I met Norman one Sunday morning in 1958 at church in Edmonton, Alberta. Before moving from Ontario to attend summer school at the University of Alberta, I had written to him. He invited me to his home for dinner with his family and a family friend. It was about twenty years later when he was at our house for a meal. On that occasion, I was happy to show him my collection of railroad books. On the cover of one of the books was the picture of a locomotive that he had driven. Most of our relationship with Norman involved our church work. It has been a pleasant relationship. I would like to thank Norman for the use of his autobiography notes in preparing part of this chapter.
Oakley Duff
Spencerville, Ontario, Canada
What a difference one hour and one-half can make in a volatile city! It was peaceful when Oakley, Vonne, and Skylar set out from their home in Islamabad, Pakistan, on their way to do some shopping. It was so different when they were returning home. A violent demonstration had broken out, but now the mob had been dispersed by the authorities. On the street were tear gas, fires, and rocks. Some streets were blocked by barbed wire. It was so unnerving, unlike what the family had ever seen! Oakley was quite concerned that his family could be caught in a violent confrontation as they tried to make their way home. It was necessary to detour through side streets, not knowing whether or when they might encounter the demonstrators and authorities - dodging fires and rocks in the street much of the way. Fortunately, they avoided direct confrontation and eventually reached home safely and without incident. What a relief it was to be home!
Oakley was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada, a town southeast of London and southwest of Hamilton, and a short distance north of Lake Erie.
He began his formal education at Corinth Public School, a two-room rural school located near the hamlet of Corinth, a few miles from Tillsonburg. From Aylmer, he has his clearest high school memory. On November 22, 1963, at the end of the school day during extra curricular activities, the news of the announcement of President Kennedy’s assassination passed quickly from one student to another. Oakley remembers hearing the news from a friend as he left a meeting of the school’s United Nations Club. Many students gathered around a radio to listen to the reports. Everyone was shocked and saddened by the news.
Oakley earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degree from the University of Toronto. While a student, he had his most memorable experience in university. It was a near death experience that a group of four students had while driving to Boston University from Toronto in the winter of 1967 for a student exchange week. Somewhere on the expressway in Massachusetts, the driver was forced to brake suddenly, resulting in the car spinning out of control. It turned a full 360 degrees, somehow missing traffic behind it, veered across the median and over the lanes going the other way, skittered through the oncoming traffic, and then careened down a steep embankment into a field, where it spun around again before coming to a stop. It was a miracle that the car avoided a collision and did not upset. None of the group was hurt, but all were in a state of shock. Amazingly, the students managed to push/drive the car back up to the highway and to continue their trip to Boston unscathed.
The trip home was no joy either. Near Buffalo, New York, they encountered a fierce snow storm that slowed them down considerably. With great relief, they finally returned safely to the university in Toronto. Their guardian angels certainly protected them on that trip!
Oakley speaks English, but can read French fairly well. He has managed well in the numerous countries where he has lived and visited.
He worked as an immigration officer for the Canadian Government and self-employed as a migration management consultant as follows.
He lived and worked for two years or more while employed with the Canadian Government in Canada, Hong Kong, South Africa, Poland, Netherlands, and Pakistan. He worked for periods of one week to three months while employed with the Canadian Government in Trinidad, Guyana, Barbados, Macau, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, United States, Eire, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, China, and India. He was diplomatically accredited to Denmark, Norway, and Iceland; but he did not visit these countries. He worked on projects for periods of one to three months in Canada and of one week to one month each while self-employed in Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Australia, East Timor, and Sri Lanka.
While he was an immigration officer, he had numerous memorable experiences, in Canada and abroad.
Very early in his immigration career, in 1972, in White Rock, British Columbia, on the United States - Canada border, he met an interesting personality. In addition to inspecting travelers entering Canada by car at the Douglas/Blaine (Peace Arch) border crossing and at the adjacent Pacific Highway truck/bus/car crossing, the officers also inspected train passengers traveling from Seattle to Vancouver. The train stopped in the nearby city of White Rock, where Canada Customs and Immigration officers boarded it to conduct inspections.
One evening during the train inspection, Oakley had occasion to check a dear, little, old lady. She was in her seventies, white-haired, and looked very fragile. More than thirty years later, he still can see and hear her clearly and remember her name. Although she likely has passed on by now, for privacy reasons, he refers to her here only as Edith W. or Mrs. W.
The standard first questions during immigration inspections are, “Where do you live?”, “What is your citizenship?” and (if a foreigner) “Where are you going?” and “What is the purpose of your trip?” In reply to these questions, Mrs. W. exclaimed, “Edith W. I am an American citizen and I am going to Westminster to be canonized. I stand upon the legal law, the legal law, the constitution of the United States!”
Now the stated purpose was rather unusual, as was the vigour with which it was stated, particularly coming from a frail-looking senior citizen. His subsequent questions seeking clarification and requesting identity documents received the same response. It rapidly became clear that the poor lady was demented and that she could neither be inspected properly on the train, nor be allowed to continue on to Vancouver.
Oakley politely asked her to accompany him off the train to sort out her plans in the office in the train station. However, she shrilly refused to move from her seat. Of course, he wanted to treat this fragile-looking (but quite balmy) elderly lady with dignity and respect, but he had to remove her from the train. Wishing to avoid the application of physical force (especially against a little old lady), he disembarked and telephoned from the train station for a female officer to come over from the Douglas office in the hope that she might be able to persuade poor Mrs. W. to disembark. A few minutes later, his female colleague, Rose, arrived; but she could not get sweet Mrs. W. to move either.
By this time, all the other inspections were finished and the train was ready to leave. Somehow, they had to take Edith W. off the train. But she was adamant that she was going to Westminster to be canonized and stood “upon the legal law, the legal law, the Constitution of the United States!” She was also attracting the curious attention of the other passengers in the railway coach.
Finally, Oakley took her bag from the overhead rack and started to walk off the train with it. At this, she jumped up, seized the other end of the bag and tried to snatch it away from him. Surprised at how spry she really was, he instinctively backed up, still holding the bag. She followed, still hanging on to her bag, chanting “The legal law, the legal law, the Constitution of the United States!” He kept on backing up, pulling the bag with her attached, followed by his intrepid colleague, Rose, who ensured that Mrs. W. could not return to her seat. He backed all the way to the train door, climbed down the steps backward, and retreated backwards into the station, with the bag in his hands and Edith W. clutching the other end, while Rose followed behind her.
Eventually, they placed Mrs. W. and her bag (fortunately she would not be parted from it) into a car and took her back to the United States immigration office. The U.S. authorities subsequently put her on a bus to Seattle. Later, Oakley learned that she had tried to enter Canada the night before on a bus at Pacific Highway and one of his immigration colleagues there also had a terrible time in sending her back to the U.S. side. Altogether, for such a sweet-appearing, little old lady, she presented one of the most bizarre experiences that Oakley had in his career.
One experience that he had in China in 1987 probably contributed indirectly to his decision a few years later to become a vegetarian. At that time, he was managing the immigration office at Vancouver International Airport. Along with Mark, a former Foreign Service colleague who was then posted in Hong Kong, the department selected Oakley to represent Canada in an exchange visit with immigration officials from China. The immigration managers from Beijing and Shanghai Airports first came to Vancouver to observe the Canadian operations and then Mark and Oakley visited Shanghai and Beijing. Included in the exchange were the inevitable official dinners and tours. No doubt their Chinese counterparts found some of their experiences in Vancouver as remarkable as the two Canadians did in China.
Shanghai was memorable particularly for a dinner that their Chinese counterparts hosted in honour of their guests. The Chinese are very hospitable and offer an amazing variety of delicacies, some of which are unusual to Western tastes. The host will also select specialties and place them onto the plate of their guests. Good manners require that the guests not only eat them, but also give convincing evidence of having enjoyed them. The latter, of course, results in more treats being added to the plates. Mark and Oakley, though both Foreign Service veterans and familiar with Chinese customs and culinary experience, were not culinary adventurers; and the latter did not even like sea food.
The Shanghai specialties turned out to be river eel and sea cucumber. The river eels resembled (and maybe were) a mess of worms. The sea cucumber - no vegetable - was a close imitation of a six-inch (15 cm) grey slug. Fortunately, neither the eels nor cucumbers were moving. The Canadians looked at each and studiously avoided helping themselves to either of the exotic dishes, concentrating on the noodles and more familiar Chinese dishes. However, they were not going to avoid the issue that easily!
Noticing that their guests had not sampled Shanghai’s best, the host carefully selected appetizing morsels from each of the dreaded dishes. With great ceremony, he deposited them onto the plates, urging them to enjoy the esteemed local specialties. Looking at each other with resignation and not a little trepidation, Mark and Oakley sampled the fare. Trying to avoid the texture and taste, Oakley swallowed the eel portions unchewed, washing them down with copious drinks. With considerable effort, he managed to keep them down. As they were quite crispy, the sea cucumbers were more of a challenge. Oakley still distinctly remembers the crunch as he had to chew them somewhat before again washing them down with a drink. How unsavoury they must have been!
They managed to survive the dinner by sampling a couple rounds of the host’s gracious offerings. However, Oakley doubts that the host was convinced that they really liked those local specialties. Afterwards, the two Canadians agreed that dinner was one of their most challenging experiences in representing Canada abroad. Comparing that with street riots, it must have been a horrendous experience!
Oakley has had occasion to meet heads of state and heads of government.
Mrs. Leger (acting as Governor-General during her husband’s illness) at a 1974 reception for Canadian Foreign Service Officers;
Pierre Trudeau, during his visit to Trinidad in 1975;
Jean Chrétien, during his visits to Netherlands and Pakistan in the 1990s.
He and his wife Vonne were invited to meet the Dutch Queen in 1995, but instead they had to return to Ottawa to attend a necessary meeting.
He noted that the single most common reason for immigrants wanting to come to Canada was to achieve a better life for themselves and their family (opportunities for employment, education, safety/security, social mobility, and quality of life).
The Netherlands was the country in which he felt most comfortable. He enjoyed the people (Dutch and ex-patriots) and the work. He found the European life style very pleasant. Availability of vegetarian foods and ease of travel to nearby European countries were other positive factors.
On the negative side, he felt concern for the safety of his family on at least two occasions in Pakistan. One is related above. The other one was the bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad early in their posting in Pakistan. At the time, Oakley was on business in Karachi. When he heard about the bombings during a meeting with Pakistani government officials, he was worried that family and colleagues may have been injured. As it turned out, many at the Egyptian Embassy were killed. Fortunately, no one at the Canadian mission was killed or injured. However, the Canadian mission’s windows were blown out; and a large pane of glass hit his assistant’s desk, which fortuitously he had vacated just moments before. For months until they left Pakistan, the bombed-out shell of the Egyptian Embassy reminded them every time that they passed it (which was frequent) of the vulnerability of life.
Oakley has encountered many impressive and helpful people throughout the years. Probably, the one who had the most positive effect on his career and life path was Lorne Hanson, the BC/Yukon regional Director of Immigration for whom he worked in Vancouver, British Columbia, from 1983 to 1988. A former RCMP officer, he exerted strong leadership in the regional immigration department by example, encouragement, and stimulation of excellence and imagination in his staff.
Given his policing and Security Service background, Lorne took keen interest in the Immigration Intelligence Section, which Oakley then headed. He knew that his section always had to be on top of any person, issue, or event that might affect immigration in the region, as Lorne expected it and was extremely well-informed. As Lorne personally knew all the senior officials of every law enforcement agency in his region and the neighbouring United States, he expected that Oakley’s section would be similarly plugged in. His support and expectations of the highest performance contributed significantly to Oakley’s professional growth in this role and to the reputation their section gained throughout the department and other law enforcement agencies.
After leaving Oakley in that position for a few years until a potential successor was groomed, Lorne told him that it was time to expand his horizons and accept other assignments. Although Oakley had a wide range of experience, Lorne told him that he could do more - in fact, anything to which he put his mind.
Therefore, Oakley accepted a series of assignments over the next few years that considerably expanded his horizons and changed the course of his life. Those assignments gave him experience in operational management, project development, and coordination. Those experiences proved invaluable when he eventually left government service and went into migration management consulting in his own company. As well, one of those assignments that Lorne arranged took Oakley to Ottawa, where he met his wife, Vonne. He will always remember and appreciate Lorne Hanson as a positive force in his life.
He takes satisfaction in contributing to a number of accomplishments during his work career. Some of these involved the successful resolution of complex or high-profile cases or the completion of challenging projects and programmes in his immigration career. However, he feels that the most meaningful and enduring accomplishments relate to the selection, training, and development of personnel whom he had the opportunity to help grow and advance professionally.
At the Canadian mission in Hong Kong, he worked with one secretary who had a previous record of performance problems. Over time, the two established a good working relationship and her performance improved. She later immigrated to Canada and became a productive Canadian citizen, eventually working as an immigration officer in Toronto. Another clerk in the Canadian Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, whom he hired for a new anti-fraud and liaison position, rose to its challenges and grew in the job. Later, he joined the Dutch immigration service to help establish and supervise a similar function.
In Vancouver, he hired three intelligence analysts who developed into the most highly respected immigration intelligence unit in Canada - with a worldwide reputation. Over the years, they have advanced through successful immigration careers in senior assignments in Vancouver, Ottawa, and Canadian embassies around the world. Another officer who had some performance issues while Oakley was managing the immigration office at Vancouver Airport responded positively to his suggestions for performance improvements in succeeding appraisal reports. He overcame the identified issues and later was promoted to a senior adviser position in the region.
These and other people with whom he has worked over the years all had innate talent that only needed encouragement, some guidance, and the opportunity to learn and grow. Their contributions over the years are far greater than anything that Oakley could have accomplished by himself. He is grateful that he had the opportunity to work with them and to contribute in a small way to their successes.
On a personal level, Oakley would like to have been (and to be) a better husband, parent, sibling, friend, neighbour, community worker, and citizen. On a professional level, he would like to have been a better immigration officer and consultant. His life is still a work in progress and he intends to continue to work with and for purpose in his life. Professionally, too, he can effect more success.
An example of one professional area is in his overseas consulting in capacity building in third world immigration services. This work has involved assessing the current capacity of those services (institutions, legislation, procedures, systems, resources, facilities, equipment, and national documents) and recommending improvements. While these assessments have resulted in projects being launched to introduce the suggested improvements, his involvement has usually ended after submission of the report. He believes that more could have been accomplished in the implementation of those projects through ongoing involvement and will try to negotiate such participation in future work.
Oakley’s philosophy of life has evolved through various stages and influences into a growing awareness of the spiritual nature of being. He believes that all of us emanate from and are part of a universal Source (God) to Whom there are many paths of enlightenment. Starting with a fundamentalist Christian upbringing, he later reacted against its ritual, but still retains many of its tenets. In university, he was exposed to the readings of philosophy, particularly existentialism, and drifted to agnosticism. As he matured, he continued to feel uncomfortable with the rituals of established churches, but found common elements in the various world religions - Hindu, Buddhist, Judaic, Christian, Islamic - and New Age writings. Those elements, along with life’s experiences, have contributed to his current philosophy of life, which continues to evolve as he tries to expand his understanding.
He has taken many trips that have been memorable through meeting people of different cultures and nationalities, learning something of foreign countries and seeing new and interesting sights. Included are the postings and business trips to the above-mentioned countries, plus tourism in Canada, USA, Philippines, Spain, Gibraltar, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Tunisia, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Antigua, St. Lucia, Mexico, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, England, and Wales. Travel in the following countries was especially memorable:
Canada - for the expanse and natural grandeur experienced on several cross-country trips - hitch-hiking and by train as a youth; and by driving and by air as an adult, particularly the British Columbia mountains and Yukon (Gold Rush Trail of 98);
Greece (the Parthenon, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora) - for the history and spectacular scenery of Classical Greece;
Eastern Europe (Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, and the routes from one to another) - for the beauty and history of the cities and the considerable political/economic/social changes from first visits in the early 1980s (characterized by a repressive atmosphere and scarcity of consumer goods) to subsequent visits in mid 1990s (finding more openness and spread of consumerism symbolized by proliferation of McDonalds restaurants);
United Kingdom - for its history and natural beauty, especially in Scotland (Highlands, Edinburgh/Stirling castles), but as in Europe generally, characterized by a noticeable attitude of reserve, compared with North America.
Oakley enjoys hockey, football (participation when young, watching when older); hiking and camping (when young); making/maintaining a skating rink in the front yard for their son (each winter recently); travel (including associated research and planning); reading (all his life); and crossword/Sudoku puzzles.
Oakley would like to express his feelings about an experience that was very difficult for him and his family. Possibly this experience will be of help to someone who reads it.
The experience which has had the greatest impact in his life is the suicide in 2005 of his step-daughter, Tristen Janaya Solís. Though not his biological daughter, Janaya was part of his immediate family and his daughter in fact for fifteen of her twenty-two years on this earth.
The death of any loved one is difficult for the survivors to deal with, and the associated grief is not to be minimized. However, the loss of a child, whether infant or adult, is especially crushing and life-changing. Nothing is ever the same again! What happened in life before loses importance and relevance. An unanticipated suicide by a young, talented person with so much potential is even more painful - at once bewildering and guilt-inducing.
