Clinton News-Record, 1978-01-19, Page 3Wayne Wigelsworth, Clinton's new postmaster looks over the general delivery
section of the post office with assistant -postmaster Ken Dobney as part of his first
day on the job on Monday. (News -Record photo)
CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, JANUARY 19,'1978—PAGE ,3
People in Profile: New postmaster also collects stamps
by Shelley McPhee
What started out as a part time job to
help Wayne Wigelsworth through school
has now led to a full time position and a
bright career.
In 1969, Wigelsworth began working
part time at the London post office as a
mail handler, while he was attending the
University of Western Ontario where he
was majoring in English.
He later took on, a full time position at
the post office to make extra money for
future 'seliooling in library sciences.
However, Wiglesworth now 28, never
made it. back to school and now has
worked his .way up through the post
office to become the postmaster at the
Clinton post office.
His first major advancement in the
post office came when a competition for
administrative trainees was offered and
Wigelsworth was one of four people
selected to take the 30 -month program.
"The object behind the program was
to identify people with potential and to
accelerate their learning," he explained.
After working as assistant post-
master, shift supervisor, along with
other administrative work in the district
office in London, Wigelsworth is ready to
take on his first job as postmaster which
he began on Monday.
"I think this is going tobe relatively
easy to familiarize myself with the work
Decliningenrolrnent scares.....
• from page 1
outlined the results that would come
from the Board staffing Grades 1 and '2
at a ratio of one teacher to 24 students;.
Grades 3 to 6 at a ratio of one teacher to
26 students; Grades 7 and 8 at a ratio of
one teacher to 28 students; and if Kin-
dergarten continued to be staffed at the
present ratio of one half-time teacher for
the number of students enrolled. It was
illustrated that , based on a projected
enrolment of 2648 students, this par-
ticular staffing ratio would regl.rire the
Board to staff the schools with 103.40
teachers. Currently, there are 121.15
classroom teachers on staff.
It was further illustrated that if the
staffing ratio for Grades 1 and 2 was 25-1,
with Grades 3-6 at 30-1 and Grades 7 and
8 at 35-1 with the Kindergartens being
staffed at one half-time teacher per
class, the number of teachers required
for September, 1978, would be 90.90.
It was noted that since the Board had
decided to give continued consideration
to establishing a system wide staffing
formula, administration and principals
have begun a study of what grade
groupings and staffing formula would be
viable for each school. •
Further consideration will also be
given to integrating Kindergarten and
Grade one pupils in all schools wherever
feasible and if it were considered in all
cases where the number of Kindergarten
pupils enrolled falls below twelve (12).
It'was illustrated that if this were done
and if the average number of teachers
required for September, 1978, would be
92.60.
Further study and consideration is to
be given to the possibility of con-
solidating the Dublin -St. Columban
school attendance areas to reduce the
total number of classrooms in use from
11 to 8. Such a redistribution it was
pointed out might be effected by housing
the Grades K to 4 students in St.
Columban -and the Grades 5 to 8 students
at Dublin. Such an organization would
avoid the need fortriple grades and
permit the Board 'to eliminate one
portable classroom and fully utilize the
facilities at St. Columban.
Alternately, the consolidation of
Seaforth-St. Columban school at-
tendance areas with a redistribution of
Grades K-4 to St. Columban and Grades
5-8 to Seaforth is also being given con-
sideration.
In the Stratford area, consideration is
being given to housing Grade 6 or Grade
5 and 6 students in St. Michael's school
and transferring some students in school
attendance areas in and aroind the city
to achieve a more equal distribution and
better class loadings wherever possible.
Presently, some schools .are housing a
maximum number of students while
others contain some empty classrooms.
Alternatives which were contained in
the report but which are not being given
any further immediate consideration by
the Board, included, increasing half-
time Kindergarten programs to full-time
and the reorganization of Ste. Marie -
Zurich School attendance areas. -
The Board will decide by mid-
February what changes will be im-
No red ink for Rec. committee
For the first time in several years, the
Clinton recreation committee won't be
finishing off the year with red ink in their
account books.
.The committee learned at their
meeting last Thursday that preliminary
auditing shows they will be left with a
small surplus on their 1977 books, which
h
is the first in some years.
However, the committee will in-
vestigate further, high utility bills,
which for December alone totalled
$2,104.45.
In other - business, Percy "Poss"
Livermore was re -appointed chairman
after the rest of the committee ex-
pressed satisfaction. at the job he had
done. Dean Reid was named- vice-
chairman.
The committee wil also look into ap-
pointing a man to fill the chair left
vacant by the late Doug Kennedy.
The committee also approved buying a
new 300 gallon gas water heater for the
arena at a cost of $2,000 to replace the old
one which has sprung a leak. The new
tank is very expensive because of the
specifications required for public
buildings.
The committee also discussed fund
raising projects for the arena floor fund,
but left until later how they would raise
the $40,000 needed out of the $135,000 to
replace the floor.
plemented by September of this year.
