Deanna Harper Mahood
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Post by Deanna Harper Mahood on May 4, 2007 17:52:31 GMT -5
Looks like we're going to have a party!
Has anyone been in touch with Diane Mackey or Patti Harsh or Nigel Bell? I know there are so many names I'm missing, but that's a start.
If I can add in my two cents on the get together at Annabelle and Mark's...how many of us are going to the dance on Saturday night? I know I'm not - so instead of getting together after the BBQ on Sunday afternoon, why not Saturday night at The Richardson's? - just a thought...
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Margo Phillips Hodgson
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Post by Margo Phillips Hodgson on May 4, 2007 22:12:44 GMT -5
I just looked up Mr. D's latest address and it's still listed. I don't want to post it here to maintain his privacy. I don't even know 100% that this is our Mr. D, nor how his health is because he stopped writing cards to me about 5 or 6 years ago. I'll try calling the number this weekend and report back here with what I find out. As I said before, he'd be quite elderly now, but it's worth a shot to at least try and make contact. Hopefully his memory is OK.
I called Sharon-Gay Johnson the other night. She and Deltra are coming. Dennis Fletcher says he thinks Cathy Lanthier will be there and Kurt Ortner signed the guest book awhile back so hopefully he'll be there too. Kurt, are you out there?
Anybody know where some of the other people in the 1971 band photo are these days? Liz Zuana, Mike Blais, Dave Churcher, Alex Runcie, Ingrid Kroeff, Keith Adam, etc, etc. Nancy, do you know if Rob K. is coming? Joe Irvine is not. I'm pretty sure Guy Couture is planning to come, but he hasn't been in touch for a few weeks.
Sunday afternoon is fine with me for our b/c reunion (thanks so much Annabelle & Mark... I recognized your parents while at the Loeb store yesterday, Annabelle). Another alternative might be to have it late Saturday afternoon or early Saturday evening before those who are heading over to the school in the evening have to leave. Apparently you can't get into the school without a dance ticket on Saturday evening, so maybe some people will just want to continue the band/choir party somewhere nearby if they aren't going to the dance.
Oh ya, someone asked us each to give more details about our current lives. After U of O, I married a timpanist who had gone to Woodroffe HS, and then he became timpanist and assistant librarian with the Winnipeg Symphony. We've been back in Ottawa for 7 years, and Greg works full time with me in the music library for NACO and no longer plays timps. No children. By complete coincidence and unbeknown to us at the time, Sharon-Gay also married a band member from Woodroffe HS. Greg and Nick were going on Woodroffe band trips at the same time we were going on our famous trips.
Margo (Phillips) Hodgson '72
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Margo Phillips Hodgson
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Post by Margo Phillips Hodgson on May 5, 2007 19:15:53 GMT -5
I just phoned the residence of Mr. D. on Vancouver Island and had a lovely chat with his wife Jane. She was sorry to report that Mr. D passed away last December at age 92 from Alzheimer's. He had been sick for about a year. She looked after him as long as she could, and then he went into a home a little distance away and she went 5 times a week to visit him. Their daughter lives not too far away in Parksville, and their son now lives in Washington state instead of California, so he isn't too far away either.
I told her how fond we all were of Mr. D, and that many of us would be getting together for a reunion in June. She is about 90 herself, and asked me to wish everyone all the best. I'll bring a card to our get-together, and perhaps we can all sign it and I'll mail it to her along with a 2007 group photo.
Margo
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Post by nancy harper on May 6, 2007 11:47:20 GMT -5
Hi Margo: Thanks for looking up Mr. D. Was so saddened to hear that he had passed away. He was such a "fearless" leader to us all. I often make trips to the Island to visit my relatives in Nanaimo or Victoria or all places in between and if you e-mailed me (nancy-is@shaw.ca) Mr. D's address, I could make contact and try to visit his widow, have a pot of tea or beer; perhaps bring along a band photo from the reunion. Let me know what you think......I realize her age would dictate that I should do this sooner than later......I phoned Rob and left a message about the reunion. Have not heard back yet. Will keep in touch....
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Post by Rolf Clack on May 6, 2007 13:41:02 GMT -5
Thanks Margo for doing that. It was very sad news. Two months ago I would have said that he must surely have already passed away. (Lyndsay Hull, who will also be around I believe, had correctly figured that he would be getting near 100 now if he were still alive). Your message that you were in contact just a few years ago brought us all hope. And Richard H-J's idea was great. What makes it so sad is that we 'missed' by such a short time - months! If the Fisher Park reunion had been last year we could have had Nancy give him a 'current' band photo with best wishes to bring him a last smile at the finish line.
Now, is Jane (his wife) really the same "Mrs. D" who was on the Europe trip? (I thought she had a mild stroke during one of the band trips.) That'd be great! She might even feature in some of the photos (look closely guys).
