
View Memorial pages , obituary can be viewed here. |
Alumni Search
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I am interested in trying to find out any information that I can about a classmate who passed away. Her name was Alison Armstrong and we were in the class of '73 Do you have any information as to how or where she passed away? We kept in touch well into the '80's in
Vancouver but then she 'disappeared'. I would be grateful for any information. Thanks!
Nancy Larman mailto:nelarman@gmail.com
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Help Desk
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 Recently we have heard from half a dozen readers who are experiencing a problem with links to the website and also following links and opening images on the site itself. It has been determined that these people are using Mac computers and Safari browsers. Although we have had some experience on a "help desk" we are unable to resolve the problem due to the fact we can NOT simulate the problems due to a lack of equipment. If you are affected please notify us and we will advise you of a "work-a-round" for this particular problem. The site is designed using Windows 98 as an operating system with Firefox as a browser. If anyone out there is a Mac expert in compatibility issues, please contact us. There is good reasons that networks use exactly the same computers, operating systems, and browsers - SUPPORT!
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Letters to the Editor 
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Just a note to say how much I enjoyed the article on Virginia Carter. I really
did not know her, but because of the 'teaser' notice which you sent out before,
made a point of reading it. I asked Warren who had written the article, and
he said that he had. When I said how much I enjoyed it and remembered playing
on a couple of sports teams with her he said, "why don't you e-mail her?" It
seemed a little bizarre to write to someone that I really had not had much
contact with, and certainly not for more than fifty years, but I did send her a
short note, and to my great surprise, she answered. ... Sheila Kerr (McPhee)
I love getting the Alumni Connection, thanks so much for working so hard to
keep us in touch with our roots. The picture of the month, reminded me of
some unexpected feelings that had come to me on my last visit to good old
St. Lambert. My
dad had passed away a few weeks after the summer 2005 reunion and just a few
weeks ago I made a trip to St.
Lambert to take care of some last business. At the risk
of being a bit sappy, I must admit, during that trip between meetings sitting in
my car in downtown St. Lambert, I contemplated that is where my folks left the
world, and I entered the world and where I had a great first 18 years of my
life. This picture reminded me of all the good we had going on for us in
St. Lambert in
those critical and formative years. I think making connections with all those
life-long memories of all that positivity is good for us, so thanks for helping
us do that.... Peter
Peets What a wonderful job in putting the Newsletter together. I can't tell you
what a joy it is for me , reading the articles --looking at pictures----some --
I recognize and others --I do not know. Bringing back the memories, is
delightful. Thank you for all your efforts. Wendy Beecher[ nee Green][ 1958 ]
Eagan, Minnesota We encourage you to e-mail us with your photos, comments, suggestions or contributions, possible story topics, news items, and whatever you think would help us make further improvements to bring you the information you want most.
Contact the Editor
mailto:angus@hfx.eastlink.ca | |
On behalf of all of our newsletter volunteer staff we wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a safe, healthy, prosperous New Year.
