Lakeshore Advance, 2013-05-29, Page 44 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesday, May 29, 2013
opinion
www.lakeshoreadvance.com
tikoaboro Ativaoco
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
P.O,BOX 1195
58 Ontario St., North
Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO
phone: 519-238-5383
fax: 519-238-5131
email: Iakeshore.advance@sunmedia.ca
SUN MEDIA
A Quebecor Media Company
NEIL CLIFFORD
Publisher/Advertising Manager
nell.clittordOsunmedia.ca
LYNDA HILLMAN-RAPLEY
Editor
Iakoshore.advanceOsunmedia.ca
MARK STEPHEN
Advertising Sales
mark. stephenOsunntedia.ca
KATHY YOUNG
Typosetting/Classiliods
lakeshore.adsuasunmedia ca
www.iakeshoreadvance.com
SUBSCRIPTION RATES ADVANCE:
Regular 542.00 (40 00+700 GS1)
Online subscriptions available—same rates
Publications Mail Agreement
No. 40064683
RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO
LAKESHORE ADVANCE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
P.O.Box 1195 58 Ontario St. North
Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO
For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns.
phone: 519.238.5383
e•mall: Iakeshoro advanceesunmedia.ca
Changes of address, orders for subscriptions, and undeliverable copies
(return postage guaranteed) are to be sent to l nknsh01eAdvance at the
address indicated here. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that In
the event of a typographical error, the portion of the advertising space
occupied by the erroneous Item together with a reasonable allowance
for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertise-
ment will be paid at the applicable rates
we rick nowIrti tlu• nnancial support of the
( ;MI911111(411 Ill (:anatla tht°ugh the Canadian Periodical
Fond ((:I'I) lot mut hubll.hing activities.
Canada
Member of the Cenldtan Commune),
Nevrreapre Assoc atlon and the Ontario
Community Newspanets ksscxllho't
Aocna
A gentleman and a scholar
saying good -by to
Don Prowse
A gentleman and a scholar.
That is what more than 350 peo-
ple know to be true of Don
Prowse. Those people came to
Oakwood last week to celebrate
this man's life. A gentleman and
scholar indeed, Prowse died
May 17th.
To say Prowse left his mark is
an understatement. Ile was one
of those larger than life kind of
guys. Daughter Diane Twynstra,
and son David wrote his eulogy
that included his life as an ath-
lete and father, husband and
grandpa, this warmth and gen-
erosity of a truly exceptional
man was evident in so many
circles.
Diane said it was clear from
her dad's early years his primary
focus was on sports. Ile played
football, ran track, played bas-
ketball and played hockey in his
grade 9 year. For a long time he
had been delivering the Globe &
Mail but gave it up at this point
because it interfered with morn-
ing basketball practice.
"Dad loved every minute of
this! l le had football in the fall,
basketball in winter and he ran
track in spring. 1 le won the 880 -
yard running event at WOSSA
while a student at Central Sec-
ondary School
I le greatly admired and
respected his coaches at Cen-
tral, Bill Traut, Roger McCauley,
and Will Rice
and credits Bill Traut and
Roger McCauley as being the
two high school teachers and
coaches at Central who were
Sands of Time
Lynda Hillman-Rapley
Editor, Lakeshore Advance
very influential on his athletic
and academic life. Dad said
those two gentlemen were the
reason he was able to go to
Western and play first string
football and basketball there for
4 years, and that he owed his
athletic ability and ambition to
their strength of leadership and
coaching expertise. 'these two
men influenced Dad to not only
want to coach, but also to teach
and to help educate kids."
Prowse majored in Honours
Phys Education because he
wanted to teach Phys Ed and to
coach high school football and
basketball like his mentors
Traut and McCauley.
There are few schools in Lon-
don and Sarnia who do not
know the name Don
Prowse. Sarnia Collegiate or
(SCITS), Oakridge 1lighschool,
Banting High, Wheable, Saun-
ders Secondary, Principal of the
London School of Continuing
Education, principal at Beal,
principal at Saunders retired in
1990, after 35 years as an educa-
tor, coach and administrator.
"During all of these years Dad
would get up early, play an hour
of squash, shower and head to
work, and at lunch he'd often go
to the YMCA and lift weights,"
said Twynstra.
In 1981 he married Mary
Marg who had two children,
Scott and Laurel.