What else... um Saturday lunchtime and early afternoon is not good for me for the band party (and not for Michael Norman either I believe). Saturday evening is probably ok. (I still don't dance.) I didn't have any strong preference for Sunday evening, just thinking about rounding up people not watching this forum.
Personal notes...? Well, I've been Clackdoyle (not Clack) since just before my first child was born in 1997. Currently living in France. Flying in for the reunion! If I lived closer I would have considered bringing the bassoon with me that Mr.D let me buy off the school board for a song (well, for $100 - nobody would want to hear me actually sing!) But I admit I haven't had it out of the case for about 10 years now.
Dave Arthur, why are you so quiet? Must have been the most charismatic guy the band ever had. Always the life of the party, always so capable with everything. I recall Dave took charge when Deltra Johnson broke her leg on the Guelph trip. (Guelph? or Galt? I'm getting muddled here... one of the things to straighen out next month.)
I joined facebook (but I'm lousy at steering my away that thing - my kids are still far too young to help me with that stuff). Michael Norman posted some choir photos on there. I could probably figure out how to post some band photos, unless some less internet-challenged person is ready to do it.
Well, goodbye Mr. D - fearless leader. You sure understood us kids. (Does anyone remember him running around that hotel in Calgary serving up coffee in the middle of the night just a few rooms ahead of the chaperones coming to check on us? Or chewing out the guys for bad behavior in the Netherlands: "I was young once too. Just DON'T GET CAUGHT!") Does anybody have a photograph of one of those music stands after he'd hit it with his baton a zillion times to get us to stop and pay attention?
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Post by Linda Eburne on May 6, 2007 14:29:11 GMT -5
So where are all the members for the Junior Bird Squad Society ? I know that Dee Harper (Mahood), Nancy Arther (Harper), Monique Roy (Good) will all be there... that's Albatross, Hawkeye, and Love Bird . Any sightings of Patti Harsh ( Redden?) or Diane Mackey ( DeRosenroll) or any of the Mackeys ?? - hey most of that brood played in the band. It's gonna be a good one. See ya all there.
Big Bird.
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Annabelle Richardson
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Post by Annabelle Richardson on May 6, 2007 18:33:57 GMT -5
Note to Rolf Clackdoyle. There is now a band photo on Facebook. Perhaps I should just let you try and find it. With the aid of an internet capable offspring (mine are old enough to help), I posted a band pic to the Facebook Fisher reunion group page. It's the band photo from 1971.
If you've joined Facebook, find the correct 'Mark Richardson', ask to become a friend, once Mark accepts you, the link to the Fisher Reunion Facebook group is linked with Mark's 'groups', which you would have access to as his 'friend'.
Or something like that..... Todd (our youngest son) makes is all look and sound so easy.
Annabelle
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Post by Mark Richardson on May 6, 2007 20:13:07 GMT -5
For anyone who wants to bring an instrument to the party, bring it along. Auditions will be held at an hour convenient to the masses. We've got a drum set (yes, I still play), 6 string electric guitar (not great, but functional) and an electric keyboard (somewhat smaller than a full piano keyboard). If we could drum up (pun intended) a bass guitar, any other instruments of interest, people to play these various things, and a tune in the same key that we can all play from memory, we could actually make some music. It might not be great music, but it would be fun(ny). Maybe I can convince Annabelle to dust off her oboe. Weather permitting, we'll find a corner of the backyard to set up the orchestra.
Mark...
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Post by Dave Arthur on May 7, 2007 19:01:47 GMT -5
Yes, I've been quiet as of late. The recent death of my baby brother William (40) diverted me from reunion matters for a while. Not to worry, life goes on and I am very curious as to how your lives have gone since we all last parted.
Mine, for the most part has been pretty d**n good. Our band trips and joint band/choir trips set me up beautifully for my music career journey. The shennanigans that we as boisterous globe trotting youths pulled were great foundations for subsequent adventures...and misadventures. The idea is...do good work, but have fun! And try not to get caught. I know that you'll remind me of things that we pulled and I gots some stories about y'all too.
One of my favourites is how I managed to BS my way into being a chaperone (21 yrs. old) for the band/choir Europe trip. I persuaded the upper management that they needed a liaison between the students and the adults. I got threatened a couple of times to be sent home early because I was being a bad example. How could anyone think such a thing? The truth be known...it was a whole bunch of you guys who were being bad influences on "pure of thought and deed" me. I didn't rat you out.
My oldest friendgirl in the world (Margo Phillips-Hodgson) has been keeping me in the loop. We'll be chatting about band oriented gatherings and I intend on attending whatever is going to transpire. I'm not doing too much in the leadership role, but since I was band president, I'll expect to be spoken to with reverence in hushed voices.
