The Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-05-25, Page 23Serving over 25,000 homes in Listowel, Wingham, Mount Forest, Milverton, Elmira, Palmerston Harriston, Brussels, Atwood, Monkton, Millbank, Newton, Clifford, Wallenstein, Drayton, Moorefield and Arthur. Wed. May 25, 1983
Wallace Township plans
a summer celebration
by Ivy Reeve
History and hospitality will be combined
when Wallace Township celebrates its 125th
anniversary this summer.
Festivities get underway Saturday, July
23 with a Queen Competition. This event,
which starts at 7, _p.m., will be held in
Wallace Public School. At 9 o'clock that
evening there will be a teen dance at
Wallace Community Centre in Kurtzville.
Local entertainers will be featured in a
talent show Friday, July 29 at the Com-
munity Centre. The show starts at 8 p.m.
Special events will be held all day
Saturday, July 30, beginning at 8 a.m. with
breakfast at the Community Centre. At
noon, an historical parade will proceed from
Mayne Corners through Kurtzville and at 3
p.m. there will be an official opening
ceremony which will be attended by
dignitaries and special guests. Afternoon
entertainment includes cards and coffee for
senior citizens at the Community Hall in
Gowanstown, a Bavarian Garden at the
Community Centre in Kurtzville and games
for children.
A dance, with music by the Moran
Brothers, starts at the Community Centre at
9 p.m. and there will be prizes for the best
costumes.
REUNION
:--- An-in*erdenonuna bo!a l ch._service-
will beiield'at Wallace Cominunity`Gent e
starting at 10:30 ,a.m. Sunday, July 31.
Refreshments will be served after the
service.
There will be a school reunion from 1:30
until 8 p.m. July 31 at Wallace Central
School. Meanwhile, former School Section
students will be taking part in a slo-pitch
tournament on the school grounds.
Besides memories, people attending the
celebration will be able to take home
sourvenir hats, mugs and spoons specially
jC
designed for the celebration.
Events are being planned by a special 25 -
member committee which is extending an
invitation to former residents and strangers
to take part in the celebrations.
:x>
GENERAL STORE—Reproduced from postcard imagefor
aGENERALpe, this picture shows the Gowanstown General Store and intendedot
Office
around 1900. Jn the doorway is the owner,
Henry Fatum. At left are storeclerk
George Wolfe and Percy Fatum. Mr. and
their mother. Oscar is ho/ding the horse and Lorne, it a
Mrs. Fatum's other sons are at right with
a ride. (Photo courtesy Hosward Kress) ppears, has just returned from
; 41.11/";:.
SCHOOL SECTION 6—Pupils at S.S. 6, Wallace
Township, posed for this photograph in the early
1900's, probably sometime between 1900 and 1904.
Left to right, front row, Herb Berlett, Ed Perkin, Jack
Elliott, C. Bender, S. Creighton, Will Bender, C.
Creighton, O. Elliott, B. Bender, S. Creighton; second
row, Louise Bender, Lizzie Snyder, C. Heagy, Ella
Elliott, Wes Krotz, Violet Schinbein, Roy Wilson, Idonea
Traviss, Milton Krotz; third row, A. Elliott, Ella Wolfe,
Viola Berlett, Bill Greer, Flossie Elliott, Emma Snyder,
Salome Schinbein, Annie Krotz, Clara Schneider, Melin-
da Nuhn and Dan Bender; fourth row, Will Elliott, Lizzie
Wolfe, Jack Traviss, Kena Krotz, Aaron Schneider, Ir-
vine Perkin, Fred Bender, Arthur Krotz and Herman
Bender; back row, George Wolfe, Martha Berlett, Her-
man Heagy, Emma Greer, M. Schinbein, the teacher,
Eva Hussey; Lizzie Bender, Annie Heagy and Emerson
Berlett. (Photo courtesy Mrs. Ed Perkin)
4444. ..r .. .
THE FRiES HOUSE-- This fine brick home at Shipley,
now the residence of Kenneth Koch,
by Henry Fries Sr. In the was ,built in 18 79
photograph left to right are
Henry
Y Fries Jr., Mrs. Henry
Fries. Henry Fries Sr. and y Fries Sr and little Louisa
pdory Files, Lizzie Fries (an
porch), Mary Regina Fries a
John Fries,
JOINING HIS FATHER—Optometrist Rod MacKenzie (right) will join his father's
practise in the Town of Listowel on June 1. Ken MacKenzie has been in town since
1950.
Father and sons:
Seeing eye to eye
by Marion 1 Duke
"I guess it's something every father wants
and dreams about — his son joining him in
the business."
For optometrist Ken MacKenzie of
Listowel the dream has come true. After two
years of working with Dr. John Price. of
Kitchener, optometrist Rod MacKenzie is
coming back home to work with his father.
But that's only part of the story of the
MacKenzie family and their involvement in
the profession of optometry.
Ken MacKenzie's other son, Rod's older
brother Scott, is also an optometrist with his
own practice in Kitchener.