Nothing prepares a person for this experience. Once into it, books and counselors are of limited or no helpfulness. While the support of family and friends is a positive factor, no one except other grieving parents can fully understand what parents feel and experience following the death of their child. As he and his wife have discovered through peer group meetings, the grieving never ends. Time may bring changes in the nature and intensity of one’s grief, but the wound never completely heals.
Everyone experiences grief differently. His wife’s experience is different from his. Their experiences are different from those of other people. But there are some common elements in grief that people may share.
The loss of a child can shake one’s confidence in all aspects of life and challenge one’s philosophy and faith to the core. Nothing seems secure any more. Purpose and meaning can disappear. Life itself can seem unimportant. The future can be perceived as remote and of little importance. Painful thoughts and memories can intrude unexpectedly at any time. Fears may abound - possible loss of another loved one, how to cope with the external world, how to relate to other people, and other fears. Joy and happiness seem to have fled, with little prospect of ever returning. Despair may prevail over hope.
In his experience, coming to terms with the loss of Janaya is a proverbial work in progress. Coping with grief over time entails acknowledging the pain. Anger has to be expressed. Feelings of guilt need to be acknowledged and expunged. The loss of both the loved one and one’s previous way of life has to be accepted. The need for some purpose in one’s life has to be recognized. A start has to be made towards rebuilding a new self - or rediscovering the true self. Despair must be dissipated. Faith and hope must be nurtured and eventually re-emerge and prevail.
This seems to be a long process, with the steps recurring out of sequence, in a series of setbacks and progress. The path may be winding; but there are signposts along the way, and it need not be traveled alone.
Oakley is my “little” brother. He was only three years old when I left home in Southern Ontario to become a school teacher in Manitoba. I would see him on trips home. When he was twenty years old, he spent a week with me in Edmonton, Alberta, when I was attending summer school. When he was an immigration officer and my family and I were living in Alberta, we saw him and his family between his foreign tours of duty or when he was assigned in British Columbia.
“Join the Navy and see the world.” Oakley joined Canada Immigration and saw the world.
Pamela Nadine Land Duff
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
It was supposed to have been a routine visit for a home health agency nurse to a housing project in a poor area of Dallas, Texas. She had been here a number of times previously to see her patient. She drove into the parking area and was about to leave her car. Suddenly, a vehicle drove up behind her car and hemmed it in! The nurse politely asked the driver to move so that she could visit other patients after finishing here. He was intoxicated and flatly refused. What should she do? People in the houses heard the commotion and promptly evacuated to witness the proceedings. Totally surrounded by African-Americans, she had mixed feelings. “So this is what it feels like to be in a minority.” She thought “I’m dead meat!” One of the men approached her. What will he do? Firmly, he said to Pam, “You go help Mama. We’ll take care of him!” She obeyed without hesitation. She rushed into the unit, hurriedly changed “Mama’s” dressing - barely meeting the sterile technique. It may have taken ten minutes at the most. She rushed to her car. Where were the hordes of people? There was only one woman remaining. Pam thanked her, and the lady nodded. The threatening storm had suddenly dissipated. Gratefully, the nurse proceeded to the home of her next patient.
Although there were other times when her safety might have been in question, she was never hurt. In fact, neighborhood lookouts would sometimes warn her to stay clear as something was about to happen. She always heeded their advice. She feels that they extended this courtesy to her because she treated everyone with respect, regardless of their circumstances.
Pam was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Although she began her public school education in Watrous, Saskatchewan, she attended several schools in the first two years because her mother was in a hospital during that time.
Although she later became a nurse, her first and foremost profession was all that entailed in being in the home. She fed the children the standard diet until one day she realized her oldest child just might be malnourished. She reached that conclusion while she was watching a documentary on Africa in 1968 when her oldest son was about three years old. It was a shock when she saw symptoms of malnourishment attributed to the children in Africa. Her well-fed (so she thought) son looked just like them. How puzzling it was! This set her on a path to determine why his appearance suggested underfeeding when he ate very well. His overactive behaviour was also a concern because it was the main reason his younger sister did not walk at an early age. She was afraid to venture out for fear that this human “tornado” would blow her over.
Pam began to read books by Adelle Davis, since this was before the time of Dr. Feingold and his research into the link between food and behaviour. Thus began the long path of trial and error. For three months, her child was on Ritalin, prescribed by the doctor. As she could not bear to see him acting like a zombie, she terminated the medication, opting instead to focus on his diet.
She read and studied, learning much about food and supplements. As a result, the whole family embarked on a more nutritious path. She and her husband purchased a mill, ground their own grains, and baked their own breads, cakes, and pancakes. Everything which Pam made was “from scratch” because she wanted to know every ingredient that went into her family’s bodies. In time, she became known for her homemade goods, including eight flavours of ice cream, and sold many items at the local Farmers’ Market, which she and her husband helped to establish in their community.
Prevention Magazine wrote an article about her in April 1977. She had had some success with “taming” the hyperactive nature of some children who attended the camps for which she cooked. The parents were pleasantly surprised with their quieter, more focused, children at the end of the week’s camp; but, when they found out that it meant a change in diet, almost all said that it was not worth the effort. That kind of attitude always saddened Pam - almost as much as when she later met a father who divorced his wife instead of stopping smoking when he found that it was causing his son’s asthma attacks.
A number of years later when her husband retired, Pam worked for the Canadian Red Cross in Ontario before she entered nurse training. She remembers a special patient whom she had during that time. The lady was 100 years old and told stories about living near Toronto prior to its becoming a city. She still relished in the thought that her father would allow only her, and not her sister, to drive the horses to town to sell their freshly churned butter. The thing that Pam remembers most about her is the first day when she went to give the lady a bath. She made it quite clear that there was to be no soap used on her face - because it would cause wrinkles.
After Pam’s three children finished high school, she went back to school in Missouri and obtained her degree in nursing. For a few years prior, she had been working as a nurse aide in homes, nursing homes, and hospitals, which she continued to do as she obtained her degree. For a time after graduating, she was one of only a handful of nurses in the United States who was certified in Gerontology.
Pam classifies her professions as housewife, mother, and registered nurse. She worked away from the home some in Alberta and Ontario, Canada, but mostly in Missouri and Texas, United States.
When she began to work full-time, she succumbed to shortcuts, causing her health to suffer as a result. It was not until she had suffered several bouts of heart failure when she was virtually near death, that she revived her interest and knowledge to try to heal herself through proper nutrition. By this time, severe digestive problems had also developed, complete with internal bleeding. In time, through strict diet changes and supplements, she regained her health totally and completely to the point where she could once again return to working part-time. What a turn-around this was! This time, she has the best of both worlds. She combines her nursing knowledge with her nutritional experience and understanding to help others find a formula that might work for them in regaining their health. As she has discovered, what works for one may not work for another; but the key is to keep looking for that unique formula.
There were two major turning points in her life. The first one occurred when she and some other young mothers would meet for “coffee”. They soon recognized that gossip sessions were emerging and decided that this should be avoided. To counter the tendency, they met to learn new crafts. They made many interesting items. This group helped to found the local Farmers’ Market, which became an outlet for the sale of some of their work and other products that they could supply. The whole community benefited from this organization.
Another turning point came early in her nursing career. In what area would she specialize? She had no idea except that she did not like hospitals! Fairly regularly, one particular Alzheimer patient would come in to the hospital where she was working because of an infection. Invariably, the woman would climb out of bed and wander out to the nurses’ station. As this was a nuisance, the nurse in charge of her care would tie her into bed. Pam always despised that practice.
One day, she asked if she could be the patient’s charge nurse for that shift. To prepare, she read her history and found that she had been a nurse. It did not take a “rocket scientist” to figure out why she was continually going out to the nurses’ desk and heading straight for the charts! On that particular day, Pam took her to the nurses’ station in a wheelchair - untethered. She supplied the lady with some empty papers and charts, along with an assortment of pencils and pens. For the entire morning, she sat quietly scribbling, shuffling papers, and opening and closing the empty charts. She even resisted going back to her room and wanted to stay and eat her lunch at the nurses’ desk - “obviously remembering something every nurse has to do at one time or another.” When the other nurses asked Pam why the patient was there, she stated the situation - and then added, “That might be you or I someday.”
All too often nurses become so absorbed in the mechanics of the job that they forget the person behind a diagnosis. It was not long after this incident that Pam left the hospital and started to work in nursing homes, rapidly reaching the administrative level. Later, she went into home health care, where she dealt with the elderly in their own homes. But, no matter where she went, what she did, or how many patients she had since, Pam never forgot that one patient who forever changed the course of her career and her focus for compassion.
Three other patients are credited with teaching her understanding and the need for respecting others. One was “Bill”, an alcoholic who was periodically brought into the psychiatric ward to stabilize. Everyone had trouble with Bill. One night, Pam was called from another floor to see what she could do with him. When she entered his room, he was in a screaming fit and medical staff was trying to tie him down. She sat down beside his bed and watched. Very soon, he calmed down and the others left the room. Pam quietly started to chat with him, mainly because she did not know what else to do. After her 12-hour shift was finished and it was time for her to leave, Bill stunned her by saying, “Thank you.” When she asked him for what, he replied, “For treating me like a person.” Point taken!
The second patient was a young mother who had just given birth. She had had three abortions previously; but, for some reason, she had decided to keep this baby. Pam was told to give her a sheet of instructions and then to leave. When she entered the patient’s room, she saw that the mother was extremely nervous. She asked so many questions that Pam knew that she had to stay for a while. By the time that she had answered all the questions, the mother was much more confident that she could care for this baby whom she had chosen to keep. The lesson learned was that people need help and support to a greater extent than they need judgment.
The third person was a young mother who had just been told that she was being reported for child abuse. The nurses were given instructions that they were not to associate with the mother and were to leave the room immediately after she was told. After all the doctors and nurses, including her, had left the room, this young African-American woman was abandoned to her collapsing world. Pam felt strongly that she must return to the room. She talked with her for a while and encouraged her to accept this as a turning point in her life where she could now obtain the help that she needed. Pam does not know what happened to her, but she does know that the woman helped her to become a more compassionate person instead of a starkly cold “supposed professional”.
A different type of experience occurred when the Age of Steam Railroad Museum in Dallas, Texas, booked the Challenger for a vintage train excursion. Pam was asked to be part of the medical team required for the trip. The other person was an EMT. Confident that nothing ever happens on such trips, she sat back to enjoy the free ride. That was her first mistake! The “All aboard!” call had been sounded only ten minutes earlier when the train suddenly ground to a halt. Tourists and volunteer crew alike tried to find out what the cause was. Eventually, the report came back that this huge steam locomotive had hit someone. Pam ran back and discovered that her colleague was discussing whether or not they should be involved. Since she is one who always becomes involved, there was nothing to discuss. She pushed him out the door and said that they would sort out the ramifications later. That was her second mistake! As they performed CPR on the man, news helicopters circled overhead and people were gathering round. By the time that the rescue squad appeared on the scene, they knew it was a lost cause; but they had to keep going. Needless to say, she does not remember much of the rest of the excursion; but, after this traumatic experience, she remained cautious whenever she was asked to “come along for a free ride.”
On another occasion, she was scheduled to attend a nursing seminar west of Fort Worth, Texas. As she drove along the back roads with no idea where she might be, the inevitable happened - a very rare flat tire. Who does she call? 911. Of course, the dispatch had to ask for her location - as if she knew. Miraculously, a sheriff deputy appeared some minutes later and repaired the tire. What a pleasant relief that was! He said it was easier for him to do that than to give her directions where she could go for repairs. How DID he know??? She did not say that she had never changed a flat tire. Nor did she say that she had never been in this part of Texas. She thanked the deputy profusely and continued on her way, having another miracle occur when she found where she was supposed to be - even though a little late for the opening of the seminar.
After developing heart problems and having to leave the nursing profession, her digestion deteriorated to the point where she could eat only a few different foods. She could no longer tolerate grains of any kind, milk, and most fruits and vegetables. For about two years, she consistently lost weight to the point where it scared everyone.
Once again, she literally gave up on life; but Duane, as in the past she says, kept encouraging her to find a solution. Here she was, helping others from around the world who wrote to the family’s website; but she was unable to find what would help her. One day when she was in a health food store, she lamented the fact that she had tried everything. “Have you tried L-glutamine?” the clerk asked. With a “ho-hum-here-we-go-again” attitude, she decided to try it.
Within two weeks, the bleeding and pain had stopped. For her, this was the turning point. For others, it may take something else. From this experience, she really knew for certain that each person has to find his/her own combination for healing. What works for one may not work for another. Unfortunately, this technique takes time, money, and the will to keep trying.
Today, Pamela is back at work, but in a totally different capacity - working in the health food industry part-time. Using her nursing knowledge of disease and its progression, she is better able to match a specific need with nutrients that should help in the healing process. Since the body is comprised of nutrients, it is obvious that it needs them in order to heal itself. It does not need drugs with one active, foreign ingredient that will only mask symptoms at best and always create side effects. However, there are times when drugs are necessary. During these times, it is crucial that nutrients are also added. Unfortunately, most medical personnel have not been taught about nutrition. They have been taught only about disease processes and related drug therapies.
Pam also volunteers. This activity began with the answering of a call from “People Helping People” for a retired nurse to hold a blood pressure clinic once a month in a low-income housing unit. That quickly escalated to two each month and several mornings in the office counseling residents. However, she is not one to stay in an office. It was the same when she was a nursing director. She made sure that she was out with staff and patients so that she would know what was happening in her facility. That meant that there were no surprises when officials showed up. In her current volunteer role, she soon began to mingle with the people, trying to understand their needs. As a result, she and the project coordinator, Aziza Sleightholm, have been able to develop several ongoing programmes and seminars.
Over the years, traveling throughout Canada and the United States, especially during the summer vacations from school, provided its memorable moments, many of which were created because her family drove and tented along the way. Setting up camp was always a challenge because of weather, terrain, mosquitoes, and three small children.
Since Duane would plan out their route weeks in advance, Pam neglected to update her memory bank on one occasion. He told her that they would be camping in a certain place that had only cold showers. “Fine,” she said. Later on, when they arrived at that place, they could not tent there because the grounds were temporarily closed. Thus, they continued on to another place not far away.
She and her daughter Janet went to take their showers - in cold water. When they emerged, Duane and the boys were there looking all refreshed while the other two were shivering and miserable. When Pam asked why they were looking so happy, they said the showers were nice and hot. Wondering why the men had hot showers and not the women, she went back to the shower room; and, sure enough, much to her disgust, right there beside the cold water tap was one labeled “Hot”. They had not thought to look after being told there would be only cold showers. Janet was not a happy camper at that point! How could her mother do that to her? However, Pam learned a valuable lesson - if all else fails, look.
A most memorable trip for Pam and Duane was one to Cambridge, England. They flew over as guests of Tyndale House, a Biblical research centre, to deliver five large boxes of books that they donated to its library. The couple was taken on tours of various university libraries and was left speechless by the number of ancient books. The oldest one which they saw was printed in 800 CE. The architecture of the buildings was overwhelming. They were also pleasantly surprised with the politeness of the people everywhere that they went.
Mexico was another place where Pam and her family learned much. Wherever they went, it amazed and humbled them that the people were so eager to share what little they had even though they knew that their visitors had much more. The people give new meaning to “reuse and recycle” - an attitude that puts industrialized nations to shame. The family is much more conscious of waste, whether it be the water they use, the food they eat, or even the furniture in their homes. Now, they have only what is absolutely needed. Knick-knacks no longer clutter their living space. This is a country that is still near and dear to their hearts.
Pam feels that the only person who has had a significant effect on her life is her husband Duane. This is how she describes him.
“I met him when I was eighteen years old. Six months later, in 1964, after seeing him only five times, we married. Because of his infinite patience, I am who I am today. Duane took a head-strong teenager and turned her into a valuable member of society. Even though there is a fifteen-year age difference, and likely because of it, I had, and still maintain, a high respect for him. Through the years, he has helped me learn many things and has encouraged me in whatever challenge I wanted to accept. His kindness, wisdom, and selflessness have, understandably, drawn many to him, including me. I am very honoured by the fact that he chose me to be his wife.”
Pam feels that her greatest accomplishment in life has been teaching her children to be independent, although she admits she has very mixed feelings about this. Nevertheless, she would like to have been a better parent. As it stands now, she feels she makes a much better grandmother.
Pam’s main philosophy is that too many little things interfere in relationships. People concentrate too much on the negative or the slightest hurt rather than on the positive. As a result, grudges are formed and relationships damaged. Mistakes will always be made by everyone. How these are handled will determine how happy we are or can become. Most things are trivial, but it is often these that can scar people for life.
Another mistake that is often made is placing people into “boxes” and judging them according to our perception of that particular box. We do it with religions, political biases, educational levels, governments, food preferences, and virtually any belief; all the while maintaining our own right to believe and to practise whatever suits us. Yet, we do not extend the same courtesy to others to do likewise. How hypocritical! Only a few people are able to accept another person fully despite differing viewpoints. We need more such people in the world today. It would then be a better, more peaceful place to live.
