..HHAARRBBOORRDDIITTEE.. (Founded 1979)

286 Harbord Street, Toronto Ontario, Canada M6G 1G5

A Newsletter published for former students and teachers of Harbord Collegiate Institute

Issue No. 54 Spring 2006

- Editor: Paul McIntyre ('50) - - Layout Editor: Jennifer Cui - Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.harbordclub.com/

WHY A HARBORD CLUB? 1) To establish and maintain a sense of common identity among former students and teachers of the school 2) To share news from Harbordites everywhere 3) To provide funds for prizes, awards and scholarships in all grades of the school

6 |Page 1 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.TABLE OF CONTENTS. Editorial ·······································································································3 The History Of The Harbord Club ································································4 Harbord Remembers···················································································· 9 Honor Roll of the Fallen – World War II····················································12 War Memorial Donors················································································12 Featured Article··························································································14 Hilkka Marie Filppula··············································································14 3rd Annual Dinner ····················································································· 17 John B. Braithwaite ····················································································20 Morley S. Wolfe ·························································································21 Class of 1955 Harbord C.I. Reunion ···························································23 Class of 1956 Harbord C.I. Reunion Info····················································24 Class of 1957 Harbord C.I. Reunion Info····················································24 Class of 1981 Harbord C.I. Reunion Info····················································24 Our WWI Soldier is Rededicated································································25 World War I Monument Rededication························································27 Our Readers Write······················································································31 Interview of Henry Petroff ·········································································40 Dr. May Cohen ···························································································44 Morton Katz ·······························································································46 Biography ···································································································47 Saul Cantor ······························································································47 Rosario Marchese ····················································································48 Murray Laufer ·························································································50 Obituaries ···································································································51 Dr. Elle Cass···························································································51 Harold Soupcoff ·····················································································52 News···········································································································56 Bertha R. Shvemar··················································································56 Harbord Students Who Received The Order of Canada ······························56 Our Students Write ·····················································································57 Officers of Committee members·································································59

6 |Page 2 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.EDITORIAL.

As a young person I was taught the homily that "There are three sides to every issue, your side, my side and the right side." Hopefully, in my childish way, I understood this to indicate that it is easy to make judgmental errors because most of us believe what we want to believe and have difficulty in accepting contrary opinions. The following is subject to that understanding.

I might never have read Mordecai Richler's, "This Year in Jerusalem" first published in 1994, if my brother had not left me half his library, when he moved to Victoria. The reading was a rich personal experience for me. It painted a picture of Israel with which I was mostly unfamiliar.

It was interesting to discover that Richler and I were both born on 1931and therefore grew up, or partially so, during the Great Depression, (a misnomer if I ever heard one) and the years of the Second World War. This meant a degee of poverty for both of us but I think not sufficient to dim the spirit.

It was also interesting to discover his family background in the Hasidic faith. His maternal grandfather, Rabbi Yudel Rosenberg, born in Poland in 1859, was a celebrated Hasidic scholar, as well as a writer of playful short stories and as a scribe, or sofer, "would have written his Sefer Torah with the quill of a turkey feather on parchment."

He describes his growing up years in Montreal; how by happenstance he found friends in' and joined, Habonim, "a world organization of Socialist Zionist youth."

He recounts in a very human way his experiences on three trips he made to Israel in 1948, 1962 and mainly in 1992, setting out many conversations there with relatives, old friends and various other people, both Jews and Arabs. To my mind, it is a serious insightful work written with great fairness, objectivity and as you might expect, remarkable humour and irony.

It may even be more pertinent today than it was when it was first published over ten years ago. In any event, for this Shagetz it was a wonderful read.

Incidentally, while we were visiting a friend in Fort Lauderdale she invited a Jewish couple who lived next door for dinner. So in the course of conversation I mentioned reading the book and asked if they had read it. Not only had they not read it, they didn't seem to have heard of Mordecai Richler. So then I asked them if they had heard of Wayne and Shuster and they hadn't heard of them either. So much for the irrelevance of Canada and Canadians.

Regarding the World War II monument we must all agree that our work will be far from complete until it is established. Please be sure to read Murray's article and respond as you are able.

6 |Page 3 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.THE HISTORY OF THE HARBORD CLUB (1978-1999) By Julius Molinard (’36) Harbord Street Collegiate Institute, as it was originally called until 1912 when Street was dropped from its name, was the second high school to be built in Toronto after Jarvis Street Collegiate Institute, the first, that had become so overcrowded by 1890 that another high school was needed. To meet the need the Board of Education purchased pasture land from Alex Manning and in 1890 began construction of the new building which opened its doors in January 1892 to170 students. It too soon became so overcrowded that the Board decided to restrict enrolment to those living within the boundaries of Avenue Road, Queen's Park, Simcoe St. in the east and Dufferin St. in the west. Harbord St. was then a dirt road that became a sea of mud in bad weather and wood planks served as a sidewalk. Across the road from the school was a farm where cows were raised. One of our centenarians recalled seeing cows occasionally enter the school grounds. A slaughter house was located somewhere in the vicinity of Palmerston Blvd. The community surrounding the school was an invaluable adjunct of Harbord which "has always reflected the changing social conditions and shifts in ethnic population in the area around it. From its inception in 1892 to the present day, the school has been finely attuned to the ebb and flow of the various nationalities as they waxed to a majority status or waned to a minority one."[1] The student body was a microcosm of the greater Toronto area. The school was originally Wasp and from 1892 to 1907 there were no more than seven Jewish students. When Willie Zimmerman, the principal architect of the Harbord Club, entered the school in the fall of 1928 the school was half Jewish. When he graduated five years later it was probably 85% Jewish. From about the mid- twenties to the late fifties the school saw an influx of Jews who formed a significant body and brought honour to Harbord academically. They came from the Jewish district around the Bathurst and Spadina area and were joined later by the sons and daughters of Portuguese & Italian immigrants who lived intermingled with Jews in the rectangle near Harbord around Grace, Manning and College Streets. In 1971 there were 29 ethnic groups in the school population of 1,100 students. Jack Harryman, head of the Modern Languages, noted in 1978 that “a new era is dawning in the ethnic distribution of students at Harbord. For the first time in 24 years I have a student named Smith." [2] With the enrolment of an increasing number of students of Chinese background, the curriculum was enriched with the introduction of courses in Cantonese and the formation of a Chinese Club. In 1997 about 25% of Harbord students were of Oriental background. Thirty-eight languages are officially listed as the first language spoken at home. The standards have always been high from the beginning and have always been consistently maintained throughout its history not only thanks to a dedicated staff but also because of a student body made up mainly of the children of immigrant families determined to raise their standard of living through education. One of Willie's teachers, Miss Elsie Affleck, [3] who taught Latin and Greek made a lasting impression on him. She profoundly touched the hearts and minds of hundreds of students in her 24 years at Harbord and was the teacher that Willie said was "the spark that created the Harbord Club." [4] Willie was so fond of her he would check the new telephone book every year to make

6 |Page 4 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K | sure Miss Affleck was still around. One year Willie was shocked to find she was no longer listed. After much searching Willie learned she had moved to Vancouver. Willie wrote to her and she was delighted to hear from him. She maintained close contact with her students from her retirement home in Vancouver not only with Willie but with Ken Prentice, another one of her students. Miss Affleck suggested that since they spoke to her so much about Harbord they would enjoy meeting one another. Willie recalls: "He came over to my house and we sat and talked for three or four hours. I suddenly said, you know, this is ridiculous. If we can talk for that length of time about Harbord, we ought to form an alumni organization." [5] Ken agreed. The idea of the Harbord Club was conceived then and there. Soon after this conversation Willie and Ken organized a meeting of former Harbord students who met for the first time June 26, 1978 at the home of a close friend, Gus Weinstein ('33)and unanimously agreed to found the Harbord Club. Willie explains: "We were originally going to call it the Harbord Alumni Association. Then one of our executive members, Johnny Wayne ('36,) a founding member, said we shouldn't do that because it would lead people to believe that unless you graduated from Harbord, you couldn't join whereas we are interested in allowing membership to anyone who went to Harbord for any length of time. For example, we have a member who attended Harbord for six weeks and went on to another school. He said that the six weeks at Harbord meant more to him than the four years at the other school. So that's the point. If people feel they want to join, if they're associated with Harbord in any shape or form, if they went to Harbord night school, for example...we'll be glad to have you. That's why it's called the Harbord Club rather than the Harbord Alumni Association." [6] There were five previous Harbord alumni groups before the Harbord Club, the longest lasted for eight years. The organizers were students who had just graduated with the desire but not the time to devote to the project. Ken Prentice, a scholarship student in Classics, who taught Latin and Greek to prospective teachers at the Ontario College of Education, was elected President of the Harbord Club and in 1979 President of the Harbord Charitable Foundation. Ed Bulmer, the second President of the Club and a stockbroker with a well known Toronto firm, initiated the sale of Canada Saving Bonds to members donating his commission to the Harbord Charitable Foundation. He continued this work until 1989 and during that time netted the Foundation a total of $26,459. Continuing the financing of the Harbordite, Mannie Grossman ('34) directed a fund-raising campaign that brought in $14,100. The specific purpose of the Club then, as it is today, was to provide funds for prizes, awards and scholarship in all grades and to establish and maintain a common identity among former students and teachers. By the end of December 1978 the Club boasted 114 members, by 1993 the number had grown to 2540. With the creation of the Harbord Charitable Foundation in 1979 accomplished with the professional assistance of Sam Orenstein ('30) and Murray Chusid ('51), we could now issue tax-deductible receipts as an officially recognized organization and so facilitate the planning for student awards and prizes. One of our greatest achievements was the publication of the Harbordite, a semi-annual newsletter, which made it possible for us to reach out to former students of Harbord in Canada and abroad. We decided to charge a one-time fee of $10 for life membership to avoid the expense

6 |Page 5 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K | of reminding members that their annual fees were due. In addition to the fee, we also asked for a donation of $10 which entitled the donor to receive a "relic", that is, a small piece of the original maple floor taken from the first 1892 school building bearing the Harbord emblem and the words "I walked this floor." The relics sent to about 2000 members raised between $25,000 and $30,000. As the centennial year 1992 approached it occurred to members two years earlier that a commemorative volume was the best way to celebrate Harbord's first century of existence. We formed a special Harbord Centennial Publication Group which drafted a number of experienced business, advertising experts and teachers to assist in the financing and production of the school's history. The Group applied and received a grant from the New Horizons Program, Health and Welfare Canada that made publication of the volume possible. The editor's job was facilitated by the large fund of research material that had been collected over the preceding 13 years in the Harbordite. The title of the volume, The Happy Ghosts of Harbord, was inspired by a poem by Charles Girdler who taught English and History between 1925 and 1957. He had a special affection for the old 1892 Harbord building that had to be replaced by a new one in 1930. [7] He had taught in it for five years before it was demolished. At Harbord he founded the Oola Boola Club devoted especially to comedy and drama. Girdler's facile and versatile pen created skits that were staged as after-school entertainment. An admission charge of 5 cents was used to pay for a much needed stage curtain. Those skits provided great entertainment for students during the lean depression years of the 1930s. It was on the Harbord stage that Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster were initiated into the fine points of comedy that became their lifetime profession. Both were active members of the Harbord Club. The Happy Ghosts was dedicated to Ken Prentice (1913- 1989) who had unearthed valuable materials from Toronto's early past and found pleasure tracking former Harbord graduates. He spent countless hours in this research, at least fifty hours a week in the last ten years of his life. The first major event of the centennial year of 1992 was the establishment of the Harbord Museum thanks to the interest of Doug Lougheed, principal of the school, and one of our early supporters. He pointed out that there was a room available in the school which was used as a conference room set aside for marshalling the people before proceeding to the auditorium for graduation ceremonies and special occasions. The room was not used very much, Lougheed noted, and could be used to house the increasing accumulation of memorabilia and artifacts that were stored in various people's houses. Board of Education Design Services officials approved the project but had no funds available for its implementation. A grant of $25,000 from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation in 1989 got the project off to a good start. Weston, who graduated in 1915, lived on Palmerston Avenue, next door to the Zimmermans. A grant of $15,000 from the Learnx Foundation made it possible to proceed at once. The projected cost was 60,000. The Harbord Club contributed $8,000. Six Harbord Club members each donated $6,000: Philip E. Band ('33), Edwin A. Goodman ('36), Hugh MacDonald (staff 1965-1990), Paul Escoe O'Connell ('65), Jack Van Der Hout ('35), and Willie Zimmerman. The Museum was eventually built despite mistakes along the way. A border consisting of the original maple floor was retained in the Museum room in order to give members the opportunity

