Alere Flammam If It Worked
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AlerThe neewsl etteFr of the Lislgara Alummni Associmation am Volume XXXI • 1 st Issue • Spring 2017 Recalling Dawn of the Computer Age at Lisgar Tom Kovesi looked a bit like the interior of the Death Star from Star Wars, except it hen I go back to visit was white. At the university, there were Lisgar, one of the things card punch machines, where you I’m most aware of is could type your characters with a key - Wsomething every current Lisgarite takes board, and the machine would punch for granted—the number of comput - holes in the appropriate spaces in the ers and smart phones inside Lisgar’s little cardboard computer cards. You’d walls. It was not always like this. then wait in line to give your cards to a When I was at Lisgar in the late computer technician, and then wait in 1970s, Lisgar didn’t have a computer. another line for your printout. I’ll Pocket calculators had recently admit I was never a fan. The university become pretty common and were the was hard to get to (this was long only electronic device one would ever before the pedestrian bridge across see in the halls. They were rather the canal). The room was huge and expensive. Geeks (nerds, back then) incredibly noisy with all the card had scientific calculators, which had punch machines working, and the uni - many functions, several memories, and 1970s HIGH TECHNOLOGY: An IBM 360 similar to this one was the school board’s only computer. versity’s version of FORTRAN was a bit were sometimes even programmable. cardboard boxes. Every night, a truck a “do loop.” This would send the com - different from ours so my programs Uber-geeks had HP calculators, the would pick up our boxes of cards and puter into an endless cycle, using a lot never seemed to work anyway. use of which was incomprehensible to bring them to the Ottawa Board of of paper and endlessly irritating the One of my friends came up with a everyone else (4 + 5 was 4 Enter 5 +). Education computer. A technician card reader technician (we not infre - much better solution. He made friends While Lisgar didn’t actually have a would put each of our boxes through a quently created loops by accident). with the computer technician at the computer, we did have computer sci - computer card reader. The computer When my kids were toddlers and had Ottawa Board of Education’s comput - ence classes. We learned computer would run (or at least attempt to run) an endlessly repeating tantrum, we er, who would then let us in at night so programming using a language called our program and give the output on used to call this a do loop—any parent we could feed our computer cards into FORTRAN, or a version my nerdier long reams of foldable computer of my generation who’d taken “com - the computer’s card reader ourselves. friends assured me was extremely cool paper. The next day, our cards and puters” knew what this meant. You’d have virtually instant feedback, and which had been invented in printouts were returned to us. If two The cardboard boxes and truck so you could troubleshoot your pro - Waterloo, called WATFIV. We wrote cards were in the wrong order, you’d approach was a slow and inefficient gram right away. An assignment that programs by coloring in little bubbles coloured the wrong bubble, or a pen - way of completing computer science would otherwise take a week would be on cardboard computer cards with cil mark had gone astray, the program assignments, and was deemed entirely finished in an evening. While we were thick HB pencils. A simple program wouldn’t run, and the printout would unsatisfactory by my nerdier class - submitting our incredibly simple pro - would take scores of cards, and we’d just have an error message. You’d have mates. One way around this was to try grams, my classmate clearly had some - store our cards in specially-designed to correct the error, resubmit your to sneak access to the computers in thing inscrutably complicated going cards, and wait until the next day to see the Computer Science Department at on, involving boxes and boxes of com - Alere Flammam if it worked. For most of us, a simple the University of Ottawa. The university puter cards. We discovered what he assignment took about a week to work. had (I think) two or three computers, was doing when he showed up one If you had a streak of anarchist in which took up a large room with spe - Inside you, you could write a program called cial flooring and air filters. The room CONTINUED ON PAGE 3... Members’ Forum 2 In Memoriam 3 Peter Raymont 4 Hold