I met Pamela at a church institute in her home town of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, when I was living in Alberta. As she has stated, we married very soon. We experienced a stretched-out honeymoon, including a month in Seattle, Washington, as I studied three courses at the University of Washington. She has done well in living with a husband who was very shy for years and who is very conservative in his ways. Her support in what I and our family have done is much appreciated by everyone involved. Although we sometimes have a friendly debate over who asked whom to marry, I am happy that we met and have stayed together for over forty-two years ... and counting.
Peter R. E. Louw
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Peter and Millie were on a cruise ship from Cape Town, South Africa, to Southampton, England. At dinner one night, the Captain made an announcement. The ship would be entering notorious Bay of Biscay, off the coast of France, the next day. He asked all of the passengers to have their packing completed because they may not feel very well later.
Well, he was right! That day through the bay will never be forgotten. It is as if it had happened yesterday. The Edinburgh Castle was a big ship. However, the sea was so rough that all the hatches were locked down and the passengers were not allowed to be on the deck at all. A freighter was passing in the opposite direction. Its bow would be lifted high out of the water and then it would come down with water rushing right over it. Peter and Millie found walking upstairs delightful because they could hold one foot up and the steps would come up under it.
The dining room was a totally different place now. First of all, the table cloths were all wet. The edge of the table now had a little ledge to protect the plates from sliding off. The ship was being tossed around so badly. One moment, these two passengers were climbing a hill - and the next moment, they were running downhill. Can you imagine the poor waiter with the high loads of plates? There were many fish and barons of beef on the carpet that day.
Peter was born in Welton, a suburb of Cape Town. Cape Town is the legislative capital of the Republic of South Africa. South Africa is located south of the Tropic of Capricorn. It is bordered on the west coast by the cold Atlantic Ocean and on the east coast by the warm Indian Ocean. These two oceans meet at Cape Point, which is the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula, on which the city of Cape Town is situated.
He started attending school in January 1940 at Battswood Primary School. The school was located in the suburb of Wynberg, which was about three miles from Welton. To go to school, he, his sister, and their friends had to walk every day. He received all of his education at Battswood School in Wynberg. This institution was an outreach of the Dutch Reform Church. Battswood had primary and secondary grades and a training college for teachers. Thus, after graduating from Standard Eight (grade 10), he entered the training college to commence his teacher education.
In 1953, Peter graduated as a teacher with a Primary Lower Certificate, which gave him a licence to teach up to grade 7. After ten years of teaching, he began work on his Grades 11 and 12 Certificate. He successfully completed the six subjects. Following this, he began the immigration proceedings to come to Canada.
After he had obtained a teaching position in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, he started work on his Bachelor of Education degree at University of British Columbia, completing it in 1976. A few years later, he completed his fifth year honours programme. Then, in 1988, he completed a Diploma of Psychology Counseling, also from UBC.
In his formative years, his first language was Afrikaans, and English was his second language. The South African education system was so set up that all schools had to teach both official languages. Battswood, therefore, was an English-medium school, which meant that all subjects were taught in English. Afrikaans would be taught as a second language.
The South African government policy allowed only whites to join the army. Blacks and non-whites could not handle guns and, therefore, joined to be lackeys or servants to the white soldiers. One of the first things that the newly-elected Nationalist government did in 1948 was to disenfranchise the non-whites. Therefore, not having a vote, they could not take part in politics.
As stated earlier, Peter trained as a teacher in Cape Town. The last three years there, he was principal of a school. He resigned from his school as he was waiting on his Canadian visa to arrive. During this period, he joined the subsidiary of International Harvester in Cape Town. His work there was in marketing, by which he was able to make contact with IH companies in Canada. He corresponded and sent merchandise pamphlets all across Canada. Little did he know at that time that, later, he would be teaching in Chilliwack for thirty years. Kish Equipment in Chilliwack was on his mailing list.
He remembers going to Hamilton, Ontario, during the week that he and Millie arrived in Canada. If he were unable to obtain a teacher job, he thought that he could perhaps secure a marketing position with one of the Canadian IH companies. Fortunately, he did not have to do any job searches.
When he arrived in Calgary, Alberta, in December 1968, he had an interview with the principal of Currie Junior High School. Within minutes, he started teaching two weeks before Christmas 1968.
Both Peter and Millie enjoy traveling. Ever since they met, they have gone somewhere on holiday. As a teacher in South Africa, he received three furlough months after ten years of teaching. When his first ten years furlough was available, they decided to travel to England. They took their eldest son, Keith, who was five years old, with them.
They sailed from Cape Town on Friday, December 18, 1964. The cruise would take fourteen days. It was a wonderful experience as there were so many new things to learn. Life on the sea was so different. Everything was carried out according to a strict line of commands. The decks were cleaned regularly, and the handrails around the ship were constantly wiped and cleaned.
Dining on board was a dream. They could eat their way through the whole menu. It was so beautiful just to sit there and be waited on for fourteen days - with no tables to clear or decks to wash. There were many deck games in which to take part. There was also an excellent library where one could spend hours.
Having taught his students about the equator, it was a special moment for Peter when it was announced that they would be crossing the line at a certain time. He remembers taking a drink with him and going on deck. There he stood - downing his drink - of course, seeing only the ocean - no line to cross. Nevertheless, the very thought was so inspiring. One reads or learns about certain things; but when one actually experiences them, one is awe-struck. Their son took part in the first crossing of the line ceremony. It was beautiful to see King Neptune and his mermaids.
For Christmas Day, the crew prepared the dining room for Santa’s arrival. They built a fireplace with a long chimney in front of the elevator. So, when Santa arrived, the elevator door opened and he came through the chimney.
On this trip, they also saw the island of Madeira. This was another fort. At first, all that they could see was a mountain in the sea. As we came closer, they could see fields, streets, and buildings. They also had the opportunity to taste the Madeira wines and cheeses. After a few hours on land, they boarded their ship again. The next day, they experienced the infamous Bay of Biscay event.
The fourteen days were now at their end. The ship steamed into Southampton harbour on January 1, 1965. Oh, they were so excited! As a child listening to the BBC radio, London was so far from Peter. Ah, here they were on English soil! Now they had three months ahead of them to enjoy. Every day was going to bring a new experience - a new happening. Oh, so exciting it would be!
This was definitely a memorable trip! They traveled about in London using the tube (subway), train, and red buses (double-deckers). Peter had a visitor’s guide map that showed all the places of interest. He and Millie walked Oxford Street, Fleet Street, and the Strand, and visited Westminster Abbey, the Parliament House, and the cottage of Samuel Johnson (one of England’s greatest literary figures) - and the list can go on.
In 1965, they watched the telly (television) for the first time. Peter had said that it would be interesting to watch if something spectacular should happen. His wish was fulfilled. Sir Winston Churchill died that January. What a learning experience it was to watch the proceedings!
Next, they booked a continental trip - and here Peter really lost it completely. It was so fascinating! They saw the fabled white cliffs of Dover as they left on the ferry crossing. Then, they set foot on another continent. Europe was waiting for them. They landed in Belgium, and from there they traveled to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. In Austria, they enjoyed playing in the snow.
A few weeks later, they arrived in Paris, where they stayed for three days. This was all a dream from which this family did not want to awaken. From Paris, they traveled on a fast train to Amsterdam. For three days, they toured Holland. The colourful tulip fields were stunning. An interesting tour took them through a very tightly secured building to see, working in action, one of the many diamond-cutting factories. There were no free samples for visitors. Their guide also took them to a large house that served as home, barn, and cheese-making factory.
Peter’s days in the classroom were destined to change drastically as a result of the many new things that he learned. This had been a most educational adventure.
As a student, he had many good experiences. He was looked upon as a leader and often was elected to lead one group or another. He was head prefect for three years and was the bell monitor, controlling over 500 students and 48 teachers.
A memorable experience that he had during his life’s work was when he became principal of a ten-teacher school. He had been vice-principal for three years when he went on furlough. When he returned from England, the school was in chaos. His principal was tired and washed out. After the first three days, Peter embarked on an inspection of the school, after which he warned his principal that, if an official school inspection were held, heads would roll. At week’s end the inevitable took place. The local inspector arrived to announce that he would be in on Monday morning for a general inspection of the school.
To understand the significance, Peter explains what a general inspection in a coloured South African school entailed. The inspector was a “white”, usually a Nationalist. He normally treated the staff “like dirt”. He inspected all the children’s books, checked the teacher’s record book to see if the teacher were at the right place in the annual plans, and might even inspect the cupboards. Depending on his mood that day, he could be very demanding and could drive a teacher “up the pole”.
On Thursday, the inspection was announced. On Friday, the staff went home for the weekend. On Sunday morning after church, the principal’s son brought Peter the school keys. The principal was hospitalized, and Peter had to face the inspector the next day. Fortunately, he had prepared his work thoroughly. Therefore, when he was questioned by the inspector, he could tell him what to expect. After two grueling weeks, the inspection was completed. Peter pointed out to the staff what was lacking. Together, they studied the suggested guidelines and prepared themselves for future inspections.
Peter had a wonderful time trying new approaches to teaching. All of these things paid off and the school grew.
The one person that Peter really worshiped was Dr. Edgar Maurice. He met this teacher when he was in grade 7. Dr. Maurice taught English and geography and had a terrible reputation for punishment of students.
It was during the same year that Peter changed his hairstyle from a boy’s cut to a big man’s style. As Cape Town is a very windy place to keep one’s hair in place, solid brilliantine was used.
One day during lunch hour, he went to the barber and had a neck trim done. Dr. Maurice was coming to this class after lunch. When he walked in, he came over to Peter’s desk and asked if he had had a haircut. Peter replied that he had. The teacher instructed him to return to the barber shop in the afternoon to have a proper haircut. Of course, the young boy refused. The teacher responded that if he did not have it done, he would do it for his student.
The next day, the consultation was on. Dr. Maurice entered the classroom and asked for Peter’s comb. He then procured a pair of scissors from another student and proceeded to perform the haircut. At the end of the ordeal, he gave the boy money to buy a bottle of Vitalis. Peter’s use of Vitalis continues today. What made Peter more upset was when - as we were walking to school the next day - his sister, who was teaching at the same school, thanked Dr. Maurice for the job he did with the haircut.
In a geography class on another day, this teacher asked how many slices of bread Peter had brought to school. He went through the whole day writing down the numbers on the blackboard. What he was doing was showing how much grain was needed to be grown if one person ate so much bread in one day.
When Peter started to teach, he met with his former teacher and they became greater friends as their interests were coinciding. They were meeting at live theatre performances, and both assisted with the Boys’ Choir in Cape Town. When Peter shared his Canadian plans with him, his teacher told him to immerse himself into the Canadian way of living. Peter told him that he would come back to Cape Town only when he obtained his first university degree.
Dr. Maurice was one person who died too young.
As a teacher in South Africa, he was required to stay on line with the record book and plans for the year. The inspector would check each teacher’s progress to be certain that no one went off on a tangent. This approach would curtail providing independent thinking on the part of both the teacher and the students.
In Canada, however, teachers are given the freedom to experiment and try innovative ideas. Having had that freedom, Peter’s supervisors found him doing things much more differently. He treated his students as equals and stressed consequences for action. He taught a democratic class where students had the right to express their likes and dislikes.
When the Chilliwack School District started its Gifted and Talented Programme, he was very excited. He was invited to be a member of the committee and eventually taught the pilot group at the grade 7 level. This opportunity changed his whole approach to teaching, which became a great success. It was so encouraging when parents asked how he was able to motivate their children. His students would complete their homework and studies before watching television or playing. That, indeed, was an achievement. Fellow teachers came to him trying to find out what he did to motivate students. He thoroughly enjoyed teaching to the fullest.
Having to renounce his South African citizenship was a painful process. This took place as they were preparing to leave for Canada. When they received their Canadian visas, they checked out the procedure to follow. They had their South African passports, but the due date had to be changed. The Passport Central office told them that the process would take six weeks. Thus, Peter and Millie planned everything based on a six-weeks period. First, there was the sale of their home. This was followed by the sale of their car and excess furniture. They called the packers in to pack the crates.
When the six weeks had expired, they contacted the passport office, who told them to phone headquarters in Pretoria. The office in Pretoria informed them that they were not renewing their passports. The alternative was to accept an exit permit. They were told that it could take several months to obtain these.
Their home and their car were sold. The crates were on the high seas to Vancouver. Finally, they visited the passport office and were told that they could receive the permit. The catch, however, was that a permit was not a travel document. The official also informed them that they would have to renounce their citizenship. This process would jeopardize their position because renouncing their citizenship made them prohibitors, which could result in their being put into jail for an indefinite period.
Since Peter and Millie wanted to leave, they did what was required. They were scheduled to sail to England on a Wednesday. Hours before the ship was going to leave, the travel agent informed them that their passage had been cancelled. The only Canadian official in Cape Town was the trade commissioner. He helped them by contacting the Canadian and English ambassadors. The couple received letters from both ambassadors and went back to the travel agents. They re-booked them for the next week on a more expensive ship. That week was totally chaotic, but they “committed their way to the Lord” and knew that everything would work out. So it did.
When they arrived in Southampton, they were called to the Immigration desk and given British passports for their nine-days stay in England. In Toronto, they handed the Canadian ambassador’s letter to the officials. After they had read it, they welcomed Peter and Millie to Canada. In 1974, five years later, they and their son received their Canadian citizenship. O Canada - our home and chosen land!
In March and April 2007, Peter and Millie celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in Cape Town, South Africa.
One day as I was descending in an elevator in our apartment block, a friendly couple spoke to me. When we learned that the husband and I were former school teachers, we stopped to talk before they went to their car and I continued on my way. This couple was Peter and Millie Louw. On arriving back at our apartment, I told my wife Pam about these people. Several days later, I met Peter again as we picked up our mail and invited him and Millie to our apartment. Their visit was the beginning of an important friendship for us. We are in contact in person or via telephone as frequently as our various schedules permit. Since we no longer drive, they have taken us places. Also, when we can, we do various things to help each other. Pam and I are happy to claim Peter and Millie as good friends.
Philip Kynaston Ward
Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
Is there an old school still in operation in your community? Does it have a history prior to 1900? If it does not, consider schools in England that have a rich heritage. One example is Almondbury Grammar School, in Yorkshire. The school was granted a royal charter by James I in 1608, but can trace its history back about a thousand years before that. The original chantry school was closed in 1539 during the reign of Henry VIII when he closed all monastic institutions. A chantry school was operated by the Roman Catholic Church prior to the Reformation in England at the time King Henry VIII. This was where Philip Ward received his early education.
Philip was born in the town of Huddersfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom. He began his education at the school in Netherton - a village in the Huddersfield corporate boundary. From there, he obtained a scholarship to Almondbury Grammar School.
His higher education was commenced in the United Kingdom at the University of Leeds, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Graduate Diploma in Education. It was continued after he arrived in Canada. He attended both the Regina College campus and the Saskatoon campus of the University of Saskatchewan, obtaining a Bachelor of Education (Distinguished) degree and a Master of Education degree. His graduate work was in the history of curriculum development. He has studied French and Spanish, but has lost his fluency with them.
Between 1953 and 1955, Philip served as a sergeant in the Royal Army Education Corps, being the education officer with the Royal Engineers, Movement Control, Port of London. As a result of his service, he holds the National Service Medal. Following his discharge, he was appointed Commanding Officer of the Army Cadet Unit in Cannock, Staffordshire.
His profession is teacher and educational administrator, having taught in England and Canada. He also worked as a superintendent in Saskatchewan. In order to cut down on his workload with the latter, he moved to Vauxhall, Alberta, where he was appointed high school principal.
In Saskatchewan, his experience was extensive. In the mid 1960s, he was principal of the Biggar Elementary Schools in Saskatchewan, which included seven buildings housing over six hundred pupils. Technically, the principal was Woodrow Lloyd, who had been Minister of Education in the Tommy Douglas government and who replaced him as premier when Tommy entered federal politics. Woodrow had guided the Saskatchewan Medical Care legislation through the provincial legislature. However, his position had caused great upset in his home constituency of Biggar. This had infected the schools. Philip had the unenviable task of bringing back order there.
When Philip considered applying for the position of superintendent of schools in 1966, he had the support of Woodrow Lloyd and the head of the department of educational administration at the University of Saskatchewan. His first appointment was to Gull Lake, where he spent two years. Then he was appointed Director of Education for the North Battleford Public School System. At the time, there was one board which was in charge of grades 1 to 8 and another board in charge of grades 9 to 12. Philip became the first person to be appointed as Chief Executive Officer under the two boards. It was hoped that the two boards would merge into one.
After his second year, there was a massive restructuring of the system when a new high school was built. Now, there were eight buildings housing the twelve grades, plus the school for the mentally handicapped. Adding to the logistics of relocating the students to the schools, Philip was faced with his wife Margaret having major heart surgery at the same time. He also was committed to having libraries in each school within one year. If that were not enough, he was a volunteer overseer for the school for the mentally handicapped. A man of lesser stature would have wilted under this stress!