"I was surprised when Scott said he
wanted to go into optometry — surprised
and pleased," Ken MacKenzie said. "When
Rod decided to follow in his footsteps, I was
amazed."
After graduating from Listowel District
Secondary School in 1972 Scott MacKenzie
graduated from the University of Waterloo's
School of Optometry in 1977. Rod MacKenzie
graduated from Listowel DSS in 1976 and
from the School of Optometry in 1981.
;'I guess it's a bit unusual," their father
said. "After Rod graduated, the university
publication had a little piece about it."
The only English speaking School of
Optometry in Canada, the University of
Waterloo's School of Optometry is esteemed
in this country and held in high regard in-
ternationally.
Ken MacKenzie graduated as a
Registered Optometrist from the College of
Optometry of Ontario in Toronto in 1950. He
returned in 1958 to get his Doctor of
Optometry degree.
"The School of Optometry moved to
Waterloo in 1967," Ken said. "It is the only
English School of Optometry in Canada.
There is a French one at the University of
Montreal. We really need another English H
one and there's a move now to get one." n
"Yes," Rod added, "they're hoping to M
establish one in Calgary." N
An Import
Ken MacKenzie opened a business in
Listowel in 1950. He was already well-known pa
in town, but it had nothing to do with his
professional life as an optometrist. M
He was brought to Listowel from Ripley in G
1947 by the late John Bell to play baseball for y
the Listowel Legionnaires. And did he play
ball. H
Sports reports from those days describe int
Ken as a "towering young right hander". He vi
was the very first of a number of young es
baseball players persuaded to come to for
Listowel to play baseball . and among the
first of a number who decided they liked the fa
town enough to settle down in it.
The 1947 Legionnaires won the league so
championship in an exciting series with abo
Ayton. In the last game pitcher Ken wh
MacKenzie faced only 27 batters in nine
'innings and allowed only two hits. Fr
He remained a stalwart on the mound the rec
following year when the Legionnaires won fat
the WOAA title and for the first time entered Rod
the OBA series. They lost to Walkerton in pa
the semi-finals. Wa
The Pattern of 1948 was repeated in 1949- the
50-51-52. In those years the Legionnaires T
won the league title and lost in the OBA the
semi-finals. Ken though was still a valued
member of the team's pitching staff when
the Legionnaires finally hit the jackpot in
'11953. They defeated Bowra a ,in the
finals for the OBA "B" chetlriship and
won the provincial title again the following
year.
"John Bell brought me to town, as he did
so many others — Red Dubrick, George
Arlein, Ken Lawrence, Bob Zister ...," says
Ken, and it's obvious he considers the early
baseball connection with Listowel a piece of
luck in his life.
In 1948 the pitching ace of the Legion-
naires married a local girl, tall, blonde,
lovely Helen Geisel, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Henry Geisel of Main Street East.
Besides the interest in optometry, Ken
MacKenzie's enthusiasm for sports was also
picked up by his two sons. Both Scott and
Rod were involved in local hockey teams as
well as baseball and in high school were
WOSSA badminton players.
Rod also followed his father's footsteps to
the pitching mound for the Galt Terriers.
Service Club
Oddly enough optometry was not- Ken
MacKenzie's first choice for a profession.
He graduated from the Stratford Normal
School in 1944 as a teacher.
He was also in the navy and a pianist for
the navy band. According to Helen
MacKenzie, "He's still quite a piano
player."
But after establishing his optometry
practice above the old Chainway Store on
Main Street in 1950, Ken became involved in
the life of his.new community.
He joined the Listowel Kinsmen Club and
was the first member of the organization to
be named Governor of District 1. He
achieved that honor in 1959 and it wasn't
until 20 years later that another Listowel
Kinsman, Michael Hoyles repeated the
achievement.
The Listowel Kinsmen Club today has only
four Life Members and Ken is one of them.
e was the second member of the club to be
amed a Life Member in 196e Other Life
embers are: Les Davidson (1964) , Derek
ind (1978) and Mr. Hoyles (1982).
Today Ken is a director of the K-40 Club.
He and Helen are also proud grand -
rents.
Their son Scott and his wife, the former
arilyn Wilson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
eorge Wilson of Milverton, have a 2�/z-
e
ar-old son, Greg.
After working for two years with Dr.
arry Inns in Brantford, taking a special
erest in contact lenses and children with
sual problems, Scott MacKenzie is now
tablished in Kitchener in the practice
mercy operated by Dr. Bert Heslop.
And what made Rod decide to join his
ther's practice?
'I don't really know," says Rod. "It was
mething i was thinking about and then
ut a year ago I just knew for sure it was
at i wanted."
Rod and his wife, the former Vicki
iedmann of Linwood, moved to Listowel
ently and Rod will start work with his
her on June 1. For the time ,being, says
, Vicki will continue to work in the
yroll department of the University of
terloo where she has been employed for
past four years.
he MacKenzies didn't have to do much to
it optometry office on Elizabeth Street
Continued on Page 2
KEN MacKENZIE—graduated 1950
SCOTT MacKENZIE—graduated 1977
ROD MacKENZIE—graduated 1981