6 |Page 6 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K | to see and walk on that historic floor. We soon realized, however, that the floor had a special meaning only for those who graduated later. The wood floor was replaced with broadloom. The mistake cost $10,000. Leslie Rebanks of Rebanks Architects Incorporated designed the Museum which took into consideration all details regarding temperature control and other items that made it equal in calibre to any room at the Royal Ontario Museum. Gail Littlewood, architect, made over 100 visits to the school in order to ensure that no detail would be missed. Former classroom 106 was transformed into an elegant Museum with fifteen glass front cabinets, four storage cabinets, a wall panel, and a wall alcove for the 1992 time capsule. Special lighting was installed. Our large archival collection which includes photographs relating to the school's more than 100 year history, a paper record of school activities, books and artifacts were now made available for members to view or consult. The Museum was the first of its kind in high school history in Canada. The Harbord Museum was formally inaugurated October 31, 1991 by the then Premier of Ontario, Bob Rae, becoming the first architecturally designed high school museum in Canada. Phyllis Platnick ('50), then Archivist at York University was named First Curator- Archivist of the Harbord Museum. The Harbord Club was awarded the Toronto Historical Board's Certificate of Commendation for establishing the Harbord Museum and Archives and the publication of The Happy Ghosts of Harbord at an official ceremony held June 3, 1993 in the council Chamber of the City Hall. June Rowlands, Mayor of Toronto and David Burnside, Chairman of the Toronto Historical Board presented the award to Julius Molinaro as President of the Club. The citation read: "Since its founding in 1892, Harbord Collegiate has made an outstanding contribution to the history of Toronto. The Happy Ghosts of Harbord traces in detail the achievements of Harbord and its graduates. Its pages are packed with essays, old and new, and reprints of press clippings on numerous aspects of the history of the school, its architecture and its continuous record of scholastic excellence. The text is enlivened by almost 300 photographs from the Harbord Museum and Archives." [8] We were in good company. Among the other recipients of awards were: The Art Gallery of Ontario, Victoria University, The Toronto Star, Woodsworth College, The Toronto Heliconian Club and Wycliffe College. Apart from the time spent at home on the telephone or at a desk responding to a variety of queries, Willie and Julius would spend Thursday mornings working on the Harbordite and attending to Club business. The Club has made good use of the Museum which has served as a venue for annual meetings. Visitors from other high schools would often come to the Museum to ask for advice on how to organize an alumni group and suggestions on fund-raising. In 1994 the Sesquicentennial Museum and Archives of the Toronto Board of Education held a special exhibition of photographs featuring the contribution of the Jewish community to education in Toronto and of Harbord Collegiate which played a significant role in its development from the 1920s to the 1950s. Willie Zimmerman helped organize the exhibit providing old photographs and other historical material from the Harbord Museum. In 1999 after 21 years of service, Willie and Julius turned over the affairs of the Club and Foundation to a new and energetic committee of members. During those years Willie had succeeded in establishing 47 Harbord Club student awards and prizes supported by the editor of the Harbordite which has provided members here

6 |Page 7 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K | and abroad with very personal connection to their colleagues and friends. At a special ceremony held May 8, 2002. [9] Willie and Julius were honored by The Friends of the Sequicentennial Museum of the Toronto Board of Education who made a $200 donation to the Harbord Museum as a token of appreciation.

NOTES: 1. See Rhoda Tepper's article on "Ethnic Trends at Harbord", pp. 27-28 in The Happy Ghosts of Harbord. A History of Harbord Collegiate Institute 1892 -1992. Centennial Number, ed. by Julius Molinaro. Spring 1992. The publication of this book was made possible through the assistance of the New Horizons Program, Social Service Programs, Health and Welfare Canada. 2. Harbordite 40, p. 5 3. The Happy Ghosts p. 38 "Some of our members remember reciting a bit of doggerel on their way to class and said the closer the students got to class, the greater their enthusiasm for the subject: Latin is a language As dead as dead can be It killed the ancient Romans And now it's killing me" 4. See Tory Henderson's interview of Willie Zimmerman for more information in Harbordite No 41, pp.1-3 and Harbordite No 44, p. 8 for a short biography on Julius Molinaro. 5. See Tory Henderson, above. 6. See Tory Henderson article, above. 7. Happy Ghosts p. 39-40. 8. Harbordite No.33, p. 1. 9. Harbordite No 47, p. 5.

Editors of the Harbordite from 1978 to 1999: W. Bill Goddard (Nos 1-13): Ken Prentice (Nos 14-16): Julius Molinaro (Nos 17- 46) Presidents of The Harbord Club: Ken Prentice (1978-80): ed Bulmer (1981-1982): Susan Antler (1983-1985): Julius Molinaro (1986-1999).

Presidents of the Harbord Charitable Foundation: Ken Prentice 1979 -1986: Willie Zimmerman 1987-2000.

6 |Page 8 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.HARBORD REMEMBERS.

AN UPDATE

Some years ago the Harbord Club accepted a challenge: raise the funds to restore OUR SOLDIER, the World War I monument that has graced the front of Harbord Collegiate since 1921. Generations of students have taken this handsome work as part of their lives at Harbord. By the nineteen nineties, however, OUR SOLDIER was in urgent need of a major restoration.

Now that work has been completed, thanks to the remarkable generosity of hundreds of Harbord alumnae, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and The Toronto District School Board.

On Remembrance Day 2005, at a ceremony in front of the school, OUR SOLDIER, perfectly restored, was rededicated. The students, alumnae and distinguished guests who attended will long remember this most moving occasion.

OUR SOLDIER is restored. Now we must turn to the second part of our challenge.

While the many young Harbordites who served in the First War have been suitably honoured, those who served in World War II have not.

Thus, once again The Harbord Club has taken on a formidable task. We have commissioned a new memorial for the School: a monument in stainless steel by Harbord grad Morton Katz. It is to mark permanently another generation of young Harbordites who gave all they had to give so that we could enjoy the peace and freedom and harmony we so often take for granted. OUR APPEAL

So we come to our plea. We are far short of the money we need to complete our job. We have raised $46,000 so far. Once again, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation has most generously launched our campaign. Still, we must find another $54,000.

It will not be easy. In our world today there are so many worthy needs to be met. At first our cause may not strike you as a priority. But consider this: In 1939 young people could have argued that going thousands of miles away to fight and die did not make much sense either. Yet they did. And every generation since has ample reason to honour their sacrifice.

Since the end of World War II the students of Harbord Collegiate have reflected the changing nature of our city and our land: young newcomers from one culture giving way to youth from another. That’s almost certain to continue. It is truly important that we provide them with the means of understanding that an earlier generation’s sense of service and sacrifice created the kind of Canada that has welcomed so many from so far.

Please help us meet our goal. No gift is too small. Make whatever contribution you can to one fine day, not too far away, when Harbord students and old Harbordites, teachers present and

6 |Page 9 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K | past, children and grandchildren, can meet once more at our school as we unveil this handsome tribute to those young Harbordites who gave so much.

Sincerely,

Murray Rubin

PS:

For further information, please visit our website: http://www.harbordclub.com

Please mark your tax-deductible donations “For Monument” and make them payable to:

“The Harbord Foundation” at 286 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M6G 1G5.

6 |Page 10 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

THE SECOND WORLD WAR MEMORIAL SCULPTURE

The WWII Memorial Sculpture will be of stainless steel and stands eighteen feet high in the dual form of a separated “H”. The “H” is emblematic of Harbord Collegiate Institute. The severing of the form is representative of the young lives cut short in the Second World War. Their names are memorialized on stainless steel plaques recessed, at eye level, into the inner sides of the “H”. To view their names one stands within the sculpture, embraced by the form.

The sculpture will be located in the sunken courtyard at the east side of Harbord C.I., at a distance from, and in concert with, “Our Soldier”.

The Memorial’s sculptor is Morton Katz (HCI 1953). Morton graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture where he became a professor before turning his attention to sculpting. Additional studies in architecture and sculpting took him around the world. He served for many years as President of the Sculptors Society of Canada. He has had more than thirty sculpture exhibitions world wide, including the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo in 2001.

His public commissions can be found in Europe, the USA, and throughout Canada including the Windsor Sculpture Garden, The University of Windsor, The University of Toronto and the London School of Economics (UK). Morton recently won an international competition for the creation of a State Holocaust Memorial in the United States.

We look forward to unveiling the Harbord Collegiate World War II Memorial.

6 |Page 11 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.HONOUR ROLL OF THE FALLEN.WORLD WAR II.

Axler, David Fotheringham, Clifford Ornstein, Morley Barron, Charles Fraser, Andrew W. Owens, J. Sumner Black, Harris Gaba, William Petersen, Reginald B. Bochner, Harry J. Garalick, Alex Proctor, Auston W. Boyd, Victor L. Gray, William Alex Rea, John Brown, Leonard G. Halperin, William Reider, Irving B. Brown, William E. Hayes, Norman Dennis Shapiro, Norman Cain, William E. Hoffman, Theodore Sigel, Henry B. Campbell, William R. Klatman, Joseph Somers, Lou W. Carter, Philip G. Kwinter, Samuel Sonshine, Murray Carter, Roderick Lanson, Cyril Webster Walker, Donald E. Crysler Levy, Harold Walsh, William M. Cohen, Murray Lindzon, Irving Walter, William A. Coldoff, Arthur Magder, Murray Wasserman, Sollie Cornfield, Joseph McBride, Bruce D. Welch, Norman F. Dodd, Blatchford McConvey, Carl J. Wiegrand, Norman W. Feldman, Jack McQuarrie, Hector L.

. WORLD WAR II. MEMORIAL DONORS. (as of May, 2006)

Adelman, F. Clasky, Mrs. S. Greico, F. Apotex Foundation Cohen S. Harbord. C.I. Students Barrett, M Cole, E. Harris, E. Bernholtz, H. Cutler, J. Harris, Hon. Monte Bidini, A. Dan Family Foundation Haver, J. Birenbaum, A. Fine, L. Helfand, H. Blatt, L. Finestone, S. Kahlan, W. Brass, A. Flinn, J. Kazmierowski, J. Brickman, Dr. S. Fruitman, H. Klingman, H. Caplan, S. Goldstein, M. Krakauer, A. Casse, J. Gollish, G. Kwart, I. Chusid, N. Gray, G. Langer, Dr. B.

6 |Page 12 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Lewis, J. Rosen, Dr. L. Strom, Dr. H. Livesey, R. & A. Rosenberg, D. Sutton, P. Lustig, E. Rosenbloom, J. Taillefer, R. MacDonald, H. Ross, M. Tallon, C. Macintyre, M. N. Rotenberg, G. Tameanko, M. Marr, L. Rubin, M Title, G. Mazey, R. Saunders, G. Van Der Hout, S. Miller, P. Savlov, L. Warner, H. Moldofsky, Dr. J. Schwartz, F. Wasserman, H. Morgulis, I. Shapiro, R. Weinberg, Dr. S. Moscoe, R. Silver, H. Weinstein, Dr. A. Moscoe, S. Sniderman, S. Wernick, Dr. H. Moss, E. Starkman, S. Weston Foundation Naiman, A. Steckel, M. Wilson, G.R. “Bob” Norman. L. Steckel, M. Wolfe, M., Q.C. Pizel, S. Steiman, Dr. I. Wolfish, M Platnick, P. Steinberg, E. Posner, J. Stillman, L.