The personal conflicts among the members of the boards were insurmountable. The questionable planning for the new comprehensive high school, which was in place before Philip arrived, created serious problems. The board realized the errors but tended to defend its position rather than admit that something was wrong. Seeing that he could not resolve the situation and seeing the effect that his work had on his family, Philip resigned his position after ten years in favour of a supposedly less arduous position of being a principal in Vauxhall, Alberta. North Battleford had lost a good man.
Just before Philip left, the Minister of Education telephoned him to discuss the situation. Philip suggested that the only solution was an Order-in-Council disbanding the Collegiate Board and creating a single Board of Education. Soon after, the chairman of the Public Board sent him a message saying that, in an upcoming election, members of only one board would be elected since the Collegiate Board was being disbanded and the two were being amalgamated.
He was Vice-President of the Saskatchewan Locally Employed Superintendent’s Association and served on the Provincial School Finance Committee of the Saskatchewan Association of School Trustees. Since retirement, he has served on the City of Airdrie Municipal Library Board as member and chairman. He has also worked as Pastoral Relations Convener for the South Alberta Presbytery and was a member of the Ministry and Personnel Division of the Alberta and Northwest Conference of his church. After moving to Airdrie, both he and Margaret were presbyters in the Foothills Presbytery, but most of Margaret’s outside commitments had to be dropped when her health seriously began to deteriorate. Philip still remains active with his local church, the members of which helped him through a very difficult period after the death of Margaret.
Philip gives high credit to Margaret for his ability to perform his various responsibilities, especially during the difficult times. Dealing with school boards and some school districts convinced him that he should not enter politics.
He and Margaret did have some time for travel. During their travels through Thailand, Philip was greatly impressed by the people and their culture.
Philosophically, he is a Christian existentialist. His social philosophy is quite conservative although, politically and economically, he is a socialist. This does not mean that he necessarily supports the New Democratic Party (NDP), who, he feels has gone astray from their original purpose. He remains with the United Church of Canada, although he disagrees with a number of stands that they have taken in recent years.
As a hobby, he writes mostly fiction now. He also is a stamp collector and has an extensive collection of British and Canadian stamps with first day of issue cancellation marks. He has been very active in many positions at various levels of the United Church of Canada. He is also a singer - at one time contemplating a career on the operatic stage - and enjoys singing with and directing choirs.
His grammar school career in an ancient school that oozed history has made a lasting impression on his life. Meeting his wife Margaret at the University of Leeds was the best thing that happened to him. When he was a student at the University of Leeds, he was blessed in having Dr. Matthew Black as his extramural tutor. Dr. Black was a top New Testament scholar. Some have claimed that he was the world’s leading authority on the Aramaic influence on the New Testament. The two examined the Bible from a historian’s perspective. Philip’s meeting with him on a one-to-one basis every two weeks for a year profoundly influenced how Philip reads the Bible. Two years later, Dr. Black was appointed President of St. Andrews University, in Scotland, one of Europe’s most prestigious schools.
One day, Margaret and Philip were having lunch with a former pupil in Calgary. This lady is a well-known actress and classical singer and was in the city performing the role of Gertrude in Hamlet. In the course of their conversation, she looked at Margaret, leaned over and took Philip’s hand and said, “This man changed my life.” Philip was very pleased to think that he had been able to help her and that she appreciated it so much.
On another occasion, he was stopped in the street in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, by a former pupil, who had been a major problem in school. This young man was pleased to report that, after several years, he had taken Philip’s advice and applied for the School of Art in Calgary and had won a first place scholarship. He wanted to say thank you for Philip’s having stood by him, even when he had been so far out of line.
Receiving credit from former students, whether they had been good or difficult in school, is a joy for anyone in the teaching profession. It is easy to remember the difficult times. However, these little sincere comments help to make it all worthwhile.
I met Philip in his office in Vauxhall High School a few days before the new school year commenced in 1978. I would be one of his staff members for the next five years. He inherited a difficult situation, but I feel that he performed an admirable job. He was firm, but fair and helpful to all. I found him to be a good leader of both teachers and students. For a time, my wife Pam served in the United Church choir that was led by Philip. Pam and Margaret were good friends. After we left Vauxhall, we lost contact until I started to research for this book. Regrettably, Margaret was gone by then. We cherish our memories of both Philip and Margaret.
Robin McKenzie Duff
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
You are making an interprovincial move. Your wife, your little daughter, and your furniture have gone and have arrived at their destination. You had to stay to finish some work at your place of employment. You are informed that your final pay is being held back, but will be mailed to you. You now do not have sufficient financial means to join your family, but you must go. It was late in the year. What do you do? You decide to hitchhike.
When Robin was a university student working as a Customs officer at Fort Erie, Ontario, across the Peace Bridge from Buffalo, New York, he used to hitchhike home, just over 100 miles (161 km) to the west, on weekends. On one occasion, a driver who gave him a ride clearly believed that 100 mph (161 km/h) was the appropriate speed for him to drive his car. Robin arrived home in record time that day! However, he was never so glad to leave a car as he was on that occasion. Yet, he was willing to risk traveling from Weyburn, Saskatchewan, to Barrie, Ontario, using the same mode of transportation. He had no option!
Everything went well across Saskatchewan and Manitoba! However, in Kenora, just across the Ontario border, they met a blizzard; and the current driver was ending his trip in Dryden. Robin was dressed in summer clothes for it was mild when he set out from Weyburn. He could not find a place to stay overnight in Dryden, and there was nothing on the road except a bus which would be arriving in Dryden within the hour. He phoned someone in Southern Ontario and had money for bus fare wired to Port Arthur (now part of Thunder Bay) for him. He thought that he had enough money with him to reach Port Arthur. Unfortunately, it turned out he had only enough to reach Upsala - 100 miles (161 km) short. Therefore, he rode to Upsala and disembarked there.
He was unable to find any shelter in which to stay until morning when there might be some traffic again. All that he could see was a truck idling at roadside while the driver rested. He was aware that truck drivers did not pick up hitchhikers; but, since he was very cold, he decided to ask anyway. When the driver opened the door and looked down to see who was there, Robin asked in a quavering voice if he could be given a ride. The driver looked for a long time at this shaking individual in summer clothes. During the wait, Robin felt that he would freeze to death if he were not given a ride. The shivering young man gave a silent prayer. At long last, the driver told him to go to the other side and climb into the cab. What a relief that was! When they arrived at Port Arthur, Robin thanked him profusely. Then, he went for his money and then boarded the bus to Southern Ontario. His wife Wilma and their daughter Zoe Anne were so happy to see the third member of their family!
Robin was born at Corinth, Ontario, Canada. He started attending school at Corinth Public School and continued with high school at East Elgin High, in Aylmer, Ontario.
One bad experience he remembers vividly from public school days was having his art work held up by the teacher for the entire grades 5-8 classes to see and hearing it ridiculed by the whole group. Because of this traumatic event, it took him years to overcome the feelings of inferiority and fear of trying anything new.
One good experience in high school was his entering an oratorical contest sponsored by the local Optimist Club. Robin won the high school competition and the county competition. He advanced to the Eastern Canada finals in Ottawa and finished second. The judge told him privately afterwards that he had the best speech. However, the first place finisher had the best delivery. Robin was also asked to give his speech over the local radio station, which he did successfully.
After high school graduation, he attended Graceland College, in Lamoni, Iowa, United States, where he earned an Associate in Arts degree. At the University of Toronto, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Bachelor of Social Work degree, and a Master of Social Work degree.
When he completed his education at University of Toronto, he, his wife Wilma, and their daughter moved to Saskatchewan to commence his first job as a social worker. They decided to drive a school bus to Regina, Saskatchewan, and take what personal effects that they could on the bus, and tow their car. Unfortunately, they were unable to find the appropriate tow bar. Consequently, Wilma drove the bus and Robin drove the car all the way to Saskatchewan. They camped along the way, but found this to be a long and tiring trip. When they arrived in Weyburn, they left Zoe Anne with some church friends there and drove 100 miles (161 km) to Regina to turn in the bus. They returned to Weyburn in their car. They had hoped to find an apartment after they arrived at Weyburn. Unfortunately, there was an oil project going on and all available accommodation was taken. They finally managed to locate two rooms in a basement where they could settle temporarily. A few months later, they were able to rent the upstairs of a house.
Robin’s language is English, and he is not fluent in any other. His principal profession was social work in Saskatchewan and Ontario. He also taught undergraduate social work at Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology, in Etobicoke, Ontario, for three years. During his years at a teaching hospital in Toronto, he had occasion to supervise the activities of his social work staff who were seeking to help a young quadriplegic girl adjust to her disability. At the age of sixteen, while inebriated, she dived into the shallow end of a swimming pool and broke her neck, paralyzing her from the neck down. She was not expected to live. She received no support from her parents or from her boyfriend. Despite the odds against her, she continued to survive. Robin’s staff outlined a long list of problems which she faced and reported that she just lay in her bed crying all day. They were at a loss as to what they could do for her. His response was, “Teach her to use her head.”
He suggested that she could be taught to write with a pen in her mouth and she could orally use a page turner to read a book. Sure enough, their brainstorming resulted in her learning to become adept at the things which Robin had suggested. Further, an art teacher came in and taught her to paint by mouth. These accomplishments gave her hope, and she attacked each new idea eagerly. Someone found a contraption that looked like a dolly with an upright support for her back, and she was pushed around the hospital in an upright position. Someone else located a wheelchair operated by blowing into a mouthpiece, and soon she was barreling down the halls to the cafeteria in her wheelchair. Next, she mastered travel by Handy Dart bus and was touring all the attractions in the big city. After she had painted several Canadian scenes, her pictures were hung on the hospital walls for everyone to enjoy. Next, a gallery showing was held, and all her pictures sold in one day! Much later, she went to live in a chronic care facility, now able to enjoy some meaningful quality of life! By their focusing on the positives of her potential, they were able to assist her in moving from hopelessness to reaching closer to her optimum level of achievement. She taught the staff that, while tragedy can be stunning, the human ability to overcome handicaps is awesome.
Another memorable experience occurred in his work as a palliative care worker near the end of his career. One day, he received a telephone call from the wife of one of his longtime patients. She was frantic, saying that she thought her husband was dying and no one would believe her. She had been in her husband’s hospital room all night, and he had had a terrible night. He was struggling for breath and she was convinced that he was hanging on because he wanted to say goodbye to his mother, who was in a nursing home in Eastern Ontario. Robin told the wife that he would be right there. When he arrived, he found the situation was as the wife had described it. Therefore, he asked her for the phone number of the nursing home and called immediately from the patient’s bedside. When the staff from the nursing home answered, he quickly explained the situation and asked if they could bring the patient’s mother to the telephone to talk to her son. The staff quickly did so, and the patient’s wife explained the situation carefully to her mother-in-law. She then gave the phone to her husband, telling him loudly that his mother wanted to talk to him. The man listened intently to whatever his mother was saying; and all that he could do was to make heavy rasping sounds. Finally, his wife took the phone back again and talked briefly to the mother. While she was saying goodbye, the patient took one more breath, sighed, and was still. Robin told the wife that she was right and her husband had just passed away. He hailed a nurse to bring the doctor, who then pronounced the patient deceased. Following this, the rest of the palliative care team was brought in to provide bereavement support to the wife. Often in palliative care work, it is found that dying patients have unfinished business with which they need to deal before death. This experience was one of the more dramatic events!
In 1967, the Ontario government opened community colleges throughout the province. Undergraduate social work courses were offered in most of them, much to the dismay of the Professional Social Work Association. However, Robin felt that the government was going to proceed anyway. Therefore, the staff for these courses ought to be professional social workers.
Robin applied for and was given the job of setting up the course at Humber College in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto. He also felt strongly that the mandate of community colleges was to equip the students to obtain a position in their chosen field. Consequently, he concentrated on providing relevant field practice in social work agencies. He conducted seminars which brought his students and the staff of social work agencies together at Humber College. The result was that twenty-eight out of thirty graduating students obtained employment in the field of social work by the end of the summer following graduation. This was by far the best record of all the Ontario Community Colleges. Best of all, it assured his students that they could have a career in social work and that the option of continuing to the postgraduate level was open to them!
One person who had a positive effect on his life’s work was Dr Roy Cheville, his faculty adviser at Graceland College. Not only was he a great help in Robin’s educational experience at Graceland, but he also influenced his future course of study. He called Robin into his office one day and asked him if he would consider completing his education at the University of Toronto. He stated that Graceland worked to be accredited with other universities, which was accomplished by having their students attend the accrediting universities. At the time, Graceland did not have accreditation with the University of Toronto. As a result of his encouragement, Robin subsequently attended that university, receiving accreditation for the subjects which he had taken at Graceland. However, it resulted in his changing his major from education at Graceland to psychology at the University of Toronto. This, in turn, resulted in his going into a career in social work rather than in teaching. Dr. Cheville continued to be one of his mentors until his death many years later. His encouragement and support meant a great deal to Robin and contributed to the ultimate direction of his life’s work.
One of his greatest accomplishments was in developing a drop-in clinic in the emergency department of the regional hospital where he worked for eleven years before retirement. There was no family service agency in the area, and the only counseling service for interpersonal relationship problems was the mental health clinic at the hospital. They had a long waiting list, whereas, many people came into emergency with a crisis situation. As the social worker in emergency, he had been able to see them initially and, upon referral from the doctors in emergency, could continue. He was able to help a large number of people with individual or marital problems and families to work through critical situations at the time of crisis.
Robin would like to have been more successful with a longer career in social work education. He started out well but quit too soon. This was because of a difference in philosophy with the college executive. He believed a college of applied arts had a responsibility to assist its students in finding employment in their chosen field. He also believed this was only possible when the students had adequate field practice as part of their course of study.
On the other hand, the college executive saw the course as a popular one which attracted a large number of applicants. They felt that the course should take as many students as possible in order to help pay for some of the less popular technical courses. Class size and available practicum placements were of no concern.
He might have developed addiction and immigration service programmes within the auspices of the college and staffed them with his students so that they could obtain their necessary practical experience. He had a teaching master instructing an addictions class for his students and another instructor directing an immigrations service class. The three of them had the required training and experience to attempt this. No other college offered either of these courses; thus, it was an undeveloped field. He wonders what might have been if he had stayed.
Robin feels that everyone has a life purpose and one’s task in life is to identify that purpose and to fulfill it to the best of one’s ability. Based on his professional experience, he operated under the following maxim: “Help all those whom he is called upon to assist to be able to achieve their optimum level of performance.” This was accomplished by adhering to the following: “The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a while!”
He and his family took a memorable trip to the Canadian east coast in 1972, visiting Quebec City, Gaspé Peninsula, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. He found that the people were very friendly and the scenery, breathtaking. They took a trip to the Canadian west coast by car and camper trailer in 1976. He learned much about the beauty of the country, particularly the mountains, and the hospitality of Western Canadians.
As a hobby, he enjoys gardening, growing several vegetables and flowers in small available areas. He enjoys photography, having taken pictures of family, church, and travel experiences over the years. Currently, he is learning to master a digital camera, but is not yet adept in transferring pictures to his computer. He likes astronomy, and has a telescope which he is trying to master. He walks six miles (10 km) per day six days a week. He writes letters to children in Indonesia, Uganda, Niger, and Ethiopia, sharing information about each other’s country. He lobbies on peace and justice issues: debt relief for third world countries, more assistance for Aids victims in Africa and Asia, and peace and security for refugees in Darfur and other areas of the world.
When he was an infant, he suffered from scarlet fever complicated by pneumonia and a severe ear infection. Finally, his family doctor told his parents that their baby would not survive the night. They called in their pastor to have special prayers for him. He was blessed by the prayers and survived the night and many subsequent years.
In the first year of their marriage, Robin and Wilma were involved in a serious car accident. They were driving their Volkswagen on a very snowy February evening. Almost at their destination, their car skidded on the ice and struck an oncoming car head on. Robin was thrown out a locked door onto the highway while both cars went into the ditch somehow missing him. He regained consciousness in hospital and was sent home feeling that he had been in a fight and was thoroughly punched on every inch of my body.
When he was in his forties, he suffered a heart attack. He was working long hours at a teaching hospital, followed by long hours on teaching projects for his church. On the night of the occurrence, he was suffering from excruciating chest pains on his arrival home after work. In the middle of the night, he went upstairs to obtain some medication and collapsed unconscious on the floor. Wilma tried to assist him to the couch. However, he collapsed unconscious a second time. She called an ambulance and they rushed him to hospital. One of the ministers from his church was called and offered prayers for him while the emergency staff was administering tests. He spent five days in hospital. After that, he worked a part-time shift for several months. He had to change his life style radically and was fortunate to have survived that experience.
Robin has served for over fifty years as a minister for his church. For fifteen years, he was a pastor of local congregations. For fourteen years, he served as church administrator at the district level (in charge of a group of churches). He has also developed several unique programmes of ministry. He co-authored a manual for ministry to and with seniors that was used as a reference throughout their world church.