the Date! Alumni-Funded Projects 4 Hugh Fraser 5 175th Anniversary Reunion – May 4-6, 2018 Lisgar Archives 6 Members’ Forum Members’ Forum Peter Chance (1939) e-mailed a bour in my teenage years. Keep up the note along with his donation: I grad - good work! uated in 1939, followed by my twin brothers, David and John, three years Sylvia Kershman (Bodovsky, 1942) later. Two years ago I was able to trav - has recently published Life Lines and el to Ottawa and climb the stairs to Other Lines , which tells the story of drop in to the office and also to exam - Sylvia’s family and their lives as res - ine once again the plaques on the wall idents of Lowertown in Ottawa. in the corridor adjacent to the library, Sylvia, the daughter of Kele Leikin which include our names. I enjoy very Bodovsky and Wolf Bodovsky, was much each edition, which keeps alive born in 1926 and lived in the neigh - my vivid memories of happy days as a bourhood, once the core of the student. We had great teachers, head - Ottawa Jewish community, until ed by Principal F.A. Stuart. Perhaps 1964. the most recognized and respected was Jessie Muir, who taught English David Hein (1993) has opened his and French. “Daisy” McDermott, who first Broadway musical, Come From taught German, Ernie Legon for Latin, Away , in New York. The March 12 OTTAWA HISTORY: Sylvia Kershman (Bodovsky, 1942) shows off her book on life in Lowertown. and Jessie Smith and “Minnie” Hills opening night was attended by It was nice to see some former class - married an Aussie and moved there in for Math were just a few of our poorly Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and mates from the 1965 class. Had some the late 1960s. My brother Pete paid but totally dedicated staff. his wife Sophie. David and his wife, great characters for teachers. Mr. (1964) married a girl from North Warmest best wishes to the best high Irene Sankoff, wrote the play and all Cochrane, my Geography teacher from Carolina and they live just outside school in Ontario and perhaps in all of the music. It centres around the South Africa, a wonderful man. I loved Hickory, NC. My wife and I are retired our great country. warm welcome Newfoundlanders my old History teacher Mr. Carruthers. high school teachers and are enjoying gave airline passengers who were It was a riot how he used to put you in life in the Belleville area. Hope to see Betty Catchpole (Cameron, 1950) stranded after 9/11. Jane Boon a headlock and give you a hair rub some old buds at the 175th. wrote: Once again Alere Flammam (1985) wrote on Facebook: I live in when he was mad at you. I’ll never for - arrived and I so enjoyed reading it. I New York City and bought tickets with - get Mr. Wade, my Chemistry teacher. Thanks again to Margaret Pippy so enjoyed the article on Jackie out realizing there was a Lisgar con - Heaven forbid if you didn’t do your (1952) and Ann McJanet (1955) Holzman. That also brought back nection. How wonderful! homework or stand to answer a ques - who continue to take the time to great memories, as her husband John tion. He wielded a wicked yard stick. clip newspaper articles and obituar - was part of our “gang” and a neigh - Paul Paddon (1965) wrote: Just read My sister Penny (1961) still lives in ies and send them in for the the latest edition of Alere Flammam . the Ottawa area. My sister Pam (1962) newsletter. Ann writes: I always read Editor Avi Caplan Contributors Paul Bennett Rod Hagglund Elizabeth Hale Joy Heft Tom Kovesi Philippe Roy Alere Flammam is the annual newsletter of the Lisgar Alumni Association. Lisgar Alumni Association 29 Lisgar Street Ottawa, ON K2P 0B9 [email protected] (866) 236-1450 http://www.lisgar.net We are proud to use FSC-certified processed chlorine-free 100% post- consumer recycled paper. COME FROM AWAY: The hit musical from David Hein (1993) is currently playing on Broadway, but will be back in Toronto starting in February of 2018. Alere Flammam • Spring 2017 • Page 2 Members’ Forum Alere Flammam in its entirety when it comes, and am looking forward to Computer (continued) hear plans to celebrate Lisgar’s next morning in home room and casually In Memoriam big anniversary. asked our teacher, Mr. Pritchett, if his BARDACH , James (1980) MCMICHAEL , Robert (teacher 1953- printout of all our teacher’s salaries BERGER , Jean (Soloway, 1943) 57, Vice-Principal 1960-64, Principal Peter Lesaux (1954) wrote: I com - was correct! I think he was probably CLEMENT , Shirley (Paul, 1938) 1972-1976). A proud veteran of the pleted Grade 13 in 1954, and graduat - one of the earliest computer hackers.