More later,
Dave Arthur '72
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Post by Margot Lewis on May 10, 2007 14:12:27 GMT -5
Great to hear from you Dave! I remember when we were in London Genusis announced they were breaking up. I think Helen Handfield Jones had the strongest reaction. Well, they are having a reunion tour this year. In the spirit of this timely reunion, any chance of getting Short Circuit back together?
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Post by liz hamilton on May 11, 2007 6:26:57 GMT -5
Who remembers the really major band/choir trips of the early 70's - Vancouver and Europe?? MY BROTHER GREY HAMILTON WAS ON THE BAND TRIP TO VANCOUVER. HE PLAYED THE DRUMS. I'M GOING TO SEND HIM THIS SITE AND SEE WHAT HE CAN DO. I REMEMBER ALL THESE NAMES - KURT ORTNER, DENNIS FLETCHER, GUY COUTURE, ETC. Bring photos if you can - of these trips and any other trips, concerts, music classes, etc. I can only find about 2 pictures from Europe, but I know Lyndsay Hull has some. It'd be great to have photos scanned if possible so we can exchange them. Some people already listed here someplace are Sharon-Gay and Delta Johnson, Deanna Harper, Kurt Ortner, Ed Fletcher, Nancy Arthur (who left one or two really enthusiastic messages, and sounds just the same). I might have missed a few - there are lots of names in the guestbook. I'm sure lots of others will be there too. Anyone want to suggest a meeting point?
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Annabelle Richardson
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Post by Annabelle Richardson on May 12, 2007 4:14:30 GMT -5
Spread the Word: A decision has been made - Band and Choir get together will be held on Saturday June the 23 rd from 3:00 to ? Mark and I will provide a BBQ (5 ish), refreshments (but in keeping with the theme of reminiscing about our youth it will be a BYOB event), and, since it's June, we will have fresh Strawberries for dessert. Is anyone interested in bringing a Chocolate Fondue? As mentioned in an earlier message we will have a spot set up for viewing photos, slides etc. Volunteer needed: Who has fairly neat printing? Mark and I definitely do not qualify for this! We need someone to post a message in the 'decades' rooms concerning this get together. Please let me know if anyone is willing to do this on the Friday evening. Our address is 14 Clarendon Ave. We are located fairly close to where Clarendon meets Wellington (three houses down and across the street from where Carvers Drug Store used to be). Looking forward to seeing everyone then, Annabelle
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Post by Kurt Ortner on May 18, 2007 21:13:09 GMT -5
Hi all ;D Kurt Ortner here. ... Music was my life in high school and I have many fond memories of all the trips we took (Oakville, Halifax, and the B.C./Alberta trip to name a few). I'll never forget getting hammered in Calgary on a band trip (thanks to our trumpet player who looked old enough to buy us all liquor). Joe Irvine was soooooo drunk and we were all walking down the calgary pedestrian mall, stumbled into a restaurant only to find Mr. D and other chaperones having a bite to eat. They were suitably unimpressed and told us all to get back to the hotel pronto. We just made it into the room when Joe threw up all over the place!! After cleaning up as best I could I lit some incense and not a minute later Mrs. Oak was pounding at the door. She stormed in and smelling the incense thought we were smoking drugs. She threatened to send us all back to Ottawa but relented the next day. Looking forward to seeing all of my old band mates...Liz Zuana, Nancy and Dave Arthur, Margo Phillips, Dennis Fletcher to name just a few. I'll be there with Ron Hamelin, Neil Cumming and Ed Fletcher.
Till then..............
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Post by Kurt Ortner on May 18, 2007 21:28:47 GMT -5
Hi Guys Kurt Here again... I forgot to leave some details of my life history. I've been happily married to my lovely Wife Anne for 16 years. We both work at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls as table games Floor Supervisors and have been here since 1996. Just got back from Las Vegas where we actually made a profit!! I no longer play the sax. Kind of lost interest after graduating and losing all my band mates. I'm so looking forward to meeting you all! Did someone mention a pre party party for the band? I'd be interested in attending for sure. Hey Margo....give me a call sometime. (905) 374-1275 after 9PM any day. GO SENS!!!!!!!!
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Post by Rolf Clack on May 19, 2007 4:28:32 GMT -5
Kurt, great to hear from you! Sad to hear you stopped playing the sax though. I still remember at an assembly one time you went on stage and played "colour my world" solo. And as if that wasn't impressive enough, Dave Arthur announced right afterwards that you had just figured that out on the spot!! I was going to ask you to do a repeat performance at Annabelle & Mark's place! (C'mon, you can do it... that's the kind of talent you're born with, you haven't lost it!!)
By the way, have found / heard from Liz Zuana? I think the others you mention are already on board. (I heard a rumour that Dave A might not be coming after all, but I'm hoping it's just a horrible lie. Dave - you HAVE to be there. You are the soul and the center of the band for the 70s.) I saw that Grey Hamilton's sister wrote something. I still remember him anxiously tuning the timpani before the beginning of Sabre Danse during a concert.
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