Robin and Wilma had a wonderful trip when they moved from Ontario to Victoria, British Columbia, in 1996. They shipped their belongings by truck, arranging to have them stored for a month in Victoria. They had no idea where they would live, but trusted that they would find a suitable place in a month’s time. They drove the Oregon Trail, had an enjoyable experience, and arrived in Victoria just before the Canadian Thanksgiving. They stayed for two weeks in a motel and searched for a suitable apartment. Finally, they found a beautiful duplex in the western suburbs, a short distance from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with a full view of the strait and the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. They believe that they were directed to this beautiful home.
Their landlords also have a testimony of how they felt directed in finding the right tenants to live next to them. When they had to vacate because of the owners’ need for the duplex for their daughter and her family, they were instrumental in helping Robin and Wilma settle into their present quarters in Victoria.
When they moved to Saanich in 1999, they obtained an apartment in a Seniors complex and discovered that, across the road in the mall, there was a Walker’s Club. This club has over 500 members, about seventy-five of whom go to the Mall between 7:00 and 7:30 every morning. Each walks at his/her own pace and own decided distance, reporting to a secretary in the food court. She keeps a record on every member. Certificates are awarded to members for milestones accomplished. Beginners receive 50-mile (80 km) then 100-mile (161 km) certificates. Then members receive additional certificates when they have walked 500 miles (805 km); 1,000 miles (1,609 km); 5,000 miles (8,047 km); and 10,000 miles (16,093 km). Robin received his 10,000-mile certificate and pin at the club’s January 2006 meeting.
Robin is my next younger brother. As children, we spent much time together. As a typical “big brother,” I often teased him. However, when someone else did not treat him well, I was there to help him the best that I could. We spent a few weeks together on a summer job near Ottawa, Ontario, when we were teenagers. Two years later, we traveled together by train from St. Thomas, Ontario, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he attended a summer school and where I was working. After I moved to Alberta, our family would visit him and his family when we were in Ontario.
George Robin Hooper
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
White-out! An automobile driver’s nightmare! Add to that condition icy roads and darkness. That could mean collision with other vehicles or coming to a halt in snowy bank off the highway. This is what faced Robin one November night after being called to Montreal from his Ottawa home at 22:00 hours. Why did he ever accept such a crazy occupation after having survived thirty years at sea without serious mishap? A sugar-carrying cargo vessel had run ground on Lac St. Louis in the St. Lawrence Seaway. Robin, being a marine casualty investigator in the Canadian Coast Guard, had to go.
The parking lot at the dockside was glassy with ice beneath powdered snow when he arrived. A biting wind was driving the snow horizontally into his eyes. To make matters worse, on stepping out of the car, his feet shot from under him and he landed on his tailbone. The pain was excruciating, causing him to stagger around for several minutes before regaining his balance. A salvage engineer drove up. Between the two of them, they found and boarded a small tug that took them toward the stranded vessel. They left the dock; but, not having radar, the tug was unable to locate the buoys that marked the channel and had to be steered by compass. The wheelhouse windows were coated with ice from freezing spray as the small tug pitched into the increasingly steep waves that pounded the bow. Oh, to be in Ottawa in the warm apartment that he had reluctantly left in such a hurry!
After fifteen minutes of peering out the wheelhouse door, they saw a channel buoy looming out of the dark and snow; but it was so coated with ice that there was no number or light visible to tell which buoy it was. It was then decided that finding the ship was impossible on such a night. Therefore, without regret, the tug was turned back toward the dock. The engineer found his car engine frozen solid and had to find a taxi. However, Robin’s car started; and, despite heavy snow on the roads and a stop to avoid a white-out, Robin arrived home on the following afternoon. What a waste of time that had been!
The ship remained aground for many days until tugs were able to refloat her. The damage suffered did not prevent the ship from continuing to Quebec City where Robin boarded to conduct his inquiry. While approaching a turn in the channel, the captain had been unable to identify the buoy where to turn and ran too far, leaving the channel entirely and grounding on a reef. In his report, Robin found the captain had made an unfortunate error caused by extreme weather conditions and the lack of an available anchorage in which to seek shelter, giving him no option but to continue.
Robin was born near Barrhead, Alberta, Canada. In the early 1930s, his family moved to Hillbank, on Vancouver Island. His first school was Cowichan Station. In 1943, he left high school to start a career at sea as a cadet officer on the Atlantic in the Canadian (wartime) Merchant Marine.
After the war, he served as deck officer on Canadian merchant ships on the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans until 1951, when he joined the Canadian Naval Auxiliary vessels as officer and master, staying until 1974. His home base was Esquimalt, British Columbia.
On completing his apprenticeship in 1947, he attended Navigation School in Vancouver. He received his 2nd mates certificate in 1948, and continued sailing until 1951 when he earned his 1st mates certificate. In 1956, he obtained his master home trade, followed by his master foreign-going in 1974.
Later, he became the deputy director of Naval Auxiliary Vessels at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, after which he transferred to the Canadian Coast Guard as a casualties investigator. He also spent some years in the Coast Guard Marine Safety Branch in Vancouver, as a marine surveyor, until retiring on a full pension. During his career, he was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, the Atlantic Star, the Volunteer Service Medal with clasp, and the Victory Medal.
Robin tells of some of his experiences in investigating shipwrecks or accidents, in addition to the one told above.
The St. Lawrence Seaway ...
He operated out of Coast Guard headquarters in Ottawa. His introduction to the job was an easy daylight drive to the Seaway, with a senior investigator, to inspect a vessel that had collided with the wall at Beauharnois Locks, resulting in a dent in the bow of the ship near the waterline and some minor damage to the concrete dock. The vessel was light and riding high out of the water approaching the dock when the bow had apparently swung over before it could be checked. Statements from the captain and first officer were recorded and the engine movement book was checked.
A combination of speed and a lapse in judgment were considered to have contributed to the accident. The matter was settled by a letter of reprimand to the master from Transport Canada. The paperwork required on return to the office was demanding because the report was to be given to the Minister for action. Many revisions were required to meet the required standards; but, with the help of their experienced stenographer, Robin’s report was finally accepted.
Interviewing ship’s captains and crews was work requiring patience and tact. Their testimony was tape recorded, but could not be used against them in court, and was only used to assess the possibility of charges to be laid. The captains, pilots, and crews were naturally nervous and skeptical. The ship owners were sometimes hostile, particularly if they felt that their officers were being hounded. Sometimes, the director would be called at home to answer to his Member of Parliament for the methods required to obtain evidence by his employees.
The first summer passed with more and more trips to the Seaway, with some accidents being more serious than others, but none of great consequence. Being a rookie in the field, Robin was sent to the lesser ones first. The increasing size of ships and the limited width of the locks in the Seaway was a prescription for a variety of bumps, grinds, and bruises suffered by ships and jetties. Then there were the problems of winter before freeze-up time. One such incident is told above.
B.C. Coastal Casualties ...
His next job was on the west coast where he was required to investigate the loss of two vessels and a barge loaded with equipment in northern British Columbia waters. The crews were saved and had returned home. Robin first interviewed a deckhand from the tug in a Powell River hotel. He was still badly shaken by the experience, but he was able to recall the events that led up to the disaster.
He was employed by a logger who had decided to carry out a risky log salvage operation off the beaches and islands at the North end of Queen Charlotte Sound. In these waters, a permit is not required to salvage logs, whereas, further south, the law is strictly enforced.
The logger had dispatched a tug and a barge loaded with expensive logging equipment to be landed on the beach to gather and stack the logs. He also sent a fish boat along to supply and transport the crews. The personnel were located two on the tug, two and a dog on the fish boat, and two men operating beach equipment. When the logs had been gathered and stacked on a beach, they were to be formed into a boom and towed to a mill far to the south. The operation was scheduled to be completed by the end of September, when they would head south with the logs in tow; but a weather report was received warning of an impending gale.
The logger loaded his equipment onto the barge to be towed by the fish boat, and the tug with the log boom in tow headed south to find shelter until the storm subsided. Unfortunately, they assumed that the storm would be late in arriving, and were caught in open water by an early and violent fall gale. Soon, both the fish boat and tug had to release their tows, which they could no longer control; and they were fighting for survival in the wild seas. The vessels tried to stay in sight of one another; but, eventually, both started taking more water onboard than their pumps could handle. The sea condition reduced visibility so that visual contact was lost.
This situation continued for some time when the fish boat received a distress call to say the tug was sinking and the crew intended to abandon ship. The fish boat then proceeded towards the last location of the tug. On locating her, they made a successful attempt to remove the three crew members.
It was not long before the fish boat started to founder and sent out a distress call that was intercepted by a southbound Alaska ferry a few miles away. The ferry increased speed and was able to locate the fish boat in a sinking condition and removed the six crew members; but, in the ensuing confusion, the dog was overlooked. It was many hours later when a passing vessel observed the half-submerged fish boat and reported seeing a dog on deck, which they were able to rescue, but could find no trace of the crew.
The events as related by the tug master and the logging company owner matched that of the deckhand whom Robin had interviewed, making his job much easier. No trace of the tug, fishing vessel, barge and equipment, or logs was ever found to dispute their story. Thankfully, all hands, including the dog, survived.
Arctic Casualty ...
One summer, he flew to Frobisher Bay, on Baffin Island in the Eastern Arctic, to look into the grounding of a large Arctic supply vessel. Never having been into the Arctic, this was a unique experience for Robin.
He was flown by helicopter to view the stranded vessel that was sitting high and dry on a smooth rock about ten feet (3 m) above the water. The helicopter landed on the rock so that he was able to walk around the ship to view the damage. Fortunately, the ship had suffered none, but was delayed on the rock until the next forty-foot (12 m) tide would float it off in about ten days. When floated off, the ship then had to unload cargo before proceeding, which caused further delay in supplying remote outposts before winter freeze-up.
After interviewing the captain and checking the leading lights for entering the harbour, it became apparent that the lights, which were maintained by the Coast Guard, had not functioned properly. Instead of the two lights in line, providing a safe course for the vessel to steer through the harbour entrance dangers, only one 1ight functioned. This did not provide the safe range line, causing the vessel to stray into danger and onto a submerged rock. The master was not found to be at fault because the Coast Guard was responsible for the operation of the navigation marks. Although there were two Coast Guard icebreakers at anchor in the harbour approaches, the faulty leading lights had not been noticed by either.
Frobisher Bay has large tidal ranges that leave long expanses of sandy beaches at low water. Ships position themselves over the sand at high tide and are stranded high and dry at low tide for discharging cargo onto the beach. This saves having to build jetties that are easily damaged by winter ice.
This experience showed Robin the difficulties that can be expected in the Arctic, and how dependent those who work and live in northern latitudes are on southern Canada.
An Atlantic Tragedy ...
The most unusual casualty involved a rush trip to New York harbour to interview the master of an American ship that was arriving in port after salvaging an abandoned vessel off Newfoundland. The salvaged ship was a specialized type of vessel designed to carry heavy railroad engines between North America and Europe. The vessel was equipped with two heavy lift derricks capable of lifting seventy-five tons each. Also, special wing ballast tanks were fitted to take on water for the trips when the vessel ran light to pick up cargo.
In the hold, a portable tank was located to be swung over the opposite side when the engine was being loaded to compensate for the engine’s weight. This tank was filled with an amount of water equal to the weight of the load. When the ship was proceeding between ports, the portable tank was secured in the hold.
The heavy lift ship had been traveling from Europe to Montreal to load engines when it became involved in a major winter gale 200 miles (322 km) south of Newfoundland. Being light and running with ballast, the ship rolled heavily in the increasing swells, so much so that the portable tank in the hold broke free and punctured one of the wing ballast tanks. The released water caused the ship to take on a significant list towards the undamaged side. As the storm increased in intensity, the violent motion of the ship caused the list to increase, at times to over forty degrees, thoroughly alarming the captain and crew of twelve. What terror must have been felt by the crew! It can only be imagined.
They had two choices: to remain onboard and drown when the ship would capsize, as it appeared it would, or to leave the security of their ship and possessions and risk their lives climbing off the heaving ship and huddling in a tiny fragile air-inflated float that was totally at the mercy of wind, sea, and freezing cold. The huge waves made it obvious that no outside rescue could be attempted until the arrival of daylight and the dying down of the wind and the sea. By that time the ship would be gone!
The captain was so certain the ship would founder that he sent out a radio distress call and ordered the crew to abandon ship. As the only usable escape equipment was life rafts, one was quickly launched on the downwind side of the ship with eight men onboard. At that moment, the ship lifted on a wave and fell on the raft, catching it under the stern, capsizing it, and drowning the men under the weight of the ship.
What a horrible sight for the remaining five men as they observed this! They, however, managed to launch the other raft well clear on a line astern before donning lifejackets, jumping overboard, and climbing onto the raft. The wind by this time was so strong that it tore off the protective canopy of the raft, exposing all to the icy wind and snow. The distress call had been received by Search and Rescue, in Halifax; and a patrol aircraft was immediately dispatched to find the ship and to report. The ship was located and kept under observation during the night. When the crew was seen in the raft, extra equipment was dropped close by. Unfortunately, the survivors were too cold and sick to be able to recover it.
An American vessel remained close to the distress area during the night, but was unable to assist the raft for fear of capsizing it. The raft remained afloat during the night. The damaged and listing vessel was observed to be afloat in the morning and the seas were diminishing. Two officers were put onboard from the American ship and were able to start the engine and deliver the vessel to safety in St. John’s Harbour, Newfoundland. However, by daylight, the American ship was able to rescue only two living persons from it. The other three crew members were missing and presumed to be dead.
This extraordinary feat earned the salvers a five million dollar salvage award by an Admiralty Court. One wonders if they were not haunted by that terrible night for the rest of their lives as would be the master and bosun, who were the only survivors.
The old adage “to never leave a sinking ship until it is finally gone,” might seem appropriate in this case; but with the fearful conditions and awful choices either option was potentially fatal.
B.C. Herring Roe Fishery ...
Robin’s last employment in the capacity of investigator was to write a report on the casualties resulting from the spring herring roe fishery in British Columbia.
The fishery is short, often a month or less; but it can be very profitable, depending on the price paid by the Japanese who buy the roe as a delicacy. That year, the price varied from $800 to $1,200 per ton. This means boats, often in exposed locations, must be equipped and ready on the grounds to take advantage of the short openings at a time when weather conditions are unpredictable. During that spring, many boats took part in the fishery, with five lives being lost, four boats being lost, and five boats being damaged. Compared to previous years, the loss of life was high, except for one year when fourteen lives were lost. In each case, the lives were lost when one vessel sank with the entire crew.
Initially, a lack of consideration for stability was a major cause of accidents. However, that year, lack of precautions in navigation resulted in many groundings. The loss of life was caused by one vessel sinking in a storm when weather reports were possibly ignored. The herring roe fishery is always hazardous because of natural conditions, but these are exacerbated by reckless haste to earn large financial returns.
Robin has indeed experienced much in reporting on disasters of the sea. Although these incidents may involve a small percentage of the movement on the water, they do point out the inherit danger which lies with trade on the water. Weather can be a cruel master of seamen!
Robin and his wife have fond memories of an eighteen-day university tour in 1982 to Russia during the days of President Mikhail Gorbachev. The trip included a five-day cruise on the Volga River and a visit to St. Petersburg (then Leningrad).
Following his retirement, Robin continued his learning in other fields. He was not ready to relax his mind and body. He attended Langara College Art School. Having a liking for the fine arts, he entered Emily Carr College in 1985, graduating in 1988 with a diploma in painting. Desiring more, he studied for and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1991. From 1992 to 1995, he studied archaeology at Simon Fraser University, in suburban Vancouver, and received a Post Baccalaureate Diploma in 1996. In addition to his studying, he has a number of hobbies, including historical archaeology, ceramics, genealogy, and singing. English is his only language.
I met Robin when I was contacting members of the Green Timbers Heritage Society by telephone in 2005. A short time later, we met in person at an Arbour Day event at Green Timbers Urban Forest. Robin and Lorene became friends of Pam and me. After Robin returned as a director of the Society, we often travel together to board meetings. He is an avid supporter of the preservation of the Forest.
Victor "Robin" Scott
Blue Springs, Missouri, United States
When was the last time that you had the tires on your automobile checked? According to the owner of Blue Springs Service Center, if people would regularly check the air pressure, rotate, balance and align their wheels, they would save much money in tire replacement. Tires that are maintained can last 80,000 miles (128,748 km), but the staff here frequently replaces them within 30,000 (48,280 km) because of lack of maintenance.
Now, consider the cost of one tire. That results in more than two and one-half times the expense that can be avoided. Since there are four tires on an automobile, it means four times that cost if the lack of tire care is not remedied. One can only imagine what other areas of a car are not properly maintained. Wherever you live, take the advice of this Goodyear shop owner to keep your tires properly maintained.
If you are in Blue Springs, Missouri, which is along I-70 just east of Kansas City, you will see the Blue Springs Service Center. If you enter the store part of the center and see a tall, smiling man standing behind the counter and hear a friendly greeting from him, you have met Victor Scott - better known as Robin - the owner.
