HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1979-06-14, Page 3CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1979—PAGE 3
People in Profile: No more `reading, 'citing, rithmetic " for Olive
by Shelley McPhee
For the past 37 years, Olive Johnson
dedicated her life to teaching the
fundamentals of "reiding, 'citing and
'rithmetic" to children in Clinton and
the surrounding area.
Now Miss Johnson has turned the
desks and instead of performing the
familiar role of teacher, she will take
part in the learning process. She will
abandon the sounds of children's
voices, the feel of chalk -covered hands
and the sight of scattered paint brushes
and report cards.
On June 30, Miss Johnson, like most
other teachers, will close the door of
her Clinton Public School classroom.
But while most will be looking forward
to a summer vacation or following
other interests, Miss Johnson will take
one last uncertain look in the window of
Room 5, the classroom she began
teaching in 26 years ago. On that last
day of school Miss Johnson will be
graduating from a way of life which
has taken up more than half of her
own years and has become her second
home and her only fam1ly, other than
her now deceased parents, as her
resignation becomes official.
Retirement for Miss Johnson was not
forced because of age or incompetence.
She only turned 60 this summer and her
long standing record at Clinton Public
clearly indicates her usefullness as a
teacher.
With mixed feelings, Miss Johnson
made the decision to retire this year.
"As much as I've enjoyed teaching,
I've felt this coming for a year or two. I
need to give myself a chance to do
thins I haven't been able to do," she
explained as we talked in her Grade.2
classroom.
Miss Johnson is a little unsure on
what her future will be. "I just want
to get to June 30," she smiled.
"I've got so much on my mind. I've
never done this before, so I have to stop
and get my mind straight."
Despite her concerns, it looks like
Miss Johnson is involved in enough
outside activities to at least help her
adjust to the leisures of retirement.
She is very active in the Ontario
Street United Church and gets im-
mense pleasure from singing in the
senior choir. She has had a long
association with the church, as a for-
mer Sunday School teacher, leader of --4
an Explorer group for 13 years, and
present member of the Evening Guild
of the UCW.
Miss Johnson is also a current
Holmesville to have...
• from page 1
tenance and upkeep of the hall could
become a financial burden on the
municipality.
Speaking at the meeting Wednesday
night, Mr. Ginn went into detail on such
costs at various other public halls that
have been studied. He noted that a hall
in Kirkton showed a profit of $11,854
last year while a hall in Elma showed a
deficit of about $6,000. He pointed out
that Elma residents planned their
deficits by letting local service clubs
use the.hall for fund raising events so
they could make profits of anywhere
from $5,000 to $10,000.
It was suggested that a building
costing $100,000 be constructed, with
the rest of the money, $92,000 kept for
Na quicksand...
• from page 1
everything we do will have'to'be'paid
for and we realize that Clinton's a
small town with a limited budget," Mr:
Hill said.
He suggested that the underpinning
.. .. , . ._',been'
-__ prefect, a�fer�-a cost price hse
established and the project approved,
could be paid and the work done
,. through phasing to suit the money
available in Clinton's budget. To clear
some council's fears on phasing the
work, Mr. Hill stressed that this type of
planning had been used with the
'restoration of the Van Egmond Home
for several years.
Council made no decision on whether
to proceed with the project or to find
cost estimates.
future investment into the structure.
Mr. Ginn opposed this idea saying that
the Woons should be remembered well
for giving their life savings to the
township and should be financially
backed if neccesary.
There are several possible locations
for the hall, with the favored site being
the one on 12 acres of land, adjacent to
Highway 8, which the township owns
and is presently developing as a sports
area. Some residents feel however that
the traffic load would be too heavy here
and would disrupt the quiet village of
Holmesville.
A building large enough to ac-
commodate 500 people with banquet
facilities, dance floor and a place for
sports is the favored concept.
Mr. Ginn has stressed the need for
such a hall in the area since there are
no big ones in Clinton or Goderich, the
closest being Hensall or Blyth.
"I think that large hall's` are
thriving," he said.
Other suggestions included building
of tennis courts, roller skating and
miniature golf.
(thee , Voons) - loved d noing:
and I guess they'd want a dance hall,"
one resident commented earlier.
The where, when, what and hows
regarding the future of the Goderich
Township hall remain undecided until
they have received close consideration
from the township council and the
recreation committee. Undoubtedly,
some residents are grateful for the
generous donation of the Woons, but
they don't want to be unnecessarily
saddled with a financial white elephant
in the future.
M3 ISI ra t III a LI
W■IN�IH■UMI IY■r1�.� u�u� 1I
member of the IODE and is the new
secretary of the Horticultural Society.
She is also lucky to have the com-
panionship of two roommates, a friend
Rita Yeo and Honey Bunch, her cat.
Her human companion has lived with
Miss Johnson for the past year and her
feline friend was given at a staff
Christmas party two years ago.
"Having someone living with me has
changed my outlook on retirement. I'm
less alone. It has really meant a lot to
me to have someone living with me,"
she explained.
Teaching is the only life that Miss
Johnson has ever known. As a young
girl, the Stanley Towsnhip native
decided to devote her life to teaching
others.
l
stuck in
the middle
After her own graduation from SS 10
in Stanley and the Clinton Collegiate,
Miss Johnson went on to study at the
School of Commerce in Clinton and
then worked in an office for a year.
"I wanted to be a teacher but they
were plentiful at that time," she
remembered.
Working in an office did not satisfy
her and in 1941, she attended Normal
School in Stratford to obtain her
teaching degree.
