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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-08-25, Page 8Exec Ti Opinion&Forum Wednesday, August 25, 1949 • Remember when.. On June 30 to July 2, 2000, South Huron District High School will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Th'e Exeter Times Advocate would like to join in the celebrations by sharing articles or pictures which have appeared over the years. /s�srN nogeA MINIM YEARS 1954-1965 • HI HIGHLIGHTS SHDHS gals register whitewash The gals have done it again! After leading the SHDHS boys throughout the school term, the girls scored a complete white- wash when they copped all four spots as top stu- dents in . each of the grades in promotion results announced this week. It was a complete reversal of form from last year when four boys had won the honor as the leading student in each class. Carolyn Camp:Jell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Campbell, RR 1 Exeter, placed first hi the grade 12 class as she averaged 87% in her sub- jects. Carolyn was second in her class last year. Following on her heels was Karen Finkbeiner, Crediton, while John Graham and Bryan Baynham were third and fourth respectively. Baynham was top student in last year's grade 11 class and this year was elected president of the student council and was the London' Free Press Leaders' Club representative from SHDHS. Baynham lives in Exeter and Graham is the son of Mrs. Mary Graham, Grand Bend. The grade 11 race was not only another battle between two girls, it was also between the daugh- ters of two area clergymen. Enid Blackwell, daughter. of Rev. and Mrs. Andrew Blackwell, Zurich, won the top spot with . ' a 92% average, while Marcia Sauder placed ,sem-- ond. Always in the top echelons of her class, Marcia is a daughter of Pastor and Mrs. Stanley Sauder, Exeter All three members of the Sauder family have been perennial leaders in their respective classes, but will be leaving the area at the end of the school term. Bruce Forrest, RR 2 Hensall, placed third in the grade 11 class, while Ron Youngash was fourth. Forrest wads top student in Last -year's grade 10. Janet Miller, 15 year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Miller, Dashwood, copped top honor in the grade 10 class this year, after placing third in her class last term. NAME ATHLETIC SOCIETY EXECU- TIVES AT HIGH SCHOOL -The final election was held at SHDHS this week and it resulted in the naming of the executives of the boys' and girls' Athletic Societies. Back row, left to right Darlene Snell, treasurer;Anne Mickle, secretary; Karen Finkbeiner, president Brenda Dinney, vice- president; Donna Paxton, publicity; Front row. John Franklin, secretary; Bob Higgins, treasurer; Paul- Mason, president; Robb Herrington, vice- president; Scott Burton, publicity. FOR MORE INkORMATION motif TIM SHDHS "Au. -YEARS REUNION* CONTACT KENDRA ARTHUR 235-4006 tH) OR 235-4587 (W) OR PAT ItOWE 236-7167 OPINIONS AND LETTERS Ageing objectively Dear Editor: Does the spelling of the first word of the title bother you? I checked it with Thorndike where both spellings, with and without the "e" are given. It is a matter of preference and 1 prefer the "e" variant as it makes the long "a" natural. Another thing that might bother the reader is the difficulty of remaining objective about something that, for each of us, is crowded with subjective experiences. Nostalgia is a powerful partner and may take over at any point, so please pardon the 'for -instances" that may follow. After all, this is the International Year of the Older Person, which provides the alibi. When does ageing bring? At birth, it has been said, and that is true numerically, of course, but I feel certain that the I.Y.O.P. promoters had in mind the legitimate oldsters of three score years and up. Writers, from time to time, have attempt- ed to define the stages of ageing, including William S, and frequently end with a rather pathetic caricature of the last stage "sans teeth, sans everything." It is this stigma which we who are old and working at it have an opportunity to refute to some degree. Each age bracket has its own particular obliga- tions and choices, the "gottas" and the "maybes" of life. The growing child must learn to accept and carry out simple duties relating to himself and his parents and siblings if he is ready to function acceptably in the stages that follow. Doing little regular household chores, school: assignments and neighborhood kindnesses are : very important preparation for the development of social atti- tudes. This developing stage ends with career preparation as readiness to enter the workaday world. The middle stage of life, the work years, have their own demands, options and opportunities. The "gottas" were always waiting in priority order for attention. I recall that for ten years, including the WW II years, there were often three basket waiting on my desk --- one labelled urgent, anoth- er more urgent and a third most urgent. Adminiktrative tasks and responsibilities often filled sixteen hour days. The most satisfaction in the workplace had to come from just keeping ahead of or up with the pace, rather than from the human relations aspects of working, where it rightly belongs. Vital decisions among options could not be made hastily and wisely at the same time..It was a happy outcome when, after the war, I was transferred into