Robin was born in nearby Independence. Like many teenaged boys, he was not one to focus on his studies at school, but was more prone to wasting time than to applying himself. He says that is probably why he is in the tire business instead of being CEO of Enron. Now, everyone knows what happened to the CEO of Enron and the company itself. Think about it! He feels that he could have saved an entire company! Is that far-fetched? Not as much as it might appear to be.
A man with a good business education and background, wisdom in making decisions, and an honest work ethic can do wonders with such a company. Why could not that man have been Robin? Not only might the company have been saved, but Robin would have had the salary to support that which means so much to him. That is not relaxing on the resort beaches of the world or some other luxury for himself, but it is the joy of giving to good Christian causes that help those who are less fortunate than he is. He feels a real sense of obligation to share since he has been granted so much by God.
He remembers the respect for and the fear of discipline from his junior high school principal, Mr. Georgeoff. He realizes that his experience with this administrator resulted only to his own future good. Children today unfortunately do not have the opportunity to learn the same respect as he did. Somehow, “timeouts” just do not command the same attention. He also remembers Mrs. Baker, his junior high English teacher, who set him straight right away and had his complete attention and respect thereafter. Might there be a connection, since the school is now named Georgeoff-Baker Middle School?
Robin played on the basketball and tennis teams until one day during tennis practice the coach, Norm Michelleti, had more than he could take from him and removed him from the team. After retaliating with inappropriate remarks, Robin was suspended from school for three days. This is not a pleasant memory him, but it is something from which today’s students can learn. There is a happy outcome to this tumultuous experience. Now, Norm is one of his best customers at the shop; and the two are good friends.
In the mid 1970s, Robin graduated from Blue Springs High School. He distinctly remembers standing with his cap and gown on in the RLDS Auditorium during the graduation ceremony thinking for the first time, “What am I going to do now?” What a terrifying thought for a teenager! He was not prepared for an after high school experience! Since his friends were enrolling into college, he ascertained that this would be the proper avenue for him to take. Thus, he became a student at Southwest Missouri State University. He knew nothing about life or what to do next. Three semesters did not provide the answers in regard to his future. Maybe going to Florida might. After about a year as a SCUBA diving instructor, he decided to return to Missouri.
Although Robin has never had the privilege to serve in the armed forces, he does have a great thankfulness, respect, and appreciation for those who have. As an English-speaker, he claims the extent to which he is bilingual is being able to order from Spanish terms on his favourite restaurant’s menu. The thought of running for any public office is not appealing at all. He has not experienced national recognition. However, he has often received domestic recognition as the local ATM by his four daughters. That cannot be all that bad, can it?
His favourite pastimes have evolved from basketball and tennis to fishing and golf; but what he enjoys most is doing things with his wife of twenty-five years and their four beautiful daughters. The Scotts have taken many family trips to different places, the most recent being a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Robin’s family had never been in the southwest and was awestruck by the majesty of God’s creation!
For over twenty years, they spent the first week every year at a Christian resort camp called Horn Creek, in Westcliffe, Colorado. These were probably the most influential family times that they had on vacation because they spent time together every day having devotionals at breakfast, playing during the day, sharing fun events in the evenings, followed by Bible study each night with their friends who came the same week each year from all over the country. In the process lasting friendships were developed.
Robin has taken several trips sight-seeing, fishing, and golfing from southern California to Alaska, Hawaii, north-central Saskatchewan, Belize, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Mexico. These trips have included other U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
A Cajun friend said to him after their vehicle had broken down in the wilderness of northern Saskatchewan, “Oh well! Dis time next year you’ll never known da difference.” Given the situation and the location, that was a calm remark. However, it has meaning for all. People tend to “make mountains from molehills” and do not realize what a waste it is. Robin approaches life from a realistic and positive attitude. However, he often comments when people around him become stressed, “Life is too short to worry or be miserable.”
Two of his ten employees have been with him for over twenty-two years each and most of the others have been with him from six to sixteen years. He has always believed in treating his employees in the way that he would want to be treated if “the shoe were on the other foot.” He bases the way that he conducts business - whether it be employees, customers, or vendors - from a Biblical standpoint of honesty, fairness, service, and knowing that he will be judged one day for the way that he has conducted his life and treated others. That is a philosophy that everyone should follow.
For someone who had no idea of what to do with his life, Robin Scott has been a success in life. Not everything can be measured on the balance sheet. Enron could have used him!
When our family was living in Independence, Missouri, in the late 1980s, we received a coupon for a free oil change at the Goodyear shop in Blue Springs. At that time, I met Robin. Many times after that, I took our cars to be repaired at the shop. The mechanic who provided the repair work most often was Jack Young. So satisfied was I with the service of the staff at Blue Springs Service Center that, when we moved to Rockwall, Texas, I went immediately to the Goodyear shop there for our many auto repairs.
One time when our son Cameron and I came back to Blue Springs for a couple of days, I stopped at the shop to greet the staff. Cameron chose to remain in the car. Robin, knowing that Cameron had had a physical problem, asked how he was. When I said that Cameron was at the moment sitting in the car, Robin dropped what he was doing and went to the car to talk to Cameron. That act meant much to both of us. Robin not only speaks of good Christian ideals, he also lives them.
John Samuel and Helen Hofman
Holland, Michigan, United States
This was Tojolabal country, in the southern Mexican State of Chiapas. Ironically, the name of the village was Libertad. However, there was no liberty for the evangelical converts who lived there. They were confronted with the tribal persecution. One evening, Sam and Helen parked their vehicle a mile (1.6 km) away and slipped into the village for a worship service in a home on the edge of it. During the entire service, the owner of the home stood at the door watching the village to give warning of any evidence of reaction from the other villagers. There was none, and the missionaries were able to return home safely that night.
That was one night. Eventually, the twenty evangelical families had to uproot and begin their lives again at a new location, establishing a village which they named Samaria. Accompanied by the Mexican pastor and other church leaders, Sam and Helen visited them there as they were beginning to rebuild their homes and lives. They fed everyone a chicken dinner. You cannot outgive the poor!
Sam Hofman was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. His Hofman and Zoeteman grandparents were pioneers, farming prairie land west of Lethbridge. The Hofman family came from North Dakota, and the Zoeteman family came from Northwest Iowa. After eleven years of successful farming, the Hofmans moved to Lynden, Washington, United States, taking the younger half of the family with them.
Sam’s father, Tenis Hofman, remained with one of his brothers on the family farm. A while after his parents were married, they moved to a farm near Pierce, Alberta.
His full name is John Samuel Hofman. His mother’s father was named John, and her younger brother was named Samuel (who died from a ruptured appendix at age fourteen). To avoid confusion with his uncle and two of his cousins named John Hofman, Sam was always called by his second name.
After a year, his family left Alberta and moved to Lynden. There they attended the First Reformed Church. After Sam graduated from Lynden Public High School, he began his college education with one year at Western Washington College, in Bellingham. Feeling called into the Christian ministry, he transferred to Hope College, in Holland, Michigan, United States. Three years later, he entered Western Theological Seminary - just across the street from the college - from which he graduated.
As a student, one area of good memories is his participation in student government. He was elected Student Body President in his senior year in High School and also Student Council President of Hope College four years later.
The other area of special memories is in vocal music. As a teenager in Lynden, he sang in the church choir and a church quartet. In college, he sang in a fraternity quartet and in the college choir. That included a memorable choir tour to California in 1955.
This background in music was very valuable in their mission work, as they spent countless hours teaching the Indians to sing their hymns in four-part harmony. Helen also taught a class in piano, and both of them were involved in the editing and producing of their hymnals.
One day while he was at Western Seminary, he went on a blind date with Helen Taylor, a student in the Hope College. It was love at first sight! A steady courtship followed for the next three years. Helen squeezed four years of college into three years so that they could graduate the same summer of 1958.
Helen was born in the northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan State in her parents’ home on a dairy farm near the village of Lucas, in Missaukee County. The nearest city of any size is Cadillac, which is 7 miles (11 km) to the northwest of Lucas. She has four sisters and one brother.
She started school at age four in the country Lucas school just an eighth of a mile (200 m) south of her parents’ home. The teacher was a distant relative and, when Helen begged to accompany her sisters to school, the teacher said that she was no trouble and told Helen’s parents to let her attend, despite her young age. The following year she was placed into the first grade, being the only girl with a class of ten boys. When her class entered the fifth grade, all were bussed to the consolidated school in McBain, Michigan, 5 miles (8 km) to the southeast of her home.
As a shy 13-year-old high school freshman, she was hired to clerk at the local grocery store in Lucas, and worked there Wednesday evenings from 4:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m., all day on Saturdays, and full time in the summers during her four years of high school. She knows this developed an ability in her to meet strangers and helped give her some much needed self-confidence.
Helen loved her high school years at McBain. She and a few other students were allowed to write and mimeograph a school paper - which was great fun. She always loved to write. She also enjoyed being a majorette, being in the Junior and Senior class plays, playing on the girls’ high school basketball team, and singing in the girls’ choir. She was proud to be one of the “Taylor (her maiden name) girls”, and proud to be the daughter of Weller and Clara Taylor. She graduated from the McBain Rural Agricultural High School in 1954.
Her dad had the only registered Holstein dairy herd in the area, the only one who raised certified seed potatoes to sell, the President of the School Board for many years, an elder in their church, and was on many other prominent boards in the county. He made it possible for all of his children to attend college, and was always willing to sell a dairy cow when the college bills arrived. All graduated from college debt-free. What a gift to his children that was! How many families of today’s college graduates can make that claim?
In the fall of 1957, at a Sunday morning service, Sam and Helen heard a missionary tell of the need for an additional missionary couple in southern Mexico. They immediately felt called to this work, arranged for an interview, applied for the position, and were accepted. Following their marriage in August 1958, they drove to Mexico City to begin Spanish language and Mexican cultural studies.
In 1959, they were assigned to the Tzeltal indigenous area in the southern state of Chiapas. They joined Paul and Dorothy Meyerink with the tribe. The initial evangelistic and translation work had been done by two Wycliffe Bible Translator missionaries. The two couples were given the responsibility of providing a training programme for the indigenous church leaders. The first converts had been won in 1948; and, ten years later, there were about 7,000 converts worshipping in thirty locations.
Two years later, they purchased the Buenos Aires Ranch in the Jatate River valley as a location for the Tzeltal Bible School. Beginning in 1963, the two couples spent the next twenty-three years constructing homes and school buildings, teaching classes, writing textbooks, preparing audio-visuals, and administrating the Bible School and the medical work. The Tzeltal church continued to grow as the Tzeltals shared the Good News with their people. They did extensive traveling among the people, including much filmstrip and movie evangelism.
In 1988, Sam and Helen moved to Las Margaritas to begin their ministry among the Tojolabal people. Living in a Mexican town also gave them the opportunity to improve on their Spanish language fluency. With the help of bilingual Tojolabals, they produced literature in the Tojolabal language. They arranged for the reprint of the Tojolabal New Testament, which had been translated by a Wycliffe Bible Translator missionary. They also prepared a larger edition of the hymnal. They were involved in the resettlement of Tojolabal believers who had been expelled from their villages and the care of the large number of refugees resulting from the Zapatista uprising in January 1994.
In 1994, they moved to San Cristobal de Las Casas in response to an invitation to help the highland Tzeltals in the revision of their Bible. This was a six-year task, with Helen doing all the keyboarding and both of them being involved in the translation and editing process. During this time, Helen also produced a three-year series of Sunday school lessons for two age levels for the Tzeltal children.
The move also made Sam and Helen more available to the Amatenango Tzeltal Christians, where they assisted the Tzeltal missionary Roberto Santis and his wife Micaela. They assisted this persecuted group of Christians in the translation and printing of a hymnal and a New Testament in their dialect of Tzeltal.
One vivid memory is their first visit to the notorious village of Cancuc. The first converts had had their homes burned about five years before and had rebuilt a quarter of a mile (400 m) from the village. When they neared the village, the Tzeltal church leaders with whom they were traveling were able to rescue a young girl from two men who were trying to kidnap her. She was the sister of one of the believers who were travelling with Sam and Helen. That night, they held a service in a partially completed chapel. Helen was playing the portable organ and both were teaching them a new hymn, which said:
“Firmly give yourself to Christ; Don’t be afraid, He will help you.Consider the salvation you receive from Christ;Don’t be double hearted.”
The chorus then says:
“Don’t be afraid of sickness; don’t be afraid of death.You are in the hands of Christ.He will protect you everywhere;Don’t be at all afraid.”
After the practice, one of the men said, “Here we are singing about not being afraid, but meanwhile I am afraid that they are hearing the sound of the organ and our singing in the village and that they will come and burn down our houses again.”
After serving for over forty years as Reformed Church missionaries in Chiapas, Mexico, Sam and Helen retired from missionary service in 2000, and moved to Holland, Michigan, where their daughter and their married son and his wife and two daughters are living. Their older son lives in Chicago and teaches at the University of Illinois.
Their final visit to Chiapas in 2002 is a cherished memory. They returned to the Tzeltal Bible School for the dedication of the highland Tzeltal Bible, which had claimed so much of the last six years of their ministry there. There were between 3,000 and 5,000 Tzeltals gathered there for the celebration, and they took all 15,000 Bibles home that day. With over 60,000 Tzeltals worshipping in over 400 Presbyterian churches, they have become one of the largest tribal churches of Latin America. Their fervency and courage have always been an inspiration for Sam and Helen.
In addition to their writing in the Tzeltal and Tojolabal languages, their publications include a textbook on church history in Spanish and a devotional booklet, Light from Tzeltal Lamps, published by Words of Hope in 2001. Sam wrote articles regularly for the Missionary Monthly and the Church Herald, a collection of which was published in 1993 as the book Mission Work in Today’s World. In 2004, he wrote an article for the Reformed Review of Western Theological Seminary titled “The History of the Chiapas Mission.”
Sam does have one regret: “I wish I had another lifetime to help the Tzeltals in developing their agriculture. We tried to do agricultural work at the Tzeltal Bible School and to teach them better farming methods, but we lacked time and expertise. Especially in the highlands, someone needs to help them develop their fruit and vegetable farming.”
Despite their distance from Michigan, their ties to Hope College remained strong through the years, partly because four of Helen¹s siblings are also alumni. Their three children, David, Jonathan, and Lisa are all Hope graduates, as is Jonathan’s wife. Six of Helen’s nieces and nephews are also graduates of Hope College. That is a good roster of alumni for their family.
Helen cherishes the closeness of her siblings. In 2006, the six of them, with their spouses enjoyed a wonderful Labour Day weekend shared in a bed and breakfast facility in Pentwater, Michigan. Four of them live in Michigan; but one had to drive from Ithaca, New York; and the youngest flew from California so that they could spend this time together. The highlight of the weekend was the impromptu Sunday morning service that they shared in the living room, singing hymns, reading scripture, and praying together. What a wonderful experience it was!
Our son Sean met Helen Hofman in a business establishment in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, when we all were living in that city. Helen invited Pam and me to her home to visit her and Sam. That was the beginning of a long friendship. They invited us to accompany them when they went to some of the villages for church services. A few times, Sam and I went alone. Our family found it very educational to enter the Mayan culture - even though we did not understand the language of the people and their services. We have many good memories of these people who would give of what they had to their Canadian visitors and their missionary friends. We thank Sam and Helen for the opportunity.
Stanley D. and Yvonne Smith
Duncanville, Texas, United States
Many people have had their names listed in a local newspaper. Some have seen their names in a non-local newspaper. When that newspaper is the Wall Street Journal, there must be good reason. However, being quoted on the front page of that publication is an honour. This happened to Stanley Smith when he was vice-president and chief accounting officer of Southern Union Company, of Dallas, Texas. This is a vertically integrated natural gas company with over 900,000 retail gas customers. In the 1980s, the price of gas was removed from federal regulation. A reporter of the Wall Street Journal called to ask how deregulation was going to affect his company’s business - and then quoted him.
Stanley was born in Clifton, Bosque County, Texas, United States, a small town to the northwest of Waco. He attended school in nearby Whitney. His sixth grade teacher, Etha Wilson, had a significant impact on his life. She was an academically tough, nurturing professional who would not accept less than her students’ best efforts at learning. She had an unspoken way of making them want to learn and want to please her. Stanley credits her with helping instill in him the desire to do his best. He was blessed in having such a teacher!
He graduated from the Hankamer School of Business, at Baylor University, Waco, Texas, with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, ranking sixth in his class. He holds the distinction of having been the first in his family to have graduated from college.
Stanley would like to have developed a more extensive vocabulary and become more comfortable at public speaking. The importance of those skills was not fully realized until he entered into the professional business world.
Between 1967 and 1969, he served in the U.S. Army where he earned the Certificate of Achievement. All his time was spent in the United States. His professional work was in accounting and finance within the United States. He has also been much involved in the management of a not-for-profit corporation, the Southwest Railroad Historical Society, in Dallas, Texas.
His philosophy is to follow the Golden Rule. There are several ways to word this since it is common to many religions. One is: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
He treasures his visit to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, as the one that is most memorable for what he learned. As a hobby, Stanley enjoys listening to western swing music.