HELP WANTED HARBORD COLLEGIATE NEEDS GARDENERS TWO OR THREE – NO HEAVY LABOUR, NO CUTTING GRASS, PLANT FLOWERS ETC.

CALL SUSAN PURUIS AT: (416) 393 - 1650 EXT. 3

A TEACHER AT HARBORD

PLEASE HELP The Harbord Museum needs a copy of the following Harbord Reviews 1926,31,35,38,39,40,41.44.50. Please let the school know if you can donate your copy We also need a donation of a 100 Gigabyte computer with 512 Ram

6 |Page 13 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.FEATURED ARTICLE. HILKKA MARIE FILPPULA - 1927 – 1998 As written by her partner Bob Wilson - Harbord ‘46

Hilkka was born in Jalasjarvi, Finland and came to Canada with her mother and elder sister in 1937 to join her dad who was working in Timmins, Ontario.

While attending school there, Hilkka developed into one of the most promising figure skaters in the province, and in order to gain access to more professional training, she came to live with a Finnish family who resided at 2 Division St. in Toronto, in the 40’s. Division St. no longer exists and is part of U of T.

She joined the Toronto Skating Club situated on Dupont St., west of Bathurst. The Club later moved to Wilson Ave. and Avenue Rd. in North York. She was at the peak of her sport when she came to Harbord, with her goal being the next Olympics. Unfortunately her economic situation was not sufficient to support the exceptional financial needs of an athlete at that level, and Hilkka had to abandon her dreams.

On entering Harbord in 1945 she soon became aware that the educational standards were higher than she had experienced in Timmins and she consequently spent more time at her studies. However, she loved sports and excelled in swimming, skating and rhythmic gymnastics. Her good looks, sense of homour and gymnastic ability made her very popular and she became a Harbord cheerleader. I had seen Hilkka around the school many times but I was too shy to speak to her. When I accidentally bumped into her in the crowded corridor going to our lockers, I asked her to go with me to the upcoming At Home Dance, and much to my surprise and delight she accepted. As a member of the Sr. Football and Basketball Teams, I got free tickets. I met her at the Toronto Skating Club on Dupont St. where she was practicing her figure skating and she was a delight to watch. We went to the dance and didn’t miss one, had a bite to eat and walked her home. I was too shy to kiss her, and I regret it to this day. Occasionally thereafter I walked her home after school when my schedule allowed. After graduation in ’46 I gave Hilkka my chemistry and physics notes as a keepsake, and lost track of her.

Upon graduating in ’47 Hilkka enrolled in Ph & E Faculty at U of T where she was an honour student throughout her years. During her university career she was also a cheerleader and in her final year she was made drum majorette of the Corps and the Blue and White marching band.

6 |Page 14 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

After graduating from university with an excellent scholastic record, she completed a teaching course at U of T Faculty of Education, and then moved to Huntsville where she supply- taught athletics at the local high school.

Hilkka married William Gough in 1950, and from 1956-60 they resided and worked in Collingwood and Ottawa, returning to Toronto in 1960.

She immediately found a position on the athletics staff at Runnymede Collegiate, and in due course became department head of girls phys. Ed. In 1961-62 she coached her girls basketball team to the TDIAA championship, while she also coached the swimming and gymnastic teams, among others.

Hilkka has two children, Kathleen born in 1964 and Jennifer born in 1966, both of whom are teachers.

While Hilkkas’s interest in sports never diminished, she also developed her artistic talents as well, becoming a rather accomplished painter of landscapes and portraits.

After her marriage broke down in 1987 she recertified as a lifeguard and swim instructor at age 64. She became an aqua mentor to children with disabilities, at the same time acting as a lifeguard at Keele St. Public School.

In her spare time she managed to become an avid skier, accumulating a mass of trophies and awards for alpine racing. She rounded out her athleticism by becoming a tennis buff and winning a substantial number of local tournaments. Through the years she kept in touch with Goldie Lewis ’47 and Morley Wolfe ’48. Morley Wolfe helped Hilkka with some of her legal problems after the break-up of her marriage.

In 1992 I met Hilkka again, thanks to Morley Wolfe, at the Harbord Centennial. That evening Hilkka invited me to her table, and during the evening we discovered that we were both tennis fanatics and we both went to Florida in the winter. Hilkka drove her parents down to Venice, she stayed for two weeks and played tennis. Then she flew home to ski. My wife and I spent our winters in the Clearwater – St. Petes area. In the spring of 1993 when Hilkka flew back to Venice for two weeks, she invited me down to play tennis at the public courts in Venice and we managed to play twice. She then drove her parents back to Canada. After my wife and I returned to Beaverton, I contacted Hilkka in the summer of ‘93 and we managed to play on Friday mornings at her tennis complex on Gothic Ave. It was a long drive but enjoyable tennis against another couple. However, in 1994 tennis was abandoned since her dad and my wife both died from cancer.

In the spring of 1995, fifty years after we first met, I asked Hilkka to be my girl and she accepted. We were never married due to legal problems. Nevertheless our loving and caring relationship flourished, and in ’96 and ’97 we cruised the Caribbean in the winter and the

6 |Page 15 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Mediterranean each fall. We played tennis at my complex in Florida each winter from Tuesday to Friday each week. In the play-offs Hilkka won all the awards. Then she returned to Venice to look after her mother. The rest of the year we played tennis at her complex in Toronto each Thursday and Friday. Then she drove to Picton to look after her mother. Sometimes I would join her to help out and to play tennis with her in Deseronto.

Shortly after our 1997 European cruise, Hilkka, my beloved, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. After the operation, which was probably unnecessary, she suffered from abscesses, and then more suffering from chemotherapy, which made her weaker and weaker after each treatment. She wanted them to stop the treatments since they were not helping. Not once did she cry out in pain, even though you could see the pain on her face.

Shortly before she passed away on July 20, 1998, “My Hilkka” paid me the finest compliment, when she told me these last few years had been the happiest of her life, and wished we had not lost contact fifty years ago. I echoed her sentiments.

Hilkka was a very private person and made few friends, but those she made were lifetime, such as Goldie Lewis and Morley Wolfe who were always there for her.

Thank you Morley for bringing her back to me and for your help in writing this condensed version of her too short a life.

Hilkka’s ashes are interred in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery just east of Mt. Pleasant Rd.

I created an Award in memory of “My Hilkka” in 1998, and hope that recipients of same will think about her and thank her for attending such a great school known as Harbord Collegiate Institute. The photograph shows Hilkka and me on a cruise in February 1997.

6 |Page 16 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.3RD ANNUAL DINNER. The Third annual Harbord Club dinner was held at the Presidente Banquet Hall in Concord on October 27th. The Honorable Arthur Downs (now Consul for The Republic of Guinea) was master of ceremonies. The ceremonies were to honour the life achievements of two of our fellow graduates, Morley Wolfe Q.C. and John Braithwaite B.A., B.S.W., both of the class of 1948. Morley is well known for his good works in the Canadian Jewish Community, much of it through B'nai Brith local, regional and national committees. John is well known in, and no doubt beyond, his community of West Vancouver, having been awarded the Keys of the City for his many years of contribution to municipal politics as councillor and recognized for his extensive efforts in the field of race relations especially matters affecting race relations. The silent auction was again the usual fun success having raised $4500 Even Murray's piece of drift wood was bought. Don't ask how much. It's fun to sit at a table with old friends. It can also be fascinating to sit at a table with some people you don't know and discover their careers e.g. owning and operating a stable of race horses. A good time was had by all

By the way – The 4th annual dinner is being presently planned – The date will be in October 2006. And the Harbord Club is Honouring Doctors Gerry & May Cohen.

Pictures from 3rd Annual Dinner

Joe Druck and honouree Johnny Braithwaite

6 |Page 17 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Johnny Braithwaite, Marvin Tile Old HCI Basket ball stars

Marie Pedersen, Renata Todros Harbord Teachers, with Murray Rubin

6 |Page 18 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Morton Katz, Murray Rubin, Syd Moscoe with picture of WW2 memorial

Syd Klotz introducing Honouree Morley Wolfe at HCI party Oct 27

6 |Page 19 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.JOHN B. BRAITHWAITE. John Bismarck Braithwaite was born and educated in Toronto, Ontario, where he received his Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Toronto. A resident of the City of North Vancouver for almost 50 years, Braithwaite served as City Councillor for more than two decades and served as an active and vocal community worker and administrator working with various groups and organizations. In 1957, Braithwaite was appointed Executive Director of The North Shore Neighbourhood House, a position he held for 23 years. For thirty years, John Braithwaite also served as a consultant to numerous community groups such as the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre and Kaiwassa Neighbourhood House. He was instrumental in assisting the Squamish Band Council, through the North Shore Neighbourhood House, with the development of its own recreational program and social services. Braithwaite was first elected as Councillor in 1972, serving until 1976. He returned once again to municipal politics in 1983 and was re-elected nine times consecutively, until his retirement in 2002. His civic experience includes active participation on numerous committees, boards and commissions such as the Advisory Planning Commision, Downtorn Revitalization Committee, North Vancouver Community Arts Council, North Vancouver Recreation Commission, Social Planning Advisory Committee, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, the Affordable Housing Task Force and many other City and community committees. During his 23 years in civic politics, former Councillor John Braithwaite topped the polls in each election. John Braithwaite has been recognized for his community service and contributions to human rights with awards at the local, provincial and national level, including the National Black Award in 1973, and a Community Service Award from the Black Historical Society of British Clumbia in 1983. In 1992, he received the Canada 125 Medal. The City of North Vancouver honored Braithwaite with the Freedom of the City award in 2003, and the naming of a new multi-pirpose recreation facility, the John Braithwaite Community Centre, in 2004. In 1993, Braithwaite was appointed by Cabinet to the Judicial Council of British Columbia, where he served for nine years. He was also appointed to the National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention where he served for three years. Braithwaite has served on several committees of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities such as Race relations, Municipal Aboriginal Relations and Community Energy Planning. Braithwaite’s passion for human rights, social welfare, community participation, sustainable development and sound planning earned him a reputation as a popular, vocal, independent and feisty activist and Councillor. One of the most highly respected and beloved citizens of the City of North Vancouver, John Braithwaite has dedicated himself to the success of the City of North Vancouver and has made outstanding contributions the community for more than three decades. Now retired, former Councillor John Braithwaite still dedicates many long hours to serving his community, and he remains an active participant in shaping the future of the City of North Vancouver.

141 West 14th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7M 1H9 Tel: 604-985-7761 Fax: 604-985-5971 [email protected] www.cnv.org

6 |Page 20 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.MORLEY WOLFE.

His Honor Deputy Judge Morley S. Wolfe Q.C.; B.A., LLB; J.P.O. (Ret’d)

The City of Toronto is pleased to join with the HARBORD CLUB to honor one of Harbord Collegiate’s distinguished alumni, Morley S. Wolfe.

Born in Winnipeg in 1928, and spending his early childhood in western Canada. Morley arrived in our City in 1940, completing his education at Clinton St. P.S., H.C.I., U. of T. and Osgoode Hall Law School.

During a successful career in the field of litigation, as a senior member of the law firm of Burt, Burt, Wolfe and Bowman, Morley was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1971. After retiring from practice in 1993, the Province of Ontario appointed him presiding Justice of the Peace for Ontario, (now retired), and Deputy Judge in Small Claims Court.

He expressed his deep concern for his fellow citizens throughout 47 years of service in a variety of causes, especially in the areas of anti-racism, anti-violence and human relations. He has been associated at various times with such organizations as the Anti-Defamation League, The Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations.

Morley was elected National President of B’nai Brith Canada (1982-83) and was a founding member of the League for Human Rights where he served as National Chair for Intercultural Dialogue for many years, and where he initiated ‘Black-Jewish Dialogue’.

His unselfish dedication to bettering relations between diverse communities was reflected in his appointment to the Canadian Multiculturalism Council, where he served for 3 years.

As long serving Chair of the North York Committee on Community, Race and Ethnic Relations, he was instrumental in initiating programs designed to bring together ethnic and racial communities in mutual understanding and cooperation.