"Dad lived his life according
to the Rotary Motto of 'Service
Above Self.' Ile joined The Lon-
don North Rotary Club and par-
ticipated in many charitable
activities and endeavors. In
1988 dad and Mary Margaret
moved to Beach 0' Pines at
Grand Bend and with Tom Law-
son, he started the 'Rotary Club
of Grand Bend, and acted as
Charter President in its first
year. That club has continued on
strongly and contributes to
many worthwhile humanitarian
and charitable causes. Dad was
Rotary District
Governor for
District 6330,
which com-
bines parts of
Ontario and
Michigan, for
the 1996-97
Rotary Year,"
says Twynstra.
Prowse
loved Grand Bend and often
could be heard to say 'this
retirement life sure is tough!'
1 lis daughter said he loved
the lake being nearby. "lie truly
loved Mary Marg. Ile loved to
windsurf, swim and walk along
the beach. He loved the Pinery
and its hiking, walking, biking
and winter skiing trails. Ile
loved the golf courses nearby
and was particularly fond of
Don Prowse
Witter Station. Even up to this
year Dad would still play golf
three times a week; could still
be found at the Grand Bend fit-
ness center working out on a
treadmill, and taking 15 km bike
rides with Mary Marg."
She said her dad was a fiery
competitor no matter what he
was playing - first football and
basketball and later golf, tenni
squash, cribbage, cards, darts
pool, but he was always fair.
"Dad always had a twinkle in
his eye - which paired perfectly
with that lop -sided grin! Dad
was kind and selfless. He was
generous and giving, caring,
honest and direct. Ile was
warm, pleasant, optimistic and
positive. Dad was instructional,
knowledgeable and educa-
tional. Ile was wise, compas-
sionate and humanitarian. lie
was patient and thoughtful. Dad
was courteous, polite and a true
gentleman. Ile was big and
open hearted and quickly
offered comfort in times of
need. Ile was dapper, sharp and
classy, but also down to earth,
approachable and realistic. Ile
was an athlete; he was big and
he was strong."
Twynstra said her dad taught
his children and grandchildren
lessons about life. "Ile was a
solid role model for us. His mes-
sage was 'work hard and good
things will follow.' When push
came to shove in school, in
sports or in life, he'd tell us to
'put your nose to the grind-
stone: And as an accolade, you
always knew it was a job well
done with the ever present,
"'This is super, Just super!"
letter to the editor
Gene pool of
humanity flawed
The gene pool of modern
humanity is clearly flawed, wit-
ness the onslaught of political
types in recent memory that
have proven time and time again
that the usually recessive stupid
gene becomes a dominant stu-
pid gene when politics and the
responsibility it once carried are
mixed with any level of
government.
Recall the recent dismissal of
the l.ambton Shore CAO, with
little or no credible explanation
of his quick termination. In
London look at the financial
improprieties that Joe Fontana is
trying to defend in relationship
to his son's wedding payment
when Fontana was a federal MP,
and again more recently his
charity that Canada Revenue
agency as delisted. Then look at
Rob Ford in Toronto as he
dodges the question of smoking
crack cocaine and making poor
remarks as being filmed by a
drug dealers cell phone.
Andrea 1 lorvath last week for-
got her role as opposition and
cozied up with Premier Wynn to
support this liberal disaster of a
government. Remember Dalton
said he did know how much
those gas plants would cost to
move them, but the 60 million
dollars was very low now that we
hear its $800 million dollars,
Does a smart person pay 80
cents a kwh for wind generated
power, but sell it in an over sup-
plied market for 10 cents a kwh,
Bad Genes I gather, and poor
hearing as its been spoken loud
that this area doesn't want any-
more industrial wind turbines.
'then look to Ottawa. To check
into the poor genes that Mike
Duffy and Pamela Wallin have
proven has gone undiagnosed
until this week, and the PMO
chief of staff Nigel Wright that
has quit its he ignores the usual
rules of integrity and opted for
stupidity. And the prime minis-
ter thinks we are all as stupid as
politicians, a he suggests he
knew nothing of the Nigel pay-
off, Does this remind you of act
from a long lost comedy TV
show that featured Sergeant
Schulz who famously said 1
know nothing, 1 see nothing, I
hear nothing. Sorry, Mr. Harper,
but that stupidity gene remains
recessive in the general popula-
tion, it goes dominant when pol-
itics encourages frail people to
feed at the deep public trough
that Canadians fund far to well.
Rob Webb