Changes to beimplemented by Sep-
tember of 1979 will be decided by April,
1978
The standing committees for the board
were elected with the first named..•
.chairman: Building and Property --Keith
Montgomery, William Kinahan, Vincent
Young, John O'Leary, Arthur Haid with
Ed Rowland, the administration contact
Personnel --Ted Geoffrey, Donald
Crowley, Mickey Vere, Ronald Marcy,
Ronald Murray with William Eckert,
administration contact; Transportation-
-Greg Fleming, David Teahen, William
Kinahan,. John O'Drowsky, Michael
Connolly with Jack Lane, administration
contact; Finance and Insurance --David
Teahen, Donald ' Crowley, Michael
Connolly, John O'Drowsky, . Greg
Fleming with Jack Lane, administration
contact.
The ad hoc' committees--Trustee-
clergy Liaison : Arthur Haid, Ted
Geoffrey, Michael Connolly with Joseph
Mills, administration contact; Early
School Leaving: Ronald Marcy, David
Teahen, with Joseph Mills, ad- ..
ministration contact; Declining`'
enrolments: Ronald Murray, Ronald
Marcy, John O'Leary, Donald Crowley,
Mickey Vere, with William Eckert,
Joseph Mills and Jack Lane, all ad-
ministration contacts; Assessment:
John O'Drowsky, Keith Montgomery,
Greg Fleming, Arthur Haid, with Ed
Rowland, administration contact;
Teacher Negotiations: Vincent Young,
Mickey Vere, Ronald Murray, John
O'Leary with William Eckert, ad-
ministration contact.
Board representative to the Huron -
Perth Tuberculosis and Respiratory
Diseases Association, William Kinahan;
and to the Stratford Public Library
Board, Dan Devlin of Stratford was
renamed with a second representative to
be named at a later date.
In accordance with the -by-laws Donald
Crowley, board chairman, shall serve as
"ex -officio" member of all standing
committees and Education matters are
to be dealt with by the board as a
committee -of -the -whole.
The law firm, Donnelly and Murphy of
Goderich was namea solicitor for the
board.
The members of the negotiation
committee will attend the Ontario
Schools Trustees Council provincial
salary conference in Toronto January
26, 27, 28.
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but at the same time, I'm not used to a
genet -.al delivery section as .large as this.
Other post offices I've worked in had
letter carriers," he noted.
"So far it seems pretty good here and
the staff seem to, be a good bunch to work
with," Wigelsworth added.
The phone rang and for a moment
Wigelsworth was caught off guard in his
new office. "Is there another phone out
there or do I have to answer this one?"
he questioned.
"Today is the first day of my life that
I've been in the Clinton Post Office," he
explained.`
Despite the unfamiliarity to his new
surroundings, Wigelsworth has definite
ideas on how the postal service should be
run and what his position as postmaster
should include.
"As postmaster my job is to provide
the best possible' postal service at the
most economical cost to the area
surrounding the Clinton Post Office a d
maintaining good public relations," he
clearly stated.
"I'm going to be counting heavily on
Ken Dobney for the first trollop or three
months until I am ,familiar with the
town, the post office and the people," he
said. "I wouldn't dream of making a
change here, for at least three months
minimum, - Things may be working well
enough aa,lready.
Despite the reports of Roor postal
service Wigelsworeh noted that the
public get better postal service in small
towns than in larger centres.
"You get a personal touch. Even if
someone moved 15 years ago you still
know him and with general delivery you
don't have the problems with address
changes locally."
He also noted that there are fewer
union problems in small post offices
because most problems can be worked
out individually before they become
major.
Still, Wigelsworth admitted, "when
somebody asks you where you work, you
say you work for the government.
obody wants to admit that they work
for the st office."
Despite that statement, Wigelsworth
is looking forward to a future in the post
office and is eventually looking for a
postmastership in Stratford, 'Woodstock
or St. Thomas. He is looking for that
sized operation.
"The large z the post office, the bigger
the headaches become. It comes down to
the choice of whether you want to enjoy
your job or do you want the big bucks
and go home and develop an ulcer," he
pointed out.
Along with his work in Clinton,
Wigelsworth intends to enjoy his family
life with his wife Janet and hopes to
renew old hobbies and become involved
in the community.
He intends on keeping up his in-
volvement as a'Scbtlt leader in London
for the rest of the year. 'He is also a
member of the Legion Branch 119 in
Ingersoll.
Along with an interest in photography
and coin collecting, he noted, "I intend
to join one of the local service clubs here,
I haven't decided which one yet."
"Maybe now that I'm going to be
settled down in one place for awhile, I
can get back to my hobbies," he said.
Highway crews from Clinton, using the biggest equipment
available, bashed away late last week at the huge
snowdrifts left by last week's blizzard. Here a huge 18 -ton
snow plow hits a cement -hard eight -foot bank at Vinagar
Hill, at the north end of Clinton. All roads were in good
condition by Friday, and little snow has fallen since. (news -
Record photo)
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