With the arnalgamation of our local municipalities into one City of Toronto, and the termination of the North York Committee’s mandate, Morley founded Toronto Residents In partnership, a not-for-profit corporation, to carry on these initiatives across the City, and beyond, so as not to lose all the thousands of volunteer hours and programs already in place in North York. He serves as President of T R I P, whose objects are the promotion of racial, ethnic, religious and communal cooperation, harmony and equal rights for all residents.

His interest in race-based profiling, found him as a member of the Toronto Police Services sub-committee on Race Relations, and an appointee to Toronto City Council’s Advisory Committee on Race Relations, where he served with distinction for 3 years.

6 |Page 21 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

In addition he served as a member of the Civilian Coalition on Police Recruiting, in an effort to have Police Services reflective of the City’s demographic make-up.

In other communal involvement. Morley has served as President of the Jewish Camp Council of Toronto, Chair of the former Joint Community Relations Committee (Ont.), Chair, Alan Coatsworth Memorial Lecture, Partners in Prevention Anti-Violence Committee, and others.

Morley’s contribution to the welfare of our community has been recognized many times by the City of Toronto and other organizations, some of which are mentioned here:

The City of Toronto William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations

YMCA Canada Peace Medallion

B’nai Brith Canada Service Award

Toronto Canada Day Achievement Award

Blanche Fine Volunteer of the Year Award

Toronto Regional Council Man of the Year Award

Mo Carr Community Service Award

In 1983 Morley was made an Honorary Citizen of the City of Winnipeg.

Morley is married to Joan and has three daughters, one son, and grandchildren. And of course, we must not forget that he is the driving force behind the “Harbord Romeos”.

The City of Toronto congratulates the HARBORD CLUB on its choice of honoree, and extends best wishes to Morley for continued good works in his chosen avocation.

6 |Page 22 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.CLASS OF 1955 HARBORD C.I. REUNION.

Class of '55: Front row L to R: Joe Newton, Charles Zaionz, Jerry Bain, Gordon Donsky, Jeanne (Shkimba) Brezina, Bernard Ceifets, Albert Krakauer 2nd row L to R: Dolores (Fishman) Green, Helen (Mintz) Linetsky, Raymoond Stancer, Leon Emer, Albert Cheskes, Alan Shaw, Sheldon Manly, Gilbert Panet, Bernard Betel, Mary (Kohut) Knechtel, Nat Weinberg. 3rd row L to R: Myrna (Wilinsky) Stone, Janet (SMith) Charendoff, Joy (Felman) Newton, Lenore (Snider) Solway, Adele (Bernholtz) Fortinsky, Molly (Fiber) Epstein, Beverly (Chadwick) Minuk, Jeannette (Chapman) Stein, Reva (Berkan) Kopel, Irene (Uzinski) Dymon. Back row L to R: Jerry Taub, Joe Burnett, Yehudi Shields, Bernie Nisker, Judith (Freedhoff) Golden, Saul Kendall, Arnie Shulman, Charles Nagel, Milton Rusonik, Edward Futerman, Ted Eker, Arnold Eidlitz.

6 |Page 23 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.CLASS OF 1956 HARBORD C.I. REUNION INFO. To this point in time the 1956 Graduating Class of Harbord has made no attempt to have their 50 year Reunion. If anybody out there is interested there is still time.

.CLASS OF 1957 HARBORD C.I. REUNION INFO. We would like to notify the members of the class of 1957 that planning has started for our 50th reunion. I don't know how to set it up so could you just put it in a box, please and include in the next Harbordite. The note should read: CLASS of '57 Our 50th reunion will be held on Saturday October 13, 2007. Contact Lucy Shiffman Sadowski at: [email protected]

.HARBORD C. I. REUNION - CLASS OF 1981. Just a note to let you know that the extensive organizing of a 25th reunion for the HCI class of '81 has come to an end and we are currently waiting for responses and payments. Thanks for suggesting that I submit the Reunion info. into the Spring issue of the Harbordite! Perhaps we will reach some of the '81 grad Harbordites whose emails we did not have. I am enclosing all the pertinent information for our grand day. To All 1981 HCI grads, You are being invited to our 25th Reunion!

Host: Organizing Committee of Fellow Classmates Location: The Manor 2395 Bayview Avenue, North York, ON When: Saturday, June 3, 7:00pm to 11:59pm

Can you believe it's been 25 years since we all graduated? Come and see all your old friends It'll be a night of fun and laughter!! Cocktails (Hot & Cold all night), desserts, coffee & tea, non-alcoholic beverages and cash bar. RSVP by April 30th by sending a cheque for $55.00 per person payable to Harbord Class of 1981. Cheques should be sent to Harbord Collegiate Institute, 286 Harbord Street, Toronto, On M6G 1G5, Attention: Harbord Reunion - Class of 1981. For further info. I may be contacted at [email protected] or 416-393-1918 ext.3 Sincerely Belinda Medeiros-Felix (Class of '81, Reunion committee member and current HCI staff member)

6 |Page 24 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.OUR WWI SOLDIER IS REFRESHED, REDEDICATED. Dignitaries join Harbord students, grads at restored First World War memorial Saturday, November 12, 2005 JAMES RUSK

While Remembrance Day ceremonies usually draw dignitaries to cenotaphs across Canada, a former minister of defence, a top general, and a leading Canadian businessman went to high school yesterday to observe it.

What drew them to Harbord Collegiate was a moving ceremony in which Our Soldier, a statue of a private from the trenches of the First World War, was rededicated, 84 years after it was unveiled.

"For us veterans, this is a holy day, as part of a holy week in which we are celebrating the Year of the Veteran," former defence minister Barney Danson said at the ceremony. He said that, for veterans, the names on plaques, such as that of Our Soldier, are real people, and evoke memories of brothers in arms.

"These were friends. We enlisted together. We trained together. We went out on the town together. Chased skirts together. Caught a few," Mr. Danson said. "We we're closer than brothers. . . . There is a bond that is akin to love."

But then his voice broke as he repeated from the words of remembrance that all veterans speak: "They shall grow not old . . . age shall not weary them."

Lieutenant-General Marc Charon, Chief of Land Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, said, "We owe it to our veterans to remember the sacrifice that they have made for us, to reflect on the tradition of military sacrifice they began."

The bronze statute, which was commissioned in 1920 in memory of Harbord students who had died in the Great War, had fallen into disrepair in recent years, but a committee of alumni raised $43,000 to refurbish it.

It is the work of George W. Hill, one of Canada's greatest sculptors, who, among others, created the statues of George Brown and D'Arcy McGee on Parliament Hill and the Montreal monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier.

Fittingly, the statue was rededicated by the son of a Harbord student who had dropped out after three years at the high school to join his countrymen in the trenches of Europe where he was a sapper stringing communications wires across the Allied front.

6 |Page 25 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

But the teenaged (Willard) Garfield Weston, who at Harbord had been a classmate of Charles Best, later one of the co-discoverers of insulin, was also thinking of the family business: the two Toronto bakeries owned by his father, George Weston.

"On his leave from battle, he visited bakeries in England to understand the latest manufacturing processes. The insight that he gained on those visits helped to build Weston's business," his son, Galen Weston, now chairman and president of George Weston Ltd., told the audience at the ceremony.

After the ceremony, famed Toronto lawyer Eddie Goodman, a Harbord graduate who fought in the Second World War, told friends, "I would not have missed this for anything" as he posed for a picture in front of the statue.

For Bob Sterling, a 1936 Harbord graduate, who won a Distinguished Flying Cross and Croix de Guerre as an RCAF navigator on Halifax bombers, the day was as much about seeing the current students at the ceremony as remembering the war.

"It's very moving to see so many young people observe this day. It's an experience for them, I think," Mr. Sterling said after the ceremony.

But he, too, remembered "the people that are lost, are gone. That's my biggest concern in my thoughts, and a little bit about the war, my experiences in the war," Mr. Sterling said.

"I was a navigator, and I did 72 missions over enemy territory. We were involved with a special squadron where we performed duties of dropping in supplies to the patriots and also we were dropping in patriots to the enemy territory so they could convey and return messages to [the] Allies to know what was going on with the Germans."

Printed with the permission of The Globe and Mail

6 |Page 26 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.WORLD WAR I MONUMENT REDEDICATION.

L to R Students Kevin Tung and Michael Lee Lt Gen Marc Caron Canadian Armed Forces Sheila Ward Chair TDSB Galen Weston Chairman and President George Weston Ltd Hillary Weston Former Lt Gov of Ontario Barnett Danson Former Minister of Defence Mary Jane McNamara Principal of Harbord Syd Moscoe MC

Mollie Rothman - The Photographer

6 |Page 27 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

The monument with the wreaths place around it

Barney Danson and Bob Sterling►

6 |Page 28 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Speakers on the platform at Rededication

This picture consists of the platform speakers at Rededication ceremony as follows: Speaker The Honourable Barnett J Danson Fmr Minister of Defence

From left to right:

Lt Gen Marc Caron, Chief of Land Staff- Canadian Armed Forces Sheila Ward Chair TDSB Galen Weston, Chairman and President George Weston Limited Hillary Weston Fmr Lt Governor of Ontario Mary Jane McNamara Principal Harbord Sydney Moscoe Master of Ceremonies

6 |Page 29 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

The Grade 10’s at Harbord

6 |Page 30 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.OUR READERS WRITE. A Remembrance Day Tribute By Helen Klingman

On November 11, 2005, in the front courtyard of Harbord Collegiate, the beautifully restored monument of Our Soldier was unveiled and rededicated. The first phase of the project, Harbord Remembers, which honoured those students and staff who had served in WWI, had been completed. On this cold November day, former and current Harbord students and staff, family members of those who had served in the armed forces, as well as past and present representatives of Canada’s armed services gathered to participate in this very special Remembrance Day and Rededication ceremony. The total school population was present since the remainder of the HCI students shared in the service via video feed to the school’s auditorium. As the Harbord Concert Band played its opening selections, those who attended were impressed with the intergenerational nature, the solemnity and the importance of the occasion.

Mary Jane McNamara, principal of HCI, warmly welcomed everyone while Syd Moscoe, of the Harbord Club, very capably offered opening remarks and skillfully served as master of ceremonies. The program then proceeded in a timely, unforgettably interesting manner with great emotional impact. Speeches were interspersed with students’ musical and literary contributions. Speakers included Sheila Ward, Chairperson of the Toronto District School Board, The Honourable Barnett J. Danson, Former Minister of Defence, and Lt. Gen. Marc Caron, Chief of Land Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, each of whom addressed the audience in deeply moving terms. They paid tribute to those who cut short their studies or careers and left families and dear ones in order to preserve peace and freedom. They paid tribute to those who, to this day, sacrifice so much, including the ultimate sacrifice, by serving in our armed forces. In fact, Mr. Danson had to struggle to maintain his composure as he told about his experiences with his friends in the service.

The students also paid tribute. The Harbord Concert Choir, with lovely, clear, youthful voices, sang “In Flanders Fields” and other WWI songs. As an added highlight, the Harbord Concert Band played “On Remembrance Day”, which was composed and conducted by Harbord teacher, Tim Alberts. A literary interlude of academic excellence, with a focus on Canadian history, was provided by two H.C.I. students: Kevin Tung and his essay, “The Emergence of Canadian Identity in World War I”; Michael Lee and his poem, “Les Soldats Qui Ne Retournent Pas”. All the participating students, under the direction of their teachers, added a very emotional, almost spiritual dimension to the ceremony.

When it was time to formally unveil the monument, Galen Weston, Chairman and President of George Weston Limited, rededicated Our Soldier on behalf of the W. Garfield Weston Foundation and the Weston family. He very movingly spoke about his father, who had attended Harbord and had served in WWI. The solemnity deepened when student, David Chou, played “The Last Post”, followed by a complete and awesome silence which was punctuated by the sound of WWII airplanes in a fly past. Many of those present were in tears. The silence was

6 |Page 31 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K | broken by the playing of “Reveille”, following which wreaths were placed at the base of the monument. The entire school body and everyone present then posed in the front courtyard and on the lawn to recreate the picture that had been taken on Remembrance Day, 1921, when Our Soldier originally had been unveiled. Afterwards, guests were invited into the school to get warm and chat over coffee.