teacher training, working with people again rather than with budgets, levies and grants. The greatest satisfactions in life, I have found, have come, not from achievements but from challenging opportunities thatpresented themselves. Retirement years need not be pathetically depen- dent and inactive if one is fortunate enough to carry into them some satisfying interests and pur- suits ' and to have the health of body and mind to ,use them in maintaining a purposeful way of life. Granted, that is not always possible. In my own case, the compulsion to write has been a carry over that assets itself as a challenge to be met. Most fortunately too, the computer was there ready when vision fell off below the reading and writing level. The quality and value of what comes out are questionable but at least the attempt has therapeutic value to this veteran scribbler. GEERRY DOBRINDT Southampton, Ontario Cuban lies on drug smuggling Dear Editbc: July 28th was Cuba's Revolution Day, and Fidel Castro gave his annual speech. Tens of thousands of Communist Party faithful were in Cienftiegos, Cuba to hear Castro reject persistent rumours and charges that he and his government aid drug traf- fickers in channeling cocaine to North American destinations. He even pretended to scold the Americans for not working with him in crime fighting. Cast► probably won't be going to the USA to talk about. joint crimpfighting eforts. Many American lawmakers would love to see- Castro indicted for his robs' in the .mote*ent of cocaine koat. the Columbian (:.rji cart."t, t �+ -p seab• oard. A Point to Ponder Most people have read the "Footprints" but I recently found a sequel to it that is delightful. Here's both: "One night I had a dream. I dreamed 1 was walking along the beach with God. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonged to me, the other to God. REV. When the last scene of my life vERNoN flashed before me, 1 loot. ' hack at DEAN the footprints in the d. i POINT To noticed that many ti .gig the POH6194 path of my life, there . only one set of footprints. I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life. This really bothered me and I questioned God about it. 'God, You said that once I decided to follow You, You would walls with me all the way, but Enticed that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't under- stand why in the times when I needed you most, you would leave me.' God replied. 'My precious, precious child. I love you and I would never leave you during your times of trials and suffering. When you see only one set of footprints it was then that I carried you.'" "Now imagine you and the Lord Jesus walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your prints. are a dis- organized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turn- arounds, circles, departures and returns. For much of the wayit seems to go like this. Butgrad- ually, your footprints come more in line with the Lord's soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends. This seems perfect, but then an .interesting thing happens: your footprint .thatonce etched the sand next to the Master's are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints is the small `sandprint', safely enclosed. You and Jesus are becoming one. This goes on for many miles. But gradually you notice another. change.. The foot- print inside the larger_ footprint seems to grow larger. Eventually it disappears altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one. Again, this goes on for a long time. But then . something awful happens. The second set of foot- prints is back. Stops. Starts. Deep gashesin the sand. A veritable mess of prints. You're amazed and shocked. But this is the end of your dream. Now you speak. `Lord, I understand the first scene with the zigzags and fits and starts and so on. I was a new Christian, just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with you.' `That ice. correct.' `Yes, and when the smaller footprints were .inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps. I fol- lowed You very closely.' `Very .good. You have understood everything so far.' 'Then the smaller footprints grew and eventually filled in with Yours. I suppose that I was actually growing so much that I was becoming like you in every way.' `Precisely.' `But this is my question, Lord. Was there a regression or something? The footprints went back to two, and this time it was worse than the first.' The Lord smiles, then laughs. 'You did- n't know?' He says. 'That was when we danced." • the USA and Canada. The July 25th, 1996 Miami Herald reported that Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided a Miami warehouse, where they found 5,828 pounds of cocaine, 30 boxes of Cuban cigars, and recent photographs of Cuban/American drug trafficker Jorge Luis Cabrera with Fidel Castro in Cuba. The arrested traffickers detailed their Columbia/Havana/USA route with Castro and the Cuban navy's help. Cabrera was sentenced to 19 years in a federal prison, but Castro and his Cuban conspirators are virtually untouchable, as long as they don't leave their island homeland. Castro has tried to tell us that he has had noth- ing to do with cocaine smuggling. It makes you wonder what the Cuban/American drug smugglers wore discussing with Fidel, when they had their photographs taken with him. Perhapsit was just rho weather.... PETER E. STICKLER, Thornton, Ontario