Stanley has been deeply involved with the activities of the Southwest Railroad Historical Society in Dallas, Texas. This is the body that operates the Age of Steam Railroad Museum in Fair Park in that city. For numerous years, there has been planning for a physical move because of limited available space within the park. As more equipment becomes available, finding a suitable spot in the museum becomes a major problem. Since I was at one time involved with the process, I asked Stanley to provide some information about it.
Space had become available in the west end of downtown Dallas, not far from where President John Kennedy was shot. In the 1990s, many meetings had taken place to try to make a feasible deal. Stanley was president of the society for a few years of this period. Eventually, the idea faded away primarily because of the staggering environmental issues with the property and the Society’s inability to raise the ten million dollars asked for the property. A land speculator has purchased the land since.
The potential new home that is under consideration lies across Washington Avenue from the current site. It involves four tracts of land totaling about 7 acres (2.8 ha).
The first site is owned by the State Fair of Texas and is used currently only during the twenty-four days of the fair and on the day of the annual Cotton Bowl football game. The Fair board is interested in trading that property for the current property of the museum on the fair grounds. Both parties would probably benefit from such a deal.
The second one involves an unimproved right-of-way 50 feet (15 m) wide owned by Dallas Area Rapid Transit. It is understood that DART no longer plans on using it. The Society hopes to acquire this by donation or long-term nominal lease.
The third one is an unimproved plot of the same width that is owned by the City of Dallas. It is platted for Pacific Avenue, but has not been developed for that. The same approach would be taken as for the second one.
The fourth plot is currently owned and operated by Triple S Dynamics. This would have to be purchased for about $5.5 million.
Negotiations are underway to acquire the first three tracts discussed above. The museum does not have the money required to purchase the fourth tract. The City of Dallas prepared a massive Capital Bond programme to be submitted to the voters in early November 2006 for their approval. As a result of hard work, intensive lobbying efforts, and some good luck, the proposed bond package includes $2.75 million for the Age of Steam Museum to purchase the Triple S Dynamics property. AOS will be required to match the City’s $2.75 million. They are optimistic that they can do it. The bond passed.
The collection has grown to the point that there is no room for even one more piece of equipment in the Museum. More space is urgently required, and this property is the best and most realistic opportunity available at this time.
To facilitate the efforts to raise funds, M. Goodwin and Associates, a professional museum planning group, has been retained to develop a long-range strategic plan for the new museum. The name of the corporation will be changed from “Southwest Railroad Historical Society” to “Museum of the American Railroad.” The name “Age of Steam” will still be used to refer to the exhibit within the Museum of the American Railroad. The expert states that it is essential to have a name that carries a “national in scope” connotation.
All hope for the best in the acquisition of this property. The museum receives visitors from many countries throughout the world. For the railroad enthusiast, it is one of many railroad museums worth seeing. Much credit can be given to staff and volunteers for the achievements seen at the museum over the years.
Knowing that Stanley’s wife Yvonne is a teacher in the lower grades and had a few students whose parents had come from Russia for specific work projects during my time in Texas, I asked her to tell a little of her experience.
Yvonne was teaching second grade when the first Russian student came into her class. The child’s father was a scientist working with the Supercollider Project. She did not speak English, but her parents spoke some. Although her name was Alexandra, she insisted on being called Alice because she wanted to be American. She became “Americanized” quickly; and, by the end of third grade, it was difficult to distinguish her from any other girl in the school.
The next girl, Olga, arrived three years later. Her mother, Tanya, had married an older man who traveled to Russia as a Bible translator. He married Tanya in Russia and brought her to Duncanville, Texas, and into the house with his “real” wife! Needless to say, that caused a big problem. Some church members took pity on Tanya and found a place for her to live. Olga was an extremely shy child. She would not attempt to talk in class nor speak English. When it came time for the State Fair of Texas, Yvonne made arrangements to take Tanya and Olga to the Fair, hoping that this might create a bond between student and teacher. Students must bond with teachers in order to feel free enough to speak if they are really shy or scared.
Seeing the Fair through the eyes of the university graduate from Russia was one of the most interesting experiences in all the years that Stan and Yvonne visited the fair. Tanya had never touched a farm animal before. She was fascinated with the wool on the sheep. The delight as she showed her daughter the different animals made her giggle. When they arrived at the automobile building, she kept asking if the cars were really for sale. She was fascinated with all the food. When asked what she would like to eat, she replied, “I eat anything, because in Russia, we eat whatever is in the store.” Then they walked by the Russian exhibit. When shown a miniature doll of the Czar, she did not know who it was.
Stanley took her on a tour of the Age of Steam Museum. When he mentioned the engine that had been made for the Czar, she stepped back and put her hand of her hips and asked, “Who is this Czar?” Then it was assumed that all references to Czar Nicholas have been erased from their history books. Tanya told Stanley and Yvonne that it was important for her to come to the United States and bring Olga because, in her country, she would work hard all her life and have nothing; but here she could work hard and could have something.
Yvonne won Olga’s heart that day. She told her mother that night that Yvonne was her next favourite person after her grandmother. On Monday, Olga began to speak and smile. The State Fair ends in late October, and Olga was proficient in English by the time school ended in May. She passed the important state assessment in third grade with the highest rating possible.
Tanya was an architect in Russia. After living with and caring for an elderly couple for about two years, she worked for a dentist in Duncanville, hometown of the Smiths. There she met a good man, married him, and moved to Plano - another suburb of Dallas. Olga is now in college.
This shows the effect of a little concern by a teacher on a student. These were good experiences for Yvonne. This also shows that we who live in the “First World” should not take our blessings for granted.
Stanley and Yvonne have been blessed with two wonderful children who grew up to be great adults. They believe that their guidance, their setting examples, and their love for their children had a very positive impact on their development.
I met Stanley at a Historical Society meeting in a railroad car at the museum in 1992. As was the custom, he asked all who were there for the first time to stand and introduce ourselves. From that time on, I enjoyed working with Stanley. He supported me with my programme of making railroad presentations in schools and public libraries. He participated in my first two library presentations. He invited me to serve on the Society board and to chair one ad hoc committee. I always felt that his leadership was an asset to the Society.
Yvonne was at the museum occasionally. She and I had a common professional background as school teachers. Once, she brought one of the Russian mothers to see the museum. I had the honour of showing the two ladies some of the equipment despite our language barrier. It was a good experience for me.
Susan P. Land
Arvada, Colorado, United States
Would you be willing to climb down into a well? Why would it be necessary? What if it were to retrieve a corpse? That is what faced Jerry and Susan, of the forensics department of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. They were on call when they were requested to travel to a remote spot in Oklahoma to “process” a scene where the body was in a well. Some guy killed his girlfriend and “hid” her body in a cistern. All the way to the site, the two investigators were saying, “I am not going into that well! They will have to put a gun to my head. Even then I won’t go!” Neither one likes spiders or snakes! Eventually, they arrived at the remote site with the OSBI agents and the Sheriff’s Deputies.
Someone finally decided that the Coroner should be called to pronounce the body “dead”! Mind you, the body had been there for several months! Therefore, they waited for the coroner to come upon the scene. Keep in mind that not only was it a hot day, but the investigators were being sandblasted by the wind! Finally, he arrived with his wife. What a pleasant place for romance! The coroner was a rather large man. The well had a concrete block on top, with a small opening. Do you see where this is leading? To everyone’s surprise, the coroner squeezed through the opening - shirtless and with an oxygen tank, but he succeeded. Fortunately for Susan, he would not follow his wife’s instructions to remove his pants, too!
The body was declared “dead”, the concrete block was removed to make it easier to remove the body, and several officers volunteered to bring it up. In addition, no one put a gun to their heads to force them to go into the well! It was just an ordinary day in Oklahoma.
Susan was born in Watrous, Saskatchewan, Canada, a town southeast of Saskatoon. She began her education in grade school in Sutherland, a suburb of Saskatoon. She has one particularly unpleasant memory of her early schooling.
Her fifth grade teacher scarred her for life! In art class, the students were supposed to use some abstract type of drawing technique, but Susan was unable to understand it. Therefore, the teacher took the little girl’s drawing (which looked like something identifiable instead of abstract), along with someone else’s drawing (which showed what she wanted), and held both up in front of the class and said, “This is what your drawing should look like (the other person’s), not like this (Susan’s).” Needless to say, Susan did not attempt much drawing for many years, when she finally took a class called “Drawing For People Who Think They Can’t.” Guess what? She says that her drawings still look like something identifiable instead of abstract.
She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Missouri Western State College, a Master of Science degree in Forensic Science from George Washington University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Adult and Continuing Education with emphasis in Continuing Professional Education from University of Oklahoma.
Dr. Russell Smith, one of her chemistry professors in college, pushed her toward forensic science and graduate school in forensic science. She feels that her teaching style in college was based on his. That is a compliment to her mentor.
Many teachers will probably say that the best part of teaching is when one sees the light bulb come on. When Susan started teaching in college, she was amazed at how little thinking students did and how bad their writing was. As she expected, many of her students were traumatized when she required that they think and be able to write. She kept trying to cause them to understand that her approach was to prepare them for the real world of being a forensic scientist or crime scene investigator.
One student, Denise, was extremely introverted. It was necessary to work with her on another level to help her to interact more with the class and to prepare herself for such presentations as testifying in court. When she did her internship, Susan suggested that her research was fit for formal presentation at a forensic science conference. It took some work, but Denise agreed to do it - and lived to tell about it! That in itself was an accomplishment.
A couple of years after Susan had left the college, Denise called. She wanted Susan to know that she was in a master’s programme. On the first day of orientation, the twenty students in the programme were told they would have to write several 20-page papers and make several formal presentations to the class. Denise said that she had a smile on her face and that she exhibited the attitude of “No problem! I know how to do this!” The other students were “sweating bullets” thinking about the papers and presentations. Denise wanted her former teacher to know that she could not have done it without Susan’s help. Susan really appreciated being told this. Her teaching did make a difference for at least one person. That light came on!
Her current work is that of a crime analyst, which involves analysis of crime patterns and statistical analysis in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. Previously, she was an assistant professor for six years at Metropolitan State College in Denver. For the first fifteen years after obtaining her master’s degree, she worked in forensic science with the state bureaus of investigation in Missouri and Oklahoma.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to appear on a national television show? Susan had the experience - and describes how it affected her. The producers of Unsolved Mysteries decided to film one of the cold cases of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. They wanted all of the people who processed the scene to be part of it. It was Susan’s lucky day!
The filming took place at a rest stop along an Oklahoma Turnpike. OSBI bought its participating staff new windbreakers with the OSBI name and logo prominently displayed. Also, they had magnetic signs made to put on the side of the crime scene van. The filming took place in the wee hours of the morning.
The staff watched the Highway Patrol cars drive up to the scene and ad lib some dialogue - over and over and over. There was no script for any of this. Then, the others had the privilege to watch as Jerry, the fingerprint expert, and Susan drove up to the scene in the OSBI van - over and over and over. Jerry was very good at placing the van in the exact same spot each time. Susan knew this because every time that she disembarked from the van, she stepped into the same hole and had to avoid the same used tampon!
They had to pretend that they were processing the scene, taking notes, and conferring. Susan kept writing on her pad of paper, “Get me out of here!!” Maybe it was a good thing that this did not show up on the finished product. Another thing that did not show up on the finished product was anything that referred to OSBI. They edited it so that the OSBI name and logo on the new signs and windbreakers did not show. That was rather funny considering the lengths the bosses went to procure them. Apparently, the producers did not want to show any advertising. My wife and I saw the film on television and noted how bored and left out of the action that Susan was!
It took place somewhere in Oklahoma. Susan and her colleagues were called to a homicide scene out in the middle of nowhere (naturally!) in the middle of the night (of course). The house was shotgun style: long, narrow, living room in front, then kitchen, hallway, bathroom, and bedroom at the back. The body was in the bedroom on a waterbed. The bed had a wood frame, posts, and a mirrored canopy. The scene was processed from front to back.
At one point, the other investigators were in the front of the house while Susan was in the bedroom collecting evidence. She braced her legs against the wood frame in order to reach across the body for the top sheet. As she took hold of the sheet, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the body move! She “vapour locked” and jumped back, only to realize what had actually happened. She had pushed down when grabbing the sheet, thus making the waterbed move - and, in turn, the body had moved! Then, out of the corner of my eye, she saw movement a second time! She jumped again, only to realize that an investigator was coming down the hall. Of course, she laughed at herself and had to explain to the others that she scared herself out of ten years so they could laugh too! The case of the moving corpse was solved.
Many of us in our younger years have had the experience of hitchhiking along the highways when we were traveling. When Susan worked at OSBI, she would give some advice to prospective hitchhikers. “If you hitchhike, we will probably see you later under a bridge or in the bushes where your body was dumped!” Although we had no problem in the past, it takes only one bad lift. Is it worth it?
She recalls one trip which was memorable in that she learned something the hard way. She learned that, when participating in a daylong boat outing at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, one should not be without a suitable hat, should not rely on soda drinks instead of water for hydration, and should not eat unfamiliar food sold on the beach. This combination had the usual results. From having lived in Mexico, I would recommend that one should choose only reputable restaurants when eating out and should avoid street and beach vendors. On the positive side, she did acquire a good tan.
For her leisure moments, she likes to read and to nap. She is definitely familiar with books as she has provided and recommended books for her sister and her grand-nephews. People have different ways of saying what Susan states as her philosophy of life. Unless someone is bleeding, most problems are not as bad as we think they are! Heeding this would probably reduce the number of stress-related illnesses in the population.
She describes her first language as being Americanized English, spoken with a very slight Canadian accent. She does not speak or read any other language. The one area where Susan feels that she could be better is in personal relationships.
I met Susan in 1963 when I was attending a church conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I had been billeted to her parents’ home. I may not have known her in future years had I not become interested in her older sister and married her. A year after Pamela and I were married, Susan spent the summer in our home with her sister while I was attending university. We would see her whenever our family would visit her parents when we were on vacation. We also visited her at George Washington University when she completed her studies there. When we visited her in Oklahoma City, she gave us a conducted tour of the crime lab at OSBI. We have not seen each other in several years.
Timo Cernohorsky
Crailsheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Many people buy do-it-yourself kits. Most of them can save themselves money in constructing the item. When buying a kit, one should always know what is being purchased and follow the directions. However, there is always an exception. Someone came into Timo’s shop. He saw some laminate flooring that he liked and purchased it. He carefully laid it on the exterior balcony of his house. After the first rain shower, the man returned to the shop to register a complaint about the product. If the customer had read the directions carefully, he could have saved himself the cost of purchase and the time for laying the flooring and pulling it up. He did not realize that this product was for indoor use only.
Timo was born in Ilshofen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He commenced his education at Leonhard-Sachs-Schule, later at the Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium, both in Crailsheim, in Baden-Württemberg. His first language is German, but he also has a working knowledge of English. Reaching the A-Level GCE (in Germany, Abitur) was a memorable moment for Timo. Only with Abitur can a student be admitted to a university. Abitur is a diploma from a German secondary school after thirteen years. In Germany, there are three types of school after the first four years: Hauptschule (grades 5-9), the higher school Realschule (grades 5-10), and the highest school Gymnasium (grades 5-13).
His state, Baden-Württemberg, has beautiful rivers, valleys, and woods - including the Black Forest. Near Stuttgart, the capital, some famous car manufacturers have their homes: Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Maybach. In Ulm is the highest church-tower in the world. Schwäbisch Hall, Heidelberg, and other cities are famous for their historical sections from the Middle Ages. At the Schwäbische Alb, a range of hills, are many castles. They include the famous Castle of Hohenzollern, the home of the Prussian emperors. This is an area of Germany that a visitor will not want to miss seeing.
Timo spent ten months in military service in the paramedic branch of the army, Bundeswehr. He was posted to a little hospital outside the normal barracks. The staff members were provided with their own private rooms. There were only fifteen to twenty beds, but all were not in use at any one time. Therefore, he enjoyed a very pleasant assignment with few injured people. The paramedics learned bloodletting, the giving of injections, and much about medications.
Timo’s profession is that of a sanitary installer in his state. He has some pleasant memories in this work. His most amusing experience occurred when a man called to say that his bathtub was plugged so that the water would not drain. Timo answered the call. After some work was done, little green leaves emerged. They were tea leaves. Why were there tea leaves in the bathtub drain? It was discovered that the man was an owner of a Chinese restaurant in this town and was using his bathtub as a medium for growing tea plants. Now, he had to find another place for his garden.
Timo is serving also as a department head in a do-it-yourself shop for sanitation, tiles, and wood. One of his experiences in this field is described above.
A very traumatic time of his life occurred during the period when his parents, in their early fifties, died two years apart. His mother succumbed to a tumor. Then, his father, a victim of muscular dystrophy, died from liver failure. His four grandparents are still living, being in their eighties and in good health. Timo is unmarried and is living in the apartment where his parents had lived for thirty years. Timo’s brother lives in a nearby town.
Horseback riding, flags, and computers comprise his hobby activities. Because of his knowledge of flags, I have asked him to tell about the history of the flags of his homeland and of one other country. Do you know as much about the history of the flag of your country as Timo does of his?