While the mood during the ceremony had been thoughtful, serious and, at times, quite somber, it subsequently became more relaxed. Guests and alumnae mingled with and were able to relate to current students and staff while reflecting about the Remembrance Day program. The students were courteous, helpful, respectful and very visibly touched by the ceremony as well as by their WWI research and workshop activities. They and the teachers exuded an air of “a job well done”, which certainly had been evidenced by the level of their participation in the morning’s service. A number of the alumnae expressed the sentiment that, during this event, they were able to feel a sense of connection to the present student body and staff despite the generation gap. Other guests and representatives of the Canadian Armed Forces told of their pride and satisfaction in having attended what was a very significant tribute. Everyone also had an opportunity to preview the next phase of project Harbord Remembers, a new monument that will honour HCI staff and students who served in WWII. In essence, it was apparent that everyone regarded this Remembrance Day commemoration as having been extremely meaningful on many levels.

The restoration and rededication of Our Soldier truly was a job well done. It was initiated by Fran Parkin, H.C.I. principal (1997-2005), and, what then became project Harbord Remembers, was spearheaded by Fundraising Chairman, Murray Rubin. With the support of the Harbord Club, hundreds of alumnae, the W. Garfield Weston Foundation and others, the necessary funds were raised to restore Our Soldier. Thus, the memorial to WWI, the first part of Harbord Remembers, was effected and strongly encourages continuation of the project to honour H.C.I.staff and students who served in the Second World War. This is a tremendous undertaking. However, with the further generosity and assistance of Harbordites, the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, and a supportive community, project Harbord Remembers can and will succeed. Ultimately, the anticipated tribute of the WWII monument will provide an especially meaningful and lasting presence for all generations. Certainly, the unveiling and dedication of this memorial will offer another exceptionally moving experience.

Solly was Tired A Story by Morton Katz

Solly was tired. His eyes closed and, at that very instant, a torrent of memories opened, like the curtains in the Alahambra theatre, like a Cecil B. DeMille production, with the lion roaring, not in black and white but in technicolor.

6 |Page 32 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Solly was eighteen years old and he shared one of the two attic rooms with his younger brother, Eddy. The other room was rented out to Lottie, an older women of about 22 who worked as a secretary at Tip Top Tailors.

Every morning, while looking up at the ceiling and waiting for the alarm clock to ring, Solly and Eddy would guess the name of the passing cars by the sound of their engines. It was easy. There were only a few companies to choose from: GM, Ford, Chrysler, Nash, Packard and Studebaker.

Soon after, they would hear the clip-clop of Henry the horse pulling the Silverwood's milk wagon. They would hear it stop in front of the house followed by the slap on the pavement of the steel cylinder. It was supposed to act like an anchor on a ship, but the boys could never understand why anyone would imagine that a 20 pound weight could keep Henry from pulling away, which it didn't. When they looked out their third floor window, they could see the steaming Henry pyramid , deposited daily and on the same spot." If nothing else", Eddy would say each and every morning, "Henry was a regular horse or a horse that was regular."

Then there was the clanking of the milk bottles, as Mr. Sloane, the milkman, dropped of 2 bottles of milk with the cream on top and a pound of butter after reading the note, wrapped around money, left in the empty milk bottle. After school , the boys would be met by the ice-man carrying in his dripping block and heaving it into the waiting ice-box.

He thought he smelled coal dust. Solly remembered shoveling coal into the furnace and the howls of joy when his father announced that he had bought a coal stoker. Solly rarely saw his father who left for work before the boys woke up and didn't get back home until after supper - supper, with soup, meat, potatoes, Kik Cola and Seltzer water --a meal prepared by a mother who had already done the wash by hand, hanging it on the clothes line, making breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, and making the very Frank Sinatra jackets the boys were wearing. He recalled high school days and basketball, Mr. Smith and Miss Hislop and tea dances and Gilbert and Sullivan.

Solly suddenly felt cold. He remembered standing on his sleigh and flying down a Christie Pits hill., the packing snow , the snow forts, the snowball fights. It was at one of those snowball fights that he met his first girlfriend, Kalie, whose snowball hit him squarely in the face. When she came over to apologize and Solly looked into her green eyes, saw her rosy cheeks and a quiet smile, the warmth that came over him could have melted all the snow to Long Branch.

Solly 's heart began to beat uncontrollably and he died - died of his wounds on a beach in France.

Morris and 48 other boys, just like him, who were students at Harbord, just like you, were killed in Europe fighting the Nazis. The difference between them and most of us was that that fate chose them to be born at a time of their coming of age during a war which stole their lives.

6 |Page 33 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

The mandate of the Harbored Club was two-fold, to refurbish the WW I monument and to build a memorial to those kids who gave their young lives in WW II.. To honour those boys, and to distinguish itself from the figurative format of the WW I statue, the design of the WW II monument is to be a reflection of our time. It is conceived to be a simple and eloquent testimonial that would clearly convey that

a) this was specifically a 'Harbord' monument and

b) that its message was direct and unambiguous.

The memorial is in the form of an abstracted "H" in polished stainless steel standing, 18' in height. The "H" is broken into 2 halves representing the disconnect of those young lives cut short, unfulfilled.

The polished stainless steel memorial, like a mirror, will reflect in it, the school building, the trees, and activity around it, giving life to the memorial and, perhaps, suggesting that there is continuity to their lost lives.

Their names are recorded on the inside of the vertical legs of the "H", so that one reading those names stands within and is embraced by. the sculpture.

It sits on an 18' diameter base which slopes up 6" to the plane of the sculpture to allow for wheelchair access.

The location for the new monument will be in the lower courtyard at the S-E corner of the collegiate so that that it will serve as an adjunct to the refurbished statue and maintain its unique character without impinging on the WW I monument and surroundings.

Request for Support There are a number of HCI veterans of WW II and many of us who remember the war, its aftermath and the impact it had. I believe it is incumbent on all of us to generously support phase 2 of this Harbord Club endeavour.

Murray Rubin

I loved the stories in the "Harbordite" section, though the various authors were well before my time. There sure was a strong bond in the school

While looking through the "donors" column, I noticed a number of familiar names, one in particular. I am hoping you can pass on a warm hello and many thanks to Miss Wanda Krane. She was my homeroom teacher in Gr 10(G) - 1969, if memory serves correctly. Those days the "G" classes ware labeled undeservingly as the "dummy class" being 4 yrs arts and science program instead of the 5 yr course, not entrance material to university and higher

6 |Page 34 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K | education. Fortunately, with the encouragement of Miss Krane, as well as the can-do attitude of Mr. Lawson (the V-P of the day) and Mrs. Til Park (his secretary), they contributed tremendously in shaping the path I was to take not only during my years at Harbord to surpass that label, but in the years to come.

While all of my teachers left their mark, Miss Krane always stood out in my mind. She was an awesome lady, not only was she our homeroom teacher and taught us math, she was never too busy to give pointers in French, German and any other topic that happened to need a helping hand. One I recall - though it didn't make sense at the time, was about driving with heels on. And I did enjoy the penny counting club, whether I said so or not. Thank you Miss Krane! And everyone else too

Zsuzsa Toth

Dear Editor... I hope you find this of interest for your next issue. “LOVE WAS IN THE AIR” at HCI. By Mollie (Parnes) Rothman (’51) The years of 1947 – 1951 at HCI were very nostalgic years for many of the students including myself – as several couples (teens – you know who you are) paired off, and some actually fell in love! “Puppy Love” they called it back then. Most graduated from HCI and went on to universities and became professional doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, and chartered accountants. And several even married Their HCI high school sweethearts! Those years were very memorable for me. I fondly remember being in the “Mikado” musical production where we were taught the correct wrist movement to “flick” open a Chinese fan. I remember the famous ‘student strike’ that closed down the school. And I remember the many friends I made there – some of whom I still meet every now and then. I read the ‘Harbordite’ cover to cover when it arrives because I always find the names of former classmates – and occasionally see copies of the photos I have sent you over the years. I am now enclosing the photos I took at the recent October 27th, 2005 3rd Annual Harbord Club Reunion at which time Morley Wolfe and John Braithwaite were honoured. So – to all you volunteer angels who keep cranking out the ‘Harbordite’...my hat’s off to you... As well as my sincere appreciation for your efforts. Keep ‘em coming!

Mollie (Parnes) Rothman (’51) E-Mail: [email protected]

6 |Page 35 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Soccer Team Photo I am a Harbord graduate, class of 1974 and a very proud ex-student of this great Institute. I now reside in the US but I always carry Harbord in my heart.

I found your website just lately and I am so excited to see my old School.

I have a favor to ask or a wish if you will, in the year 1973-1974 Team Soccer won the champions Cup for Harbord first time ever in the Schools history and I was a big part of that win and a big part of this team. I find it hard to believe that there is no photo of my team anywhere to commemorate the championship for our school.

This soccer team was and it will ever be the best bar none that this School and all of Toronto's High Schools have ever seen! Most of the student/players from this team went on to play professional soccer in Canada and Europe. It's a great story that needs to be told one day, but I would love to see that photo proudly displayed in the halls of Victory in our School, so I hope that someone can come up with that photo.

Thank you!

Sotirios (Sam) Papagianakis

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all well! I wanted to send you an announcement regarding my next theatrical appearance. The play is called A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, produced by the Civic Light Opera Company, and I play a principal role (Hysterium). The show runs from May 25th through June 11th at the Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Drive (Don Mills Rd. and Sheppard Ave. area) in Toronto.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (1962) has been described as the funniest musical in Broadway history. With a wild and wacky script by Larry Gelbart (writer of the M.A.S.H. television series) and Burt Shevelove, and delightfully eclectic music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the show is a hilarious romp through ancient Rome that follows the frantic and romantic hijinks and misadventures of notable and notorious citizens and their slaves!

You can call the box office at 416-755-1717, or find out all the details regarding dates and times, ordering tickets, seating availability, etc. by clicking on the following link: http://www.civiclightoperacompany.com/forum_06.html I hope you’ll be able to come and see the show – I know you’ll enjoy it!

Thanks and cheers,

Clinton Somerton ('83)

6 |Page 36 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Photo Tevye/Fiddler - Clinton playing Tevye the Dairyman in Fiddler on the Roof.

To the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Harbord Club,

Thank you for the kind invitation. I will be there in spirit, however, in body I cannot be present at this time. Many commitments to my time prohibit a trip to Toronto. Best wishes to all, organizers and participants alike.

