I Remember Laurier

Harold Remus

Description

I Remember Laurier is the story—actually, thirty-seven stories—of the little university that could, told by some of those who devoted themselves to transforming the school from its modest beginnings into a superb small liberal arts college, and in turn to the university whose growth, diversification, research, and partnerships characterize it today.

Although the stories are diverse in content, viewpoint, and tone, readers will note a number of unifying themes, one being nostalgia for a small university where faculty, staff, and students were close and new initiatives were readily approved and easily implemented. Here too are reflections, sometimes bemused and sprinkled with humour, on professors, administrators, and students, the “Laurier Experience,” and significant events such as “WLU” becoming “WLU” (Waterloo Lutheran University was renamed Wilfrid Laurier University in 1973). Evident throughout is the pride of the contributors in the development of the university to its current status and in having played a role.

In the photo album at the back of the book readers will find vintage prints of the authors and of many others mentioned in the book. More photos will soon be available on the website of the Wilfrid Laurier Retirees’ Association: http://www.wlu.ca/retirees.

Sujets

• Wilfrid Laurier University
• Regional Municipality of Waterloo
• Education
• Université Wilfrid-Laurier

Informations

• Publié par: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Date de parution: 22 septembre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781554584123
• Langue: English

Extrait

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities. The Editors and the Press thank Wilfrid Laurier University through the Centennial Steering Committee for making this publication possible.


Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

I remember Laurier: reflections by retirees on life at WLU / Harold Remus, general editor; Rose Blackmore and Boyd McDonald, editors.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued also in electronic format.
ISBN 978-1-55458-383-6

1. Wilfrid Laurier University—History. 2. Wilfrid Laurier University—Employees— Biography. 3. Wilfrid Laurier University—Faculty—Biography. 4. Retirees—Canada—Biography. I. Remus, Harold [date] II. Blackmore, Rose III. McDonald, Boyd, 1932–
LE3. W48I742011 378.713'45 C2011-905120-6

Electronic monograph.
Issued also in print format.
ISBN 978-1-55458-411-6 (PDF), ISBN 978-1-55458-412-3 (EPUB)

1. Wilfrid Laurier University—History. 2. Wilfrid Laurier University—Employees— Biography. 3. Wilfrid Laurier University—Faculty—Biography. 4. Retirees—Canada—Biography. I. Remus, Harold [date] II. Blackmore, Rose III. McDonald, Boyd, 1932–
LE3. W48I742011a 378.713'45 C2011-905121-4

“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover (Or, Peeling the Onion)” copyright © 2011 by Bruce Fournier.

Cover photo by James Hertel. Cover design by Blakeley Words+Pictures. Interior design by Catharine Bonas-Taylor.

Photo Album images kindly provided by Wilfrid Laurier University Archives and Special Collections, Bruce Fournier, Raymond Heller, Walter Kemp, Joan Kilgour, and Herbert Whitney.

© 2011  Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
www.wlupress.wlu.ca

Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in this text, and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called to the publisher’s attention will be corrected in future printings.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.
Contents
Cover
Copyright
Contents
Preface: Recalling Life and Livelihoods at WLU
Part One: Foundations
1 Money: Counting It and Making It Count TAMARA GIESBRECHT
2 Waterloo College Student to University Lawyer: On the Legal Side of Things REGINALD A. HANEY
3 The Bookstore Grows Up PAUL FISCHER
4 Odyssey: Waterloo College, Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, WLU DELTON J. GLEBE
5 An R. C. Comes to WLU: Early Days of Social Work and a Threefold Maturation Process FRANK TURNER
Part Two: Getting Started
6 From Two to Four and More— Early Days in Chemistry at WLU RAY HELLER
7 The Best Job I Ever Had RALPH BLACKMORE
8 Spatial Memories, Mostly Geographical, Mostly of the Sixties and Seventies HERBERT A. WHITNEY
9 In the Beginning: Life at Biology— and Off Campus ROBERT W. MCCAULEY
10 Physics, Administration, Astronomy— and Music ARTHUR READ
11 Community Psychology, Community Building, and Social Justice ED BENNETT
12 Our Home on Native Land: Digging Up a Pre-Contact Site (and Beyond) EDUARD R. RIEGERT
Part Three: “Lutheran” to “Laurier”
13 Putting a New University on the Map ARTHUR STEPHEN
14 The Perks and Perils of a University Photographer JAMES HERTEL
15 A University Press Comes into Being DOREEN ARMBRUSTER
16 Procurement: A New Day BOB REICHARD
17 The Library—Growing with a Growing University JOHN ARNDT
18 The Computer Comes to WLU: Honeywell 316, Xerox Sigma 7— and Great People HART BEZNER
19 Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover (Or, Peeling the Onion) BRUCE FOURNIER
20 Making Canadian History BARRY GOUGH
21 From Poverty to War: An Historian’s Odyssey TERRY COPP
22 Multiculturalism at WLU: Opening to the Wider World JOSEPHINE C. NAIDOO
23 Reflections: One Person’s Perspective BILL MARR
24 Old English, Old Norse, Dr. Roy (and Bishop Berkeley): Fifty Years at WLU PETER C. ERB
25 Laurier Looks Abroad: Waterloo, Marburg, and Laurier International ALFRED HECHT
26 The Golden Hawks Take Flight RICH NEWBROUGH
Part Four: Quotidian: The Day-to-Day (Or, Keeping the Wheels Turning)
27 Getting Everyone and Everything Just Right JIM WILGAR
28 Five Years as University Secretary FRANK MILLERD
29 On Students and Deaning FRED NICHOLS
30 A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words—AV and Beyond WILHELM E. (“WILLI”) NASSAU
Part Five: I Came to WLU (Where’s That?)
31 How I Almost Got a Job at a New University Down the Street and Instead Found a Career at WLU LOREN CALDER
32 One Job + One Job + One Job = A Job HAROLD REMUS
33 French House: A First, and Then Some JOAN KILGOUR
34 PERIPATETIC PEREGRINATIONS ANDREW LYONS
Part Six: Arts and Culture
35 Voices from the “Scales House”: Music at WLU 1965–76 WALTER H. KEMP
36 The First Four Years: Foundations for the Next Thirty-Three PAUL TIESSEN
37 Remembering Maureen Forrester GORDON GREENE
About the Editors and Contributors
The Editors
The Editorial Committee
The Photographer
The Authors
I Remember Laurier: Photo Album
Back Cover
Recalling Life and Livelihoods at WLU
T HIS IS THE STORY—ACTUALLY, MANY STORIES—OF THE LITTLE university that could. It is told by some of those who devoted themselves to making “Last Chance U,” first, a superb small liberal arts college committed to its students and to teaching and, then, to the growth, diversification, research, partnerships, and publications that characterize Wilfrid Laurier University today. Along withretaining the Laurier Experience, those efforts have made WLU the first choice for thousands of some of the best and brightest, whether in the province of Ontario or from across Canada or internationally.
Constraints of space and funding, not to mention time and energy, have meant that sundry areas, events, milestones, and personalities— which readers might have hoped to see recognized in the personal accounts recorded here—could not be included in any significant way. For example, the music therapy program. Opera Excerpts and the annual full opera mounted by the Faculty of Music. Graduate studies and research, which increased significantly over the decades. Any number of innovative initiatives pioneered by WLU faculty. The co-op program in Business and Economics, which spurred applications in those areas. Notable chancellors, in addition to Maureen Forrester. Readers may expect to find these and still other areas and personalities not included here in the official history of the university by Andrew Thomson.
Readers may notice discrepancies between what one writer records or supposes and what another has set down. Where “facts” were at odds, we have tried to eliminate or harmonize discrepancies, but where there was no written record to resolve the issue, we were left with what were simply differing memories. Short of hauling the writers before the Retirees Assizes, for which we had no taste, time, or talent, we have let the discrepancies stand. As many memoirists have observed, when memory speaks it speaks to one audience in one voice and in another voice to a second audience at a different time and place—and that historical “truth” is sometimes best conveyed by a certain kind of “fiction” written from the heart.
Not surprisingly, the contributions in a volume such as this are diverse in content, viewpoint, and tone. Yet readers will note some common themes. Nostalgia for a small university where faculty, staff, and students were close and new initiatives were readily approved and easily implemented. Sometimes, bemused reflections on what happened or was allowed to happen—though sometimes definitely not. As cantus firmus a dedication to common goals, along with the hard work required to attain them and sometimes the work-arounds necessitated by tight funding. Pride in what developed from such modest beginnings and for having been a part of it all.
A glance at the table of contents makes clear that the gender balance is skewed in favour of male retirees. Given that the faculty in the early days was overwhelmingly male, as is attested in various of the contributions, it is not surprising that those we asked to write about those times are predominantly male. Unfortunately, some of the few women from those early days whom we would have wanted to write are no longer with us, for example, Grace Anderson, Helene Forler, Michal Manson, and Flora Roy. Given the essential role played by staff, we regret that some of those we invited to write were unable to do so. As this book was in process the Rev. Dr. Delton Glebe died at the age of ninety-two, the chapter he contributed to the book becoming part of his legacy to WLU.
Balance between areas and departments was another factor in issuing invitations to contribute. Some found themselves unable to do so because of other commitments or responsibilities or because of ill health. We are grateful—and were indeed surprised—that so many did in fact respond to our invitation to contribute a chapter to the volume. We thank all of them most sincerely. The General Editor especially expresses his gratitude to the contributors for thei