History of the German National Flag ... (© Timo Cernohorsky)
After the overthrow of Napoleon, Germany consisted of many single states. From 1815 until 1866, a state called Germany did not exist. In 1866, the so-called “Norddeutsche Bund” was founded, comprising most of the German states. This union accepted the national flag with the colours black, white, and red. Black and white are the colours of Prussia; white and red, the colours of the Hanseatic cities. This flag continued to be national flag during the German Empire until 1918.
In 1918, the so-called Weimarer Republik (Weimar Republic) was proclaimed, and a new national flag was accepted. It had horizontal stripes in black, red, and golden. The colours refer to an old flag which was black and red with a golden seam. This flag was the national flag until 1933.
In 1933, the Dritte Reich (Third Reich) was founded with Adolf Hitler as Reichskanzler or Chancellor. The “new” national flag was the old one of the German Empire. This flag was the national flag until 1935.
Additional to the empire flag, there was another national flag from 1933: the Hakenkreuz-Flagge (Swastika flag), consisting of the same black, white, and red colours of the empire flag. From 1933 until the end of World War II in 1945, this was the German national flag. After 1945, there was no national flag, as there was no Germany. The country was divided into West Germany and East Germany. East Germany and West Germany accepted this flag (black, red, golden) as their national flag. From 1949 until 1959, the two German states had the same national flag,
In 1959, East Germany changed its national flag by adding the coat-of-arms. From 1959 until 1990, this was the national flag of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). In 1990, after the overthrow of the socialist regime, East Germany accepted again the “old” national flag - black, red, golden, without arms. This flag existed only for months, because of the unification which took place in the same year.
West-Germany accepted the flag of the Weimarer Republik as their national flag in 1949. It remained unchanged after the unification in 1990.
History of the National Flag of South Africa ... © Timo Cernohorsky
In 1910, four British colonies (Cape Colony, Transvaal, Orange Free State, and Natal) merged to form the Union of South Africa. Therefore, a national flag was needed. The British red ensign was chosen, with the coat-of-arms of the four former colonies. From 1910 until 1912, this was the national flag.
In 1912, the national flag changed lightly - a white disc was added. From 1912 until 1928, this was the national flag of South Africa.
In 1928, a new national flag was accepted. It had horizontal stripes in orange-white-blue, with three little flags in the white stripe. It is the old flag of Holland, which founded the first colonies in South Africa. The three little flags are: the Union Jack, the flag of the Orange Free State vertically, and the flag of Transvaal. From 1928 until 1994, this was the national flag of South Africa. It remained unchanged when South Africa became a republic in 1961.
After the overthrow of the apartheid regime, a new national flag was accepted. Since 1994, this is the national flag of South Africa. The different colours - red, white, blue, green, yellow, black - stand for the different peoples in South Africa.
One day I received an email from Timo telling me that a page about the Holy Roman Empire on our website needed to be updated. I added the information and then I suggested that another page on the Holy Roman Empire may also be incomplete. He did some research and provided the missing information. Now, both pages are up-to-date.
When I need something translated from English to German or from German to English, I call on Timo. He graciously assists. Anything that is on our website in German has been translated by him. I really appreciate his willingness to help in this matter.
Márián Zoltán
Debrecen, Hungary
Are you interested in visiting such attractions as religious art, a Bible collection, archaeology, a protected nature conservation area, a university, or a medicinal and bath centre? If so, the place to go is Debrecen, a city of county rank in Hungary. With a population of over 205,000, it is the second largest city in the country. It is also the centre of the region, the scientific and cultural centre of the eastern part of the country, and a festival city. In the town centre, the main square has been converted into a large promenade with friendly terraces and the biggest ceramic fountain in Europe, with a Mediterranean atmosphere.
During its history, it was the capital of Hungary twice - in 1849 and in 1945. In its main square, Kossuth Square, can be seen the symbol of the town, the Calvinist Great Church, where Lajos Kossuth read out the Declaration of Independence on April 14, 1849. From the tower of the church is a beautiful view of the city. Behind the Great Church is the Calvinist College, where prominent figures of Hungarian culture studied and have been working continuously since 1538. The Calvinist Theological Academy, the Calvinist Secondary School, the Archives of the Calvinist Church, and the Museum of the History of Education and Religious Art are all housed here.
The museum has rare books which are considered to be unique not only in Europe but also throughout the world. The Bible collection includes the volumes of the Holy Book in more than 250 languages. Next to the college is the oldest square of the town, the renewed Déri Square, which has become an intimate place in the town with its pleasant splashing water and comfortable benches. The Déri Museum, built between 1926 and 1928, presents rich collections of archaeology, ethnography, culture, local history, and historical relics. The greatest attraction of the museum is the world-famous Munkácsy-Trilogy, which includes Ecce Homo, Christ before Pilate, and the Golgotha. These can be seen in one exhibition hall.
In the most beautiful part of the city, in the Great Forest, the University of Debrecen, founded in 1912, is located. Debrecen offers various high-standard programmes all year round. These include festivals, concerts, and other events, making the life of the city colourful. The programmes attract several hundred visitors to the city every year.
The first protected nature conservation area of Hungary is the 1,082 ha (2,674 acres) Great Forest of Debrecen. Within its territory are the Aquaticum Medicinal and Bath Centre with its new indoor Mediterranean Pleasure Bath, which opened in 2003; the Fun Fair; and the Zoo. There have been, in recent years, several developments in the civic city. These include the multi-functional coliseum seating 8,000 spectators, where national and international sports events are held one after the other. The seating area of 1,150 persons was opened in February 2006. The largest conference centre of eastern Hungary also includes a four-star hotel with 100 rooms and the Museum of Modern Arts. In the autumn of 2006, an indoor swimming pool was built.
This is the city where Márián Zoltán (here surnames precede given names, as opposed to the custom in North America) and his family live. Zoltán is the head of the Public Prosecutor Office (since 1989) and a lecturer at the University of Debrecen (since 1997). He has been in the Prosecutor Office since 1973. His wife, Mária Molnár, Doctor of Jurisprudence, is also a prosecutor. Zoltán and Mária have two daughters. Dorina is an English-Spanish teacher and a journalist. Agnes is a candidate for prosecutor.
Zoltán was born in Csenger, Hungary. Following elementary and secondary school, he attended Jószef Attila University, in Szeged, Hungary, between 1968 and 1973, where he earned a Master of Science degree in law science. Between 1973 and 1975, he took post-graduate work in judicial-prosecution and obtained a special degree. In 1977, he wrote the state language examination in English. This was followed in 2002 with the writing of the one in Russian. He holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
In 1965, as a grammar school student, Zoltán lived in a student hostel with about one hundred other young boys. Their hostel was a very strict one, similar to an army camp. In the afternoons, they had only one hour for resting. The hostel had an old record player and only two Hungarian bakelite records! The boys listened to these two records every afternoon. His grandmother’s sister had left Hungary sometime in the 1930s and, until her death, she lived in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She returned to Hungary only once, and Zoltán met her then. As a present, his aunt brought him a mini-record of the Rolling Stones “Paint it Black”. At that time, Hungary was a communist country behind the Iron Curtain. No “western beat” music was available. It was a great matter that he had a Rolling Stones record.
By that time, he had received a letter from the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who had sent it to Zoltán’s address in the hostel. This included his signed photo and also a lovely present in the envelope. It was a record, the Eurovision Grand Prix song by France Gall, “Wax Doll”. Now, he had two very famous and well known “western” songs on record! In the hostel, he gave his two records to the teacher, who played them every afternoon - many times! The happy owner became so popular among the boys because he was the only one who had any record from the West! Every day, they were waiting for the afternoon in order to play the records.
During the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, his father’s cousin - Ferenc Márián - left the country for England. He married an English girl named Grace. They had two children. Grace had a sister named Mary. In 1965, the Hungarian officials allowed Ferenc and his family to visit home for the first time. However, Mary, her husband Alex, and their two children also came to Hungary. It was Mary’s first trip to Zoltán’s home, and it was the beginning of a very long friendship between her family and his.
At that time, he was living in his birth-place village, Csenger, with his parents. As a young teenager, he was interested in people coming from the West! He had recently begun studying English in school. It was a useful experience for him to talk with native English people. When they returned home, he commenced to correspond with Mary.
Two years later, Mary and her family visited again and spent their holiday with his family. The following year, they sent an invitation letter for him to go to England and spend his school holiday with them. In 1960, the Hungarian Communist System did not let its citizens - except for old persons - visit western countries. His request for a passport was refused. How disappointed he was! Thereafter, their English friends visited every second year.
Finally in 1972, he obtained his passport and permission to travel to England. Everybody was wondering how this young boy was able to receive the passport! (Zoltán’s father knew somebody who helped in this matter.) With great excitement, he set out by train on his first visit to the West! It was a very pleasant, long journey in which he traveled through Austria, West Germany, and Belgium. On the boat crossing the English Channel, he met a lady from Peru and had a long conversation. Later, they became pen pals.
Mary and her family were waiting for him in London’s Victoria Station. During his two months in England, Zoltán was able to practise the language and to visit many famous places - Wales, London, Coventry, Birmingham, Blenheim, Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Stratford, among others. He even saw the Queen! This holiday was a wonderful experience for him and an important point in his life!
The next year, he and Mária Molnár were married. Mary and her family visited Hungary again as guests at the wedding. During the past forty years, he has welcomed her more than twenty times!
Zoltán, his mother, his wife, and daughter Dorina also paid several visits to Mary’s home. During the hard political years, it was a special event for them to visit a capitalist country and to see the great difference between life in Hungary and in England. It made an important impression for them. The long correspondence and the frequent visits meant great help to develop their English language knowledge as well. This connection has also determined Dorina’s studies to become an English teacher.
Mary and Zoltán had become very good friends. She often remembers their first visit in 1965 when Hungarian soldiers with guns were watching their steps at the Austrian-Hungarian border. Zoltán thinks that she followed with attention all the Hungarian political changes from the very strict “Iron Curtain” to the free, democratic Hungary.
In August 2006, daughter Dorina was married. Of course, old friend Mary attended the wedding. Although she was eighty-two years old, she will probably visit her friends in Hungary again. What a wonderful friendship this has been!
Zoltán’s duty is the supervision of police investigation of crimes, making bill of indictment and acting as public prosecutor during judicial proceedings. At his office, any crime that is committed by policemen and special crimes committed against policemen are investigated. In 1989-1990, Zoltán was assigned by the Council of Ministers of Hungary to a committee to consider the unlawful judgment against political opponents from 1945 to 1962. The decision at the end of the investigation was that the majority of the cases were unlawful. The recommendation of the committee that rehabilitation of the persons concerned be carried out was approved by the Hungarian Parliament.
In 1996, he represented Hungary on the International Seminar on Organized Crime in Minsk, Belarus, which was arranged by the Council of Europe. His specialized subject was a lecture in English on organized crime in Hungary.
Since 1997, he has been lecturing criminal law at the University of Debrecen’s Law faculty and at the high school level. He examines students at the end of each semester.
With the help of his eldest daughter, he has a publication in the historical magazine Historia. It tells the story of a Hungarian-born countess who became the wife of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II of Egypt.
For the benefit of readers interested in the function of the prosecution system in his country, I asked Zoltán for an outline. The organizational structure of the Prosecution Service of the Republic of Hungary is as follows:
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Regional Chief Prosecution Offices;
County Chief Prosecution Offices and the Metropolitan Chief Prosecution Office;
Local prosecution offices (district offices in Budapest, town offices in the counties);
Military Chief Prosecution Office;
Regional Military Prosecution Office;
Territorial military prosecution offices.
In many aspects, the Office of the Prosecutor General functions as a central public administrative organ. It has the right to initiate the issue of laws or regulations, the right to form opinion about pieces of draft legislation, and the right to issue inner decrees. However, the activities of the Office of the Prosecutor General in the fields of criminal, civil, and administrative law are more characteristic features of its work.
In the course of its activities, the Office of the Prosecutor General:
investigates cases specified by law (cases belonging to the exclusive investigative competence of the Prosecution Service);
exercises supervision of legality over the investigations of criminal cases (supervision of the legality of investigations);
exercises other rights specified by law relating to the investigation; as the representative of state power, exercises the right to indict, and represents the prosecution in court proceedings;
exercises the right to legal remedies stipulated by the Code on Criminal Procedure;
exercises supervision of the legality of execution of punishments and corrective measures, and takes part in judicial procedures related to the execution of punishments (supervision of the legality of the execution of punishments);
contributes to the correct application of laws in the course of court procedures (participation of the prosecutor in contentious or non-contentious court procedures of civil, labour, and administrative law or law of economy);
contributes to the observance of the provisions of laws by state organs, law enforcement organs other than courts, all organizations of the society, as well as citizens (prosecutorial supervision of legality);
fulfills its tasks arising from international treaties, especially when it provides and requests legal assistance.
The duties of the Prosecution Service can be divided into two main groups. On the one hand, they involve the tasks related to the criminal justice. This is by far the greatest part. In this domain, the Prosecution Service enforces the punitive power of the state. The prosecutor investigates cases specified by law, exercises supervision over the legality investigations, represents the prosecution in court proceedings, and exercises supervision of legality of the execution of punishments.
The other group of the prosecutor’s tasks is very divergent. This means all the duties accomplished by the prosecutor in the fields of civil law, administrative law, labour law, or the law of economy. In the course of his civil law activities, the prosecutor shall initiate contentious or non-contentious legal proceedings in cases provided by law. In his civil law activity, the prosecutor pays special attention to the initiation of legal actions for the prohibition of pollution, for the compensation of damages caused by pollution, for the restoration of the lawful functioning of foundations and associations, and for the winding-up of non-functioning organizations.
I also asked Zoltán to tell a little about the University of Debrecen, where he is a lecturer. The University of Debrecen, like other integrated institutions of higher education in the country, was formed on January 1, 2000, by reuniting formerly independent institutions. Its historical roots reach back to the foundation of the Reformed College of Debrecen (1538), whose three academic sections later served as the base for the Hungarian Royal University of Sciences, created by Statute Number 36 in 1912. With this past of more than 450 years, the University of Debrecen is the oldest institution of higher education in continuous operation in Hungary based in the same city. Higher education in agriculture began in 1868, when the National Higher School of Agriculture was formed in Debrecen.
In 2006, the University of Debrecen had a student body of 26,000, out of which 16,000 were full-time students. More than 1,700 instructors teach at the University, making it one of the largest higher education institutions in Hungary. Its thirteen faculties, including law, two independent institutions, and twenty doctoral schools undoubtedly offer the widest choice of majors and other forms of training.
The quality of teaching, and especially research, is indicated by the fact that more than half of the instructors have academic degrees, and twenty-three professors are members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Zoltán has time for personal interests beyond his work. A hobby which began in the early 1960s, when he was a young teenager, has given him much satisfaction. At that time, he received an autographed photograph of President Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus. Today, he has about 1,200 original signed autographs of royalty, presidents, prime ministers, and other dignitaries from around the world. When it is difficult to obtain specific photographs, he will work through embassies. Sometimes, it has taken much persistence as in the case with Alexander Dubcek of Czechoslovakia - even when he was warned not to keep asking. He eventually received a personal letter from Mr. Dubcek.
Among royalty from whom he has obtained original signatures on photographs are the following:
Emperor Hirohito, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Queens Margaret II, Beatrice, and Juliana, Emperor Haile Selassie, Kings Baudouin and Albert II, King Juan Carlos, King Olav IV, Kings Hassan II and Mohammed VI, King Hussein, King Faisal, King Simeon II, Grand Duchess Charlotte, and Shah Reza Pahlavi.
Presidents of United States include Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, George Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Prime ministers and other presidents include Tony Blair, Harold Macmillan, Margaret Thatcher, General Charles DeGaulle, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, Pierre Trudeau, Robert Menzies, Presidents François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, Aldo Moro, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, Deng Xiaoping, Fidel Castro, Leonid Brezhnev, Juan Peron, Salvador Allende, Colonel Kadhafi, Ahmed Ben Bella, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc“ Duvalier, Kim II Sung, and Nicolai Ceausescu.
Other people include Pope Jean Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Mother Theresa.
An exhibition of his collection, opened by the former President of Hungary, was held from June 2, 2006, to June 4, 2006, at the Grand Hotel Aranybika, in Debrecen.
I met Zoltán through an email inquiry in which he asked if I knew how to contact a lady with an Egyptian royal background. Regrettably, I could not help him. However, we kept in contact from time to time. His hobby is interesting to me. I have appreciated his friendship since the beginning a few years ago.
Afterword
Thank you for reading this book. I hope that you have found it both interesting and informative. This is the first in a series of books on stories of experiences by adults and stories by school children. If you would like to suggest ideas or contacts with unusual stories for these upcoming books, you can reach me via the
Contact Us page. All of my books will be listed on the website.
Copyright © 2007 by R. L. Duane Duff. All Rights Reserved.
R.L. Duane Duff, Email: duff.d@shaw.ca
R.L. Duane Duff, Email: duff.d@shaw.ca
R.L. Duane Duff, Email: duff.d@shaw.ca
R.L. Duane Duff, Email: duff.d@shaw.ca
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