Yours respectfully, J.G. Trochimowski

To The Harbord Club Thank you for the invitation to attend the Remembrance Day and Rededication Service for Friday, Nov 11 2005. It is with regret that I will be unable to attend. However, it is a pleasure to know the monument has been restored and that I was able to be a part of that. The wonderful sketch of my alma mater is very much appreciated. Sincerely,

Florence B. Lapp

6 |Page 37 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

To the Harbord Foundation Regrets concerning the Rememberance Day Service and Rededication but proud always to be associated with the continuing traditions of Harbord Collegiate Institute. Thank you, Jessie Davidson

To the Harbord Foundation The enclosed small cheque is intended to add a bit to the funds required in order to provide scholarships, grants and other awards to appropriate young students at Harbord. In donating this gift, I am not only saying "thank you" to the school for what it did for me (some things good or very good, and also some that were not really so great) many many years ago. As well the donation is to pay tribute to my brother Dr Harry Potashin, who along with our sister, paved the way for me to and through Harbord. Mid-April of this year Harry celebrated his 90th birthday, but then too soon after that happy occasion, near the end of May he died. Reva Potashin

April 20, 2006 Dear Mr. Miller, I enclose a cheque for $2,500.00 to be used as follows: $500.00 for the new monument honouring our dead from the Second World War, and $2,000.00 to be added to the “Bob Wilson Award” for excellence in Upper School Mathematics and Upper School Sports aptitude or attitude. “It’s not whether you won or lost, but how you played the game”. Once again I congratulate you and your committee for all your efforts and may it continue “ad infinitum”. Sincerely and fraternally, G. R. “Bob” Wilson

February 28, 2006 Dear Mr. Miller: Bud Odette has outlined to me your goals for the restoration of the WW I monument along with the design and construction of the WW II monument. I am pleased to pledge $5,000 in support payable $1,000 per year for the next 5 years and my cheque in that amount is enclosed. I would be grateful for an appropriate donation receipt in due course. Would you be good enough to send me a reminder each year at this time regarding my subsequent payments? Best wishes for great success in this very worthy cause. Sincerely, Gordon Gray

6 |Page 38 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Dear Murray: My days at Harbord C.I. from 1980-85 are still some of my most treasured memories. I really believe that they ultimately convinced me to pursue a career in teaching. On November 25, 2005, I had the pleasure to return to HCI and fill in for the day for Principal McNamara. It had been about 10 years since I had last entered the school, but it quickly felt like I was stepping back in time 20 years. Going into the Principal's Office at HCI and sitting at the Principal's desk felt very odd. The last time I had been in the Principal's Office at HCI was back in 1985, when as Student Council President, I and two other students tried to convince Doug Lougheed (Principal at the time) that we needed to have one additional Night Dance added to the school calendar. I was thrilled to able to speak to some of my former teachers: Roberto Machado, Alex McIntyre, Carol Michelin and Lisa Caparelli. I also met so many other friendly teaching and office staff members, that it quickly became apparent that HCI is still the wonderful place that I graduated from in 1985. During my walk through the building, I was able to go through the school auditorium which I still consider the nicest that I have seen in the entire TDSB. While in the Auditorium, I was bombarded by feelings of great nostalgia from the numerous Oola Boola skits that I was privileged to be part of in the early 80's , along with classmates such as Bill Barber, Jonathan Leebosh and John Cardozo. It feels great to have been part of a legacy that the great Wayne and Schuster began so many decades ago. I also had the opportunity speak to many students during my walks through the school and found them all to be very polite and respectful. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and it reinforced for me that HCI is still the same wonderful place to work and learn that I left in June of 1985. I will be forwarding today to a personal donation to the Harbord Club. Sincerely, Ralph Nigro Principal Riverdale Collegiate Institute & Harbord C.I. class of 1985

Dear Murray It was indeed a pleasure speaking with you the other day. It seems that every time one "Harbordite" gets into a conversation with another, it becomes a nostalgic event--which our conversation did--and very enjoyable. Enclosed please find a cheque for $15.00 to cover cost of issue #53 of Harbordite. Keep up the good work Sincerely Emanuel Grossman

6 |Page 39 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.INTERVIEW. April 17, 2006 Harbordite Interview with Henry Petroff (Harbord ’50), Architect. Harbordite: We have never printed an article about an architect in the Harbordite before, so we would like to delve into the career of one of Harbord’s graduates – Red Petroff. May I call you “Red”? Petroff: Of course, all my friends call me Red, but I went through my professional life as Henry. H: You have been a well-known architect for the past 50 years. How did you get started?

P: I always knew, from early public school, that I would find my life’s work in architecture. After Harbord, I attended the University of Toronto and obtained my architectural degree. In 1957, Jerry Freedman (Harbord ’49) and I went into private practice. We started with the design of houses but soon graduated to apartment buildings and shopping centres. We took in several

6 |Page 40 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K | new partners and the firm grew. H: How did you find your clients? P: We specialized mainly in commercial work and eventually we became quite well known. We worked for virtually all of the commercial developers in Canada (Cambridge, Cadillac-Fairview, Morguard, First Professional) and designed shopping centres and regional malls all across the country. From there we were introduced to the retail community and then found ourselves designing buildings for Eaton’s, Simpsons, Hudsons Bay, all the supermarket chains, and the theatre chains. We also designed hotels and office buildings (head offices for Warner Brothers and AT&T). H: How did you survive that recession?

P: We realized that we had to diversify and we started pursuing institutional work – schools, hospitals, community centres, libraries, etc. More importantly, we created our own projects. We assembled a group of investors and started the Mayfair indoor tennis clubs, which eventually evolved into a chain of racquet and fitness clubs. We also became involved with skating rinks (Chesswood and Westwood arenas).

JianYin Financial Building in China

6 |Page 41 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

H: Do you still retain your ownership in the Mayfair clubs and in the hockey arenas? P: No, I had to sell everything to survive the very serious recession of 1990. That was the scariest time of my life – I was certain that my career was over. All our work ceased, both commercial and institutional. The phones stopped ringing; nothing was being built. We had to lay off over one hundred people. In desperation we decided to search for opportunities off-shore, and we headed for China. H: How did you break into China? P: We had a Chinese partner and an agent in Shanghai, and we received financial assistance from the federal government to market our services abroad. This enabled us to send a team to China to search for prospects. For a while we were unsuccessful – we were losing every potential project to the large American firms who had more financial resources and were better connected. Then one day a magical thing happened! President George Bush (Senior) sold 150 fighter planes to the Taiwanese, and the Chinese government, which had sovereignty claims over Taiwan, became enraged. To show their displeasure they withdrew all contracts from American companies. We received four commissions in one week. Since then, we have designed numerous shopping centres and office buildings in China. Currently, in association with Carlos Ott, an architect in Uruguay, we are doing mostly concert halls and opera houses there. H: Is your office in Toronto? P: Actually Petroff Partnership Architects has 4 offices. The head office which produces all the commercial work is located in Markham. Also in Markham, in a different building, is our exclusive Walmart office - we do all the Walmart stores in Canada. In downtown Toronto is the institutional office, which designs schools, community centres, facilities for the elderly, etc. That office has designed two buildings in the Baycrest Centre complex, and currently serves as master planners and architects for the new Jewish Community campus on north Bathurst Street. The fourth office is in Shanghai. H: Are any of your children in the firm with you? P: My eldest son, Ian, was a senior partner in the firm. He had graduated from Ohio State. He was a brilliant architect and a pioneer in computer design. Unfortunately he died of cancer at age 42. One of my nephews is a partner in the firm, and a granddaughter is on the way. My younger daughter married an architect, whose father is an architect (Joe Gerskup, Harbord ’49), and several nephews are in the profession. All in all, there are 8 architects in the immediate family. H: Tell me a little about the rest of your family. P: I married Hinda Temes, a graduate of Harbord in 1954, in my last year of architecture. She had just begun her teaching career. In 1955 we started our family and had 5 children, 3 sons and 2 daughters. We have since been blessed with 19 grandchildren from all of our children. H: What do you think of the new buildings going up in Toronto?

6 |Page 42 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

P: Toronto is blessed with a great number of outstanding buildings, and the situation continues to improve. I love the giant crystal which dramatically bursts out of the very formal and sombre Royal Ontario Museum – by architect Daniel Liebeskind. The new OCAD (College of Art) building on McCall Street, by Will Alsopp, is a structural tour de force, and great fun. The Leslie Dan Pharmacy Building on College Street, by Norman Foster, is a striking and imaginative piece of work, and Jack Diamond’s new opera house will bring light and liveliness to staid, old University Avenue. H: Aren’t these mostly foreign architects? Where are the Canadians? P: It seems that Torontonians have PuDong Commercial / Residential ShangHai, People’s Republic of China Complex always had a predisposition for importing famous international architects (we call them “starchitects”) to assure that we would be getting “world class buildings”. Yet we have in Canada some of the most brilliantly creative architects in the world, such as Arthur Erickson (Roy Thomson Hall), Eb Zeidler (Ontario Place, Toronto Eaton Centre), Ray Moriyama (Ontario Science Centre), Ron Thom and Bruce Kuwabara, to name a few. Even some of the starchitects have local connections: Frank Gehry was born in Toronto and Daniel Liebeskind used to teach at U of T and married a Toronto girl. H: Are you still active in your firm? P: Petroff Partnership Architects is now totally owned and controlled by the younger partners. I am a “Consultant”. Although I am consulted from time to time, I am free to indulge in my personal interests, such as travel, golf, theatre, and school. I also help Hinda organize her art exhibitions – she has become quite an accomplished watercolour artist. H: What are you doing in school? P: During the winter months I attend FIU (Florida International) where I study subjects such as philosophy, anthropology, poetry, and ancient history - something that I should have done years ago but for which I never had the time.

6 |Page 43 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

. DR. MAY COHEN. December 22, 2005

World Medical Association honours Ontario doctor

By CYNTHIA GASNER Special to The CJN Dr. May Cohen, medical practitioner, researcher and professor emeritus in the department of family medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton and an indefatigable advocate for women’s health issues, was recently honoured by the World Medical Association (WMA).

Cohen is one of 65 physicians from 58 countries selected for international recognition in a coffee table book, Caring Physicians of the World, which was recently published by the WMA for distribution at its general assembly in October in Santiago, Chile.

The publication notes that these physicians represent “the finest traditions of our great profession and show how physicians today are working to the highest professional standards in different cultures and under different pressures.”

Cohen has displayed these qualities in what she refers to as “my two careers in medicine – one as a practising family physician in Toronto and then as an educator and advocate for women patients and physicians.” She served as president of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada from 1991-1992.

Born in Montreal in 1931, Cohen grew up in Toronto. Her father, Sam Lipshitz, a community leader who had come from Poland when he was 17, and her mother, Manya, a teacher, were politically left of centre and worked tirelessly for equality, justice and guaranteed human rights.

“I absorbed the importance of this mission as I was growing up,” Cohen says.

Cohen attended Harbord Collegiate, where she graduated as the top student in Ontario, and graduated from medicine at the University of Toronto in 1955 as the Gold Medalist for academic excellence. She was awarded eight scholarships.

She knew Gerry Cohen from the time they were in pre-kindergarten. They married when May was 21. Gerry practised family medicine in Toronto and Hamilton, and he quips that May was always slightly ahead of him at school.

“I have no traditional biases regarding gender role expectations,” Gerry says. “I know how proud I feel about May’s accomplishments.”

May received a Medical Research Council scholarship after graduation and pursued two years of endocrinology study. She wanted to continue in a medical specialty, she says, but “we wanted to have children, so in 1957, I joined Gerry in our general family practice in Bathurst Manor.”

6 |Page 44 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

She often put her own personal needs second to her responsibilities as a physician and a wife and mother. “For the individual patient,” she says, “I share with that patient my best knowledge and ability, but at the same time recognize that I must respect the fact that while I may possess greater biologic and medical knowledge, the patient is in the best position to know what is best for his or her life.”

In 1977, May and Gerry were recruited by the department of family medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University in Hamilton where they would teach and practice family medicine. May later became associate dean of health services in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

“May has enhanced the relationship between hospitals, universities and the community,” Gerry said in an interview.

She retired from McMaster in 1998 and says she is busier than ever. Her legacy continues with the establishment of the annual Eli Lilly-May Cohen Chair in Women’s Health at McMaster. Among her many other awards, Cohen was the City of Hamilton’s Women of the Year in 1986, she received the Governor General’s Award in 1945 for her contribution to the equality of women in Canada, and the Canadian Medical Association’s Medal of Service in 2000. She was inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction in 2001.

“As a woman physician and a family doctor occupying a major leadership role in medicine, I also found it very important to be seen as a role model by younger women in medicine,” she says, adding she is pleased that there are more and more women in medicine.

“Going to McMaster was the best thing that happened to us – to learn from brilliant people in all kinds of specialties. [By] teaching residents, you have to learn, developing research skills and having the opportunity to explore. A world opened for both of us.”

The second half of her medical career began in the 1970s. She was invited to facilitate a workshop in Shelburne, N.S., where she says she became aware of the unmet health-care needs of women who shared their experiences with her.

“This inspired me to begin to advocate for the improved health care of women through curricular and health system changes.”

While on sabbatical in 1988 in Australia, she says she was “inspired by health-care professionals who were doing so much to define women’s health and to develop appropriate health care facilities to meet the needs of women.

“One of the turning points in my medical career occurred after attending to a young, dying mother of a nine-month-old baby who was brought into the emergency room of a local hospital following an illegal abortion.” That’s when she became an advocate for the pro-choice movement.