"Schools were a bit hard to get at the
time," she explained, but despite this,
Miss Johnson secured her first position
in 1941, teaching eight students in a
rural school near Lucan.
With the gas rationing at the time,
Miss Johnson Iecided to come closer to
Shelley
by mcphee
home and the following year she bagan
teaching at SS 10 in Goderich Town-
ship. That 10 year position began her
happy and successful career.
Hard winters, and having to be away
from her family were the reasons that
Miss Johnson decided to give up her
position at the one -room school house to
move to a big spanking new school in
Clinton in 1951.
"Teaching here was far different
from a 'rural school. It was quite a
challenge, teaching 36 Grade 1 pupils,"
she remembered.
"But I liked the companionship of
other teachers most of all."
Miss Johnson's interest and frien-
dship with her professional equals led
her to become secretary of the
Women's Federation of Teachers.
Despite her involvement in staff
Turn to page 17 •
I like to consider myself a modern when a man gives me a corn -
woman, liberal in my views, candid plimentary macho whistle.
in my conversation, determined to I can't help it if I'm all thumbs in
have my rights heard. the kitchen. But it is a little em -
Being this way does not make me barrassing to have my guy friends
an extremist, however. I've tried, walk into my apartment and gasp as
but I'm afraid Maggie has it over on ' t they look at my dirty dishes, dusty
me. I holler and rave at the pam- tables, and blackened pile of supper
pered males and defend the hard- that was once called Beef
working females. But my attempts Stroganoff. Unfortunately they don't
at outright liberation for women, I seem to understand that it is hard to
must admit, are only half-hearted. keep a home immaculate, or close to
My radical statements are only it, after putting in at least eight
announced satirically to close hours of work. I want to come home,
friends who think I'm nuts anyway put my feet up and watch television
and never listen to what I'm saying. too.
I have to be frank about it: where Fortunately, I enjoy the company
would I be without a man? I know of the opposite sex and have little
nothing about getting my car 'bitterness towards men stored up
repaired. 'Sometimes I needed a inside me.
strong grip to open a stubborn jar of In a novel I'm now reading, with a
pickles and I surely don't mind being large block of salt, author.. Marilyn
taken out to dinner and a show by French explains, men don't have to
some chivalrous gent. rape dr kill women to destroy them,
Now I'm not completely bowing all they have to do is marry them.
down to men. They have a few bad I'm sure that there are many
habits that definitely need correc- women who actually feel that way. I
tion. They shouldn't pick on me at feel sorry for them, and more so for
the garage just because I'm a any poor unsuspecting male that
woman. Even some men don't know gets in their .
very much about cars. They It was, caught afteraheill, the pathwomen who
shouldn't mistrust my ability to for centuries contend abided bythe
covernewsstories even if it is a theory that men were the dominant
seemingly masculine subject, like and superior sex. Other than a few.
mill rates, police reports or baseball famous individuals, such as Joan of
scores.
Arc, Florence Nightingale, Amelia
Neither should they continually
w d op - the. wedding - sto esu- ch�rrei�:,. -. E xh.art an.d..Marie Curie :.wLo men
-
news and other female -type stories
on my desk.
Anyway, for the most part my
liberated appearance comes un
consciously. Sure I wear slacks a lqt,+
I'm not going to freeze my legs off in
the winter. Slacks are more suited to
the work I do and I'm not impressed
or tie most part remained inferior.
While great advancements have
been made in women's rights, in all
areas from politics to increases in
salaries, hardcore resentment and
radical attitudes won't help to gain
equal rights, but only inflame the
senseless war of the sexes.
This has been Olive Johnson's most familiar pose for the past 37 years. On June
30, 197.9 the books will be closed and the slate will be rubbed clear as Miss
Johnson begins an entirely new life, retirement. Miss Johnson's dedicated
work has been remembered by the Huron Board of Education, the Women's
Federation of Teachers and her fellow staffers at the Clinton Public
School.(News-Record photo)
Shop Gerrard's
for the gift that
is sure to please
on Father's Day
this Sunday, June 17
PIZZA TRAIN
is the sign for...
* Quality ingredients in our superb Pizzas and
Submarines (we use only Schneider's A-1
meats)
* Fast and courteous service
* Plenty of convenient, free parking at both
locations.
' 41 'v.1'4 A 1Q7 .4% /
See our Targe
display of
recliners and
chairs.
Many styles
,to choose from -
in fabric or
vinyl covers.
A gift
Dad will
appreciate for
years.
Pictured to the left, our
manager Steve shows just
one of our Targe selection
of men's suits.
These 2 or 3 piece suits, in
all the latest fashion
colours, are our Father's
Day Feature
Choose from our excellent
selection of all the right
items for summer wear...
* BATHING SUITS * SHORTS
* DRESS PANTS * JEANS * BLAZERS
* DRESS SHIRTS * BELTS
* SOCKS * WORK CLOTHES
* PAJAMAS * TIES
YOUR HOSTS IN CLINTON: JOAN AND JOHN MacKEIGAN
It all adds up...make tracks to the
1.1
illfl
HOME FURNISHINGS
FLOOR COVERINGS
CARPETING
in Father's Favourite Styles
and colours. Reasonably
Priced for Father's Day Gift
• Giving from
Huron Street CLINTON
OPEN: Daily 11 a.m. - 12 midnight, except Friday
and Saturday, 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.
PHONE 482-3924 or4 2-3925
LIMITED
Home
. 71 Albert Street, Clinton
We offer free delivery within a fifty mile radius of Clinton
Men's and Boys' Dept. Second Floor
Ladies' and Girls' Dept. Main Floor
482-9505
VICTORIA STREET
CLINTON
II