6 |Page 45 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

She believes that scientific knowledge is the absolute foundation of the practice of medicine, but it is not sufficient to make a caring and competent physician or academic. What she finds most difficult, she says, is seeing the profession becoming more and more a business, and observing that many physicians have become cynical, disillusioned, resistant to change.

“They appear to ignore the personal satisfaction and privilege that are the real rewards of being physicians and the awareness that medicine has responsibility as a social good.”

. MORTON KATZ. MORTON KATZ, an architect and former professor in the Faculty of Architecture, University of Toronto, was just selected as the winner of an international competition for the creation of a Holocaust Memorial in the United States. As well, he was named as the Sculptor for the World War II memorial at Harbord Collegiate. I n November, the Canada-Israel Committee selected him as winner of its national poster competition. Recently, he returned from London, England where one of his sculptures has been installed at the London School of Economics. In 2001, he was, 1 of 4, chosen from 30 Canadian artists to exhibit at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. Morton is a past President o f the Sculptors Society of Canada.

His works can be found in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. with additional public art and commissions at the Windsor Sculpture Garden, University of Windsor, the University of Toronto, the Baycrest Centre, Toronto, and the Art Gallery of Windsor.

The creation of sculpture has now transformed into the artistic pursuit of abstract acrylic painting.

6 |Page 46 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.BIOGRAPHIES.

The Canadian Jewish news SENIORS SCENE

Memoirist grew up Jewish in Toronto’s Little Italy By CYNTHIA GASNER Special to The CJN

A comment that Saul Cantor’s daughter, Rochelle, made more than five years ago inspired him to write his memoirs. She said to him, in 2000, “I know some of the things about your life, but there are a lot of things I don’t know,” he writes in his recently published book, From Then to Now: Growing up Jewish in Toronto’s Little Italy. In the book, Cantor, 85, who calls himself “an ordinary man,” urges other “ordinary people” to write their memoirs for their children, grandchildren and others to come. Cantor has a son, David, and two grandchildren. From Then to Now is made up of vignettes in which Cantor, 85, describes his childhood and other phases of his life – his teen years, his work in the Royal Air Force Saul Cantor (RAF) during World War II and his two marriages. He also writes about his children, business, and his active life filled with creative hobbies. The book includes photographs. Cantor’s grandparents, Jankel and Faiga Sandperl, were born in the mid-1800s in Poland. He dedicates his book to his parents – Nathan Contorowitz, who came to Canada from Kielce, Poland, and his mother, Gittel Pheffer, who came from Stashov, Poland. They met and married in Toronto in 1915. “My father taught me by example – truth, courage, diligence and loyalty. He encouraged me in the adventures of life and I shall be forever grateful for that,” Cantor says. “My mother also taught me by example – love, compassion, charity and kindness. Her devotion to her husband and children was a lesson that I learned from her.” Cantor writes about the family’s first home on Baldwin Street, then another one at 192 Bellwoods Ave., where he and his family lived among Italian immigrants. “I had many Italian friends when I lived on Bellwoods Avenue and I still keep in touch with them,” he says. Cantor attended Grace Street Public School and Harbord Collegiate and Central Technical School. In his memoir, he tells of his summers at Fenlon Falls, Camp B’nai Brith at Willow Beach, and Smith’s Bay House at Port Carling. He reminisces about Bellwoods Park, the YMHA on

6 |Page 47 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Brunswick Avenue, the library on St. George Street (two blocks east of the corner of Spadina Avenue and College Street) and his buddies and their antics. “I didn’t have a bar mitzvah when I was 13 years old because of the Depression. I went to the Farband Shula and the Euclid Talmud Torah. But I did have a bar mitzvah at the Adath Sholom Synagogue in 1979 with seven other men when I was in my mid 50s,” Cantor says. “I guess you can say it is better late than never.” In 1940, Cantor and two of his friends applied to the air force. He was rejected because as a child he had tuberculosis. A civilian during the war, he worked for the RAF at Gander, Nfld., as a mechanic in the Ferry Command. “That’s where the large airplanes were checked before being flown to Scotland for active duty,” he says. “My two friends were killed in active duty.” Cantor writes about his business career after World War II, including working at the Junction Sports Centre on Dundas Street West. Cantor retired 20 years ago and says he tries his best to keep as active as he can. “I think it is important to exercise my body and my brain every day. My wife, Goldie, and I have a lot of interests in common, antiquing, outdoor activities, travelling and dancing. “It is also very important to be forgiving and not to carry a grudge. I think that you have to love yourself first because if you don’t learn to love yourself, you can’t love others.” For a copy of From Then to Now, call Saul Cantor, 905-303-8003.

Some Memories of Harbord Collegiate Institute Rosario Marchese I spent five years at Harbord Collegiate Institute. I entered Grade 9 in 1967 and graduated from Grade 13 in 1972. Those were important years in shaping my future career. My favourite subjects, and the ones I pursued in Grade 13, were French, English, Latin and History. It is no accident that I went on to study English, French and Philosophy at St. Michael’s College and that I went on to teach English and French before entering politics. Then as now, Harbord had a wonderful diversity of students, and this was very important in shaping my attitude towards others. Students came from many different ethnic groups, including Italian, Portuguese, Jewish, Ukrainian, Polish, some Chinese students, some Greeks, and some blacks, although there were fewer people of colour then than you would find at Harbord today. I remember that, despite the diversity in the

6 |Page 48 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K | student body, disagreements were rare among the students, which speaks well of the good relations between students from different backgrounds. I lived on Shaw Street and was able to walk to school, as did most of my fellow classmates. I am a strong believer in sending children to schools in the area where they live – I believe it helps children form a strong bond with their community. I was lucky enough to have many choices of local schools. Attending Harbord helped me develop a sense of community which has been an important component of my political life. When I was in high school I was not particularly interested in politics, but in Grade 13 I was elected as the student council representative for my year. Joe Pantalone (who is now deputy mayor of the City of Toronto) was the student council president. Although I had known Joe since Grade 10, it was in Grade 13 that we first had the opportunity to work together and find common interests. This was the seed that eventually grew into an interest in politics. When Joe decided to run for City Council, I offered to help him. With Joe, I participated in a study circle devoted to political readings which included trade unionists and academics. It was through this discussion group that I came to recognize the NDP as the political party which best represented my ideals and the interests of working people like my parents. It was this experience which led to my realization that I needed to stand up for my beliefs and to my decision to go into politics, first as a school trustee and later as a member of the Legislature. The Robert Simpson Department Store used to give an award to two students every year who were chosen by staff and students. In the academic year 1971-2, I was one of the two students honoured. I like to believe it was because I had friends among many different communities within the school. One of my great memories of Harbord was playing soccer (I still manage to get in the occasional game). I played soccer for four years – the year that I didn’t play was the year that Harbord won the cup! I also had the opportunity to participate in the strong tradition of drama and comedy associated with Harbord. I wrote several comedy skits that, while they may not have been in the same league as Wayne and Shuster, involved a whole lot of students and were a lot of fun to perform. Another memory, perhaps not so great, concerns the swimming pool. Like many immigrant children, I couldn’t swim. My teacher knew I couldn’t swim, so he said, “Why don’t you just jump into the pool?” thinking this was the best way to get this kid to learn. I dove into the pool, but I didn’t end up on the other side – I ended up in the middle. I couldn’t swim. Here I am struggling to get up, then I land in the middle of this pool and I go down. My teacher is saying to just wait for him; he’ll swim. I go down once and I’m not calling for help because I’m trying to be brave. I also know there are a lot of people in the pool who wouldn’t let me die. I went down about three times, and finally someone nudged me to the other side. I did finally learn to swim – not well, but well enough that I won’t drown. The result of this experience is that I am a very strong supporter of funding swimming pools both in schools and in city community centres.

6 |Page 49 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

I was not the only member of my family to attend Harbord. My older brother Vince also studied at Harbord and became a French teacher. Rosario Marchese, MPP Trinity-Spadina

MURRAY LAUFER Class of 1948. The artist’s work is showing at the ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO, April 19 to July 30. 2006

Murray’s friends will recall that he loved hockey and his hero was Syl Apps of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1952 and traveled through Europe for a year, visiting all the major galleries.

He painted sets for the C.B.C. and did work for the Crest Theatre. He started as a painter but ended up designing sets for the C.B.C. and the St. Lawrence Center for the Arts.

Murray is married to Marie Day - an artist in her own right whom he met at O.C.A. He has two daughters and one granddaughter.

In a brochure introducing Murray and his work, Dr. David Moos, Curator, Contemporary Art has written;

“Murray Laufer brings a deliberateness to his craft that is uncommon. A single painting may take years, perhaps a decade, to complete. …[his art comprises] a body of work that numbers less than a dozen paintings and approximately fifty drawings, produced over five decades,” In ending he quotes Murray. “I figured there was a possibility I could do one or two beautiful things; I tried.”

6 |Page 50 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.OBITUARIES. DR. ELIE CASS, PHYSICIAN 1923-2005 Family doctor who practiced for 52 years performed more than 50,000 ritual circumcisions on Jewish and Muslim boys BY DANNY GALLAGHER, TORONTO JAN. 27, 2006 A FEW YEARS AGO, Susan Cohon wasn’t feeling well so she went to see Dr. Elie Cass, her family physician. He soon discovered what was wrong. It was serious. “If there had not been early intervention on the part of Dr. Cass, there would have been serious trouble,” said Mrs. Cohon, whose husband George Cohon founded McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada and of Russia. “I won’t tell you what the problem was, but Dr. Cass probably saved my wife’s life, said Mr. Cohon. “We had unequivocal faith and trust in him. He was a gem of a general practitioner.” Dr. Cass was no ordinary physician. In addition to running a busy practice, he was a long-time Ontario deputy- coroner, performed 50,000-plus ritual circumcisions and was instrumental in introducing acupuncture to mainstream, Canadian medicine. Elie Cass was raised in Toronto where he attended Harbord Collegiate Institute and then the University if Toronto to study mathematics and physics. When the Second World War intervened, He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and afterward decided to go to medical school. In 1953, he interned at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and then opened a family practice that he operated for 52 years. “Elie was an old-fashioned doctor,” said lawyer Fred von Veh, who was a patient for 34 years. “If you weren’t feeling well and it was a Saturday or a Sunday, he’d be there in 10 minutes to see you. You don’t make those kinds of doctors any more. They are a vanishing breed. For many years, he sent me a birthday card. How many doctors do that?” On the side, Dr. Cass was a mohel who performed ritual circumcisions on Jewish and Muslim boys, not to mention youngsters of all nationalities. He did circumcisions in synagogues throughout Toronto, at Mount Sinai and also in people’s homes. The procedure for Jewish boys calls for the use of a special mogen clamp and takes a mere 45 seconds. As a mohel, he received specialized training in the medical and ritual aspects of the britmilah, the Hebrew word for circumcision. Jewish law specifies that one should choose a mohel who is noted not only for his technical skills but also for his level of piety.

6 |Page 51 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Interestingly, Dr. Rochelle Schwartz of Toronto was a protégé. “It was not easy becoming a female mohel and Dr. Cass was very kind, very skilled in what he did,” she said. “He was my teacher and my mentor. He taught me everything I know. He even circumcised one of my boys.” When it came to medicine, any technique held his interest if it offered potential. For that reason, Dr. Cass was long intrigued by the treatment and relief of pain, especially through the Chinese practice of acupuncture, where needles are inserted underneath the skin. He traveled to France to study acupuncture, lobbied to get it accepted in Canada and is credited with starting the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada. Likewise, he helped launch the Migraine Foundation of Canada. As a deputy coroner for nine years under the charismatic Dr. Morton Shulman, Dr. Cass called many inquests into accidents, especially those involving the construction industry. He was influential in implementing many safety features, specifically where scaffolding was a major issue. Dr. Cass also opposed abuse of women and segregation. Years ago, when he and his family visited the U.S. in the Deep South, he confronted the problem of segregation head-on when faced with separate water fountains for blacks and whites. He decided to drink from the fountain for blacks. “The water tastes the same in the fountain for blacks as it does in the fountain for whites,” he told shocked customers at a department store. “My brothers and I could never live up to my father’s achievements but he loved us unconditionally,” said his son Paul, a lawyer in California. Dr. Elie Cass was born in Toronto on March 9, 1923. He died on Sept. 11, 2005, at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. He was 82. He is survived by his sons Paul, Charles and David. He also leaves brother Al, sisters Zelda, Betty and Miriam. He was predeceased by his wife Devy.

Special to The Globe and Mail OBITUARIES EDITOR COLIN HASKIN

Harold Soupcoff

Harold was born January 12, 1920. Died at age 86. Born in Toronto. Went to Harbord Collegiate for High School, then to Queens University by correspondence to get his accounting degree. He started out working for an accounting firm. Eventually he worked for his own accounting firm. His associates would say he was brilliant and the brightest accountant. He could see trends before anyone else did. He left the accounting world and ventured into a variety of business partnerships and relationships. In his business environment, you always knew where he stood. In business he called it as it is. Most agree he was right, fair and just. His heart was always in the right place. He was ethical in business.

6 |Page 52 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

During World War II, he was stationed in England. His sister, Shirley, sent him photos of people, which included Min. When he returned to Toronto, Shirley worked out an arrangement for Min and Harold to meet. They were married on December 28, 1948. They just celebrated 57 years of marriage. They shared a very happy marriage, they enjoyed each other's company completely. They played tennis. They travelled, which included Israel (many times). They loved travel- China, Japan, Alaska, England, Caribbean, Florida in the winters.

He loved his four daughters. He loved spending time with them, their families, individually and together. He supported each in their personal endeavours.

Harold loved all seven of his grandchildren. While Harold didn't excel in verbalizing his emotions, his actions spoke his love for his grandchildren.

He was very generous. He helped extended relatives and friends with the ability to start their own businesses, opportunities to experience new things. He expressed his love to others through his generosity.

It was important for him that others enjoy the bounties of life.

A Zionistic Jew, he would support UJA Federation efforts, the Weitzman Institute, a Progressive Synagogue in Haifa, Hebrew University.

Locally, he supported Baycrest. He was affiliated with Beth Shalom here, as well as a shul in Florida. He always wanted a shul to thrive so that Jews can have a place to attend.

He recently supported the new Lebovic centre of the new Jewish Toronto of Tomorrow program.

He loved his summer cottage. This was a magnet for the family. All the family came together at the cottage.

Harold was the youngest of 5 children. He was the last to go.

He lived in the moment and would never bring up a conflict from times gone by. He knew how to-move on after making difficult decisions.

One of his crowning achievements was at age 75, he took over the debts of Mayfair Racquet and Tennis club. This was a huge risk financially for a man at age 75. Today, Mayfair is a great success story.

Harold loved to talk business and politics. He liked to watch sports.

Harold was welcoming of his 3 sons-in-law.

He loved to play tennis, golf and cards. Until age 77, he still played tennis.

6 |Page 53 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

This week's parsha recounts the death of Jacob, but is called - "Jacob lived". We remember a person in how he lived, not died. We need to think of Harold in how he lived his life.

Harold Soupcoff, 86, remembered by his eldest daughter Karen Soupcoff.

Until two years ago, he didn’t like old age but he could cope. The last two years infuriated him, humiliated him as he deteriorated.

He wanted my Mother and his large family around more than ever. He accepted the caregivers we had hired and he loved them, and occasionally he laughed with them and danced with them. He visited Casino Rama before Christmas with them and wanted to stay over night. He never forgot what life could be.

His family lived above his father’s fruit store with his family until he went into the Canadian air force and was sent to England to serve. Not a great student in high school he returned and applied himself and became a Chartered Accountant in 1948. He rose to the top of his firm and became a dynamic partner in business after business.

He and his partners built houses, townhouses, apartments, malls, pharmacies, restaurants, manufacturing and processing plants. The Toronto of his youth exploded and he was a dynamic forceful part of it.

Life was not a challenge for him but an adventure full of opportunities and interesting people. We would walk through the Arab market in Jerusalem or the dark empty streets of Manhattan late at night and he was never worried. He would begin a new business and knew it would work. And if it didn’t, he never rehashed it. He always moved forward. He never talked of regrets with events or people who disappointed him.

He knew all the answers to every political and economic problem and told us. He would argue with everyone furiously then later he would be saying their words, now his, but unacknowledged. He would watch all the political shows and read serious magazines about public issues.

When Mayfair went into terrible times financially, I was there working. He would listen to me but not get involved. When he took the clubs over, rather than let them go under, he didn’t let me get involved but he listened to me.

In 1995, at 75, when Mayfair Racquet Club, he took the four clubs over with his partner Joe Zentil, rather than let them go under. With his management team, he transformed Mayfair, carefully, thoroughly, prudently.

6 |Page 54 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

On August 19, 2005 the flood drowned Mayfair Parkway and closed it we didn’t tell him. By then if he worried, he would not eat or sleep or enjoy what he could do. We sent him to the West, to the Lakeshore to visit.

When he finally visited the transformed Parkway in January, he was so ill he could barely notice the club. But his 18 year old granddaughter Zoe, in from B.C. for his funeral toured and participated in the club and said she wanted to live there. How he would have laughed.

He was not a religious Jew, he rarely visited the Synagogue except if invited, but he wanted the family around him for all the holidays.

But when he began to make money, he wanted to live well. When we were in a fancy hotel, he said don’t take your own bags down, call the bellhop. When he began to buy Fiat Spiders, his friends told him you must have a Mercedes sports car. So he went to the dealership ready to buy the car untested. The salesman sent him home with the car, as he must try it. He drove it, and he told me it drove like a truck. He returned it and kept his Fiat.

He was dedicated to the well-being of the Jewish community in Toronto and Israel giving to Jewish charities here and in Israel and he gave generously. He never worried about being acknowledged or fussed over but he enjoyed it if they did.

My father taught me to see the possibilities and work hard to make them happen. He had far more energy than most people including me. To accept mistakes, not happily or lightly, but always keep trying. Never give up. Make a decision and move on. Face a problem and deal with it. Easier for him than for me, perhaps, but still hard.

He cared so much for his family, friends, and partners. He cared about those who worked for him at his apartment and in his businesses. He enjoyed the luxuries his endeavours had earned him but also loved his 98 BMW. He didn’t need to have the biggest apartment or go to the very best restaurants. He visited others with bigger cottages or apartments but he would return believing his was wonderful.

The best gift I could give him was to be with him and that was no longer easy. The more ill he became the closer and more loving my parents were. 57 years married to my Mother, Min. I will miss him but he has given me so much, not just all the financial help but the example of how to live a life.

Rabbi Morrison

6 |Page 55 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.NEWS.

TORONTO – Thirty-eight Ontarians received the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship from the Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, at a ceremony at Queen’s Park on February 7, 2006. Included was Harbord C. I. Alumnae Bertha Grossman Shvemar.

Bertha R. Shvemar, of Toronto, is dedicated to increasing the quality of life of those who are less fortunate in her community. She is the co-founder of the Parents’ Action League, an organization that promotes children’s safety and has helped remove barriers for the First Nations people and children with disabilities. Now retired, Bertha is still socially active and continues to be a role model of good citizenship.

.HARBORD STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED THE ORDER OF CANADA.

Judy Feld Carr Louis Applebaum Louis Siminovitch Stephen Lewis Victor Feldbrill Alan Borovoy Harry Somers Louis Rasminsky Frank Gehry Leonard Braithwaite John Weinzweig Harry Rosen Chris Pal Leslie Dan Edwin L Godman Frank Shuster

6 |Page 56 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

.OUR STUDENTS WRITE.

The following students received awards and sent letters of thanks. Nicolas Wen Shea, Hiew Chew, Khanh Nguyen, Gia Milne-Allan, Chen Wang, Kevin Tung, Fei Ni, Mathew Yu, Jay Kim, Meliss Wang, Maggie Xu, Vathy Kamulete, Igor Da Silva, Mengying Wang, Nicile Lee, Lea Beauvais, Shuai Zhi, Li Yan Xue, Jeremy Burgess, Martyna Bocian, Joanne Yiu, Regina Nunno, Dennis Neves, Andrew Kha, Teng Ma, Henry Huang, Cory Tam, Wendy Yang, Uyen Tran, Antonia Drivas, Yan Yen Loo, Yulia Gorban, Xia Hong (Kelly) Wang, Annie Huynh, Monica Dhawan, Alison Lee, Li Zhen Liang, Michelle Tse, Chene Dennis, Lizhao(Lisa) Yuan, Marshall Zuern, Judy Kwan, Yuning Tang, Ken Dong, Jimmy Lu Harbord Grads can be proud as these are only some of the recipients

Question from two current students I'm a student at Harbord.

Last October, my 10th grade history class went down to the foyer next to the auditorium - the one where the photographs of former students of

Harbord who died in WWI and WWII hang. Each of the students were assigned a soldier to do some minor research on (eg. military rank, date of death, place of burial...) and my friend and I were extremely touched and interested.

My soldier's name was William Alexander Gray, and he died in Jan., 1945, at the age of twenty. My friend's soldier's name was Norman Dennis Hayes, and he died in June of 1943, at the age of twenty-two. We have made it a point to visit 'our' soldiers every once in a while. We even taped poppies to their pictures on Remembrance Day.

Unfortunately, all we know about them is what they looked like, what they were named, and when they died. We would be interested in knowing who these people actually were.

We were wondering if anyone out there knew them personally, or through someone else, and could possibly provide us with any sort of information.

6 |Page 57 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Any sort of help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your attention. Lidia and Caitlin, Homeform 10E

Dear Harbord Club, I was reading the 53rd edition of The Harbordite today, and I could not prevent myself from feeling deeply enthused by what I discovered to be the history of my high school.

My commencement occurred just three months ago (October 6, 2005), and I recall being approached by an affable gentleman, who I could assume was one of the many Harbord alumni, at the reception after the ceremony had ended. He reminded me to visit the Harbord Club website, since I was officially an alumnus by then, and I must say, I am very glad I remembered to do just that.

As I read through the various letters, biographies, and articles in The Harbordite, I realized how much I had never truly learned about my high school, and how much I really had to be proud of. Throughout my four years at Harbord, I received the the Harbord Club Lena Winesanker Award, Philip Givens Award, and R.R.H. "Bud" Page Award. These awards provided me with great encouragement, of course, to continue participating actively in school, and striving for academic excellence; but after reading the stories of all those individuals whom the Harbord Club awards were dedicated to, I realized that they stood for so much more than what I initially had in mind.

The Harbord Club awards are, I believe, more than anything, reminders of what it means to appreciate, to share, and to remember. I could hardly believe that so many amazing individuals walked through the same halls I did a short while ago, and that to this day, they still pledge their support to Harbord in the generous way they do. I discovered that each award is representative of the collective generosity and achievement of many generations of Harbordites. I guess what I am trying to convey through this letter, is my utmost reverence towards the many generations of Harbordites preceding my own. The philanthropy that I have seen displayed speaks for itself. I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to these individuals for preserving the Harbord spirit even decades after they have left. What you have all done for the school has not gone unnoticed, and generations later, we still remember and appreciate everything you have done.

Thank you Harbord Club. I look forward to reading more interesting biographies and letters in the future editions of the Harbordite. Many thanks to the team behind the Harbordite as well, for providing us with such a wonderful compilation of articles.

Sincerely yours,

Erica La

Class of 2005

6 |Page 58 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |

Officers of the AD HOC Executive Committee of The Harbord Club

ANNIE KWONG − President PETER MILLER − Treasurer MURRAY RUBIN − Executive Committee DORIS CHAN − Executive Committee PATRICIA WONG − Executive Committee SYD MOSCOE − Chairman of Museum Committee

Officers of The Harbord Foundation

PETER MILLER − President and Treasurer ANNIE KWONG − Signing Officer MURRAY RUBIN − Signing Officer

286 Harbord Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6G 1G5

6 |Page 59 | HARBORDITE | Spring 2 K |