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Times-Advocate, 1983-06-08, Page 21 Page 2 Times -Advocate, June 8, 1983 Cochrane retires as Huron education director Payed book banning, mass teacher resignations A dislocated shoulder followinga trampoline acci- dent and a "natural bent for organization" sent Huron's retiring director of education John Cochrane out of the classroom and into the front offices of administration. In 1957, Cochrane became vice-principal of Thomas L. Kennedy secondary school in Cooksville following the tram- poline accident having been the head of the physical education department at the school since 1953. As the day of his retirement nears, the Huron County Board of Education's director since 1969, recalls his own personal teaching career and the changes in the educational field. A native of Toronto, Cochrane attended public school in East York. As an aside, he noted that his grade seven teacher was James Kinkead, now retired and liv- ing in Goderich. The Cochrane family mov- ed to Brockville in 1936 where - John attended grade eight and high school. Following high school he served in the Royal Canadian Artillery. The Second World War end- ed and Cochrane enrolled at the University of Toronto where he majored in physical education. The teaching field was appealing to the young veteran as he'd had a taste of the profession having served as an instructor for a time in the .army. Cochrane met his wife while attending university. In fact he met the former Lina Campbell at a Paul Jones Hallowe'en dance. He started teaching in September of 1949 at the small high school in Kempt- vine, about 30 miles south of Ottawa. She started teaching at Fisher Park High School in Ottawa. The couple married in 1951 and he went to teach at Port Credit High School and she taught elementary school in Port Credit. Two years later he moved to another school within the Peel school board's jurisdiction - Thomas L. Ken- nedy - where . he made his change from classroom teacher to vice-principal. Mrs. Cochrane stopped teaching and started to raise a family. Having made the jump from classroom teacher to vice-principal, Cochrane went one step further as in January of 1960 he took over as prin- cipal of Clinton District Col- legiate Institute, now known as Central Huron Secondary School During his tgnure at the school which lasted until 1965 he saw the enrolment in- crease from about 400 to 1,250 students with the number of teachers increasing from about 23 to 63. Declining enrolment was obviously not a byword in the decade of the '60s. It was in fact, the era of a technical boom. As Cochrane recalls it, the U.S.S.R. had launched Sput- nik, the first-ever satellite in 1961 and technology was growing by leaps and bounds. Up until that time, technical education (as an ex- ample, auto mechanics) could only be found in city schools. With Sputnik as a catalyst, the federal govern- ment launched a program of its own providing the provin- cial governments with grants to provide technical education facilities. Huron Countybenefited from this government money. F.E. Madill in Wingham and the Clinton high school ex- panded to encompass the students wishing to take technical education. An off -shoot of the technical facilities, in Ontario at least, was the "Roberts' plan" named after then education minister and former Ontario premier John Robarts. Technical education was reorganized under the late Mr. Roberts. "In my opinion, the best change was never given a chance," said Cochrane refer- Choose amateurs for Kirkton event On Friday evening, May 27, about 45 children competed at the Preliminary Contest held by the Kirkton Community Association. The adjudicator was Bill Hall of London, and Ken Blackler of Kirkton was chairman for this event which was held at South Perth Centennial School. Hall chose 18 numbers who will appear at the annual Kirkton Garden Party on Ju- ly 20. At that time the winners of each of the four divisions, vocal, instrumental, dance and variety, will receive cash pnze�. The finalists are: Ron Brookshaw, St. Marys; Derek Hardy, 'Lucan; Wendy Hamilton, London; Peggy Sleegers, London; Jo -Anne Wilhelm, Stratford; Sara Lynn Van Pelt, Mitchell; Robyn Hicks, Clinton Madonna McQuaid, Seaforth; Patti Wilhelm, Stratford, Robert and Dianne Verberne, John den Elzen and Taunya Van Allen, Ilensall. Wendy Watson, Sherri and Shannon Preszcator, Clinton; Kelly Bosman, Stephanie Bush, Shari, Nancy and Erin Lobb, Clinton; Lynn -Gamble, Listowel; Jennifer Burt and Jennifer Tyndall, Clinton; Tracy Wright, Sebringville; Lori and Scott Jewitt, Clin- ton; Alissa Greason, St. Marys; Paul Sleegers, London. 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He sees the educational system, particularly at the secondary level, completing a cycle and reverting to the Roberts' plan. Citing that when the credit system was first introduced it "had too much of a smorgasbord". Cochrane says the credit system has settled down and now the ministry is introduc- ing further changes with more compulsary subjects. In 1965, Cochrane was call- ed by the ministry to bean in- spector. He moved to Woodstock and inspected secondary schools in Norfolk, Brant, Oxford and Perth counties. Then in 1969 county school boards came into effect and the position of inspector disappeared. Many inspec- tors became either superintendents or directors of education. So it was for Cochrane as he came back to Huron County as its first director of education. He came back because his previous working experience in Huron had been a happy one. In that capacity he has dealt with such happenings as book banning, a mass resignation in 1971 by secon- dary school teachers over salary negotiations and the secondary school teachers' strike in 1977. These are still somewhat emotional issues in Huron and while Cochrane said it will take time for both the board and teachers to heal wounds, relations are better now than immediately following the strike. "It's something both groups will have to work at," said Cochrane. Booklets on display Cancer booklets• prepared by the elementary students of Huron County in a county- wide contest are on display in the reception room at South Huron Hosital: Students from Exeter Public School, Usborne, Stephen and J.A. McCurdy submitted booklets with Cancer information .which have been judged at Wingham and will be sent to Toronto for Provincial approval. The public may see these booklets on display for the next two weeks. c„ A CHAMP — PaulAnstett is a backgammon chomp. A member of the London Backgammon Club he has token top place at several tournaments and hopes to start his own club in the fall. (Shelley McPhee photo) Local man is backgammon expert It's more than a game for Anstett By Shelley McPhee When Paul Anstett plays backgammon, he plays with the enthusiasm and expertise of a professional. Paul's no or- dinary backgammon player, he is a pro and he's a cham- pion at the game. For the former Clinton resi- dent, backgammon is more than a simple board game. Paul's addicted to the challenge, the keen competi- tion and the strategy of the game. Having gained a popular following in the last few years, backgammon is a thinking game. The object is for two players to move men around a special board with pieces that are moved accor- ding to the throw of the dice. Strategy comes into play as opponents try to knock the other player's men off the board, as well as protect and block themselves from their competition. Paul first played backgam- mon five years ago. Soon game," and believes with afterwards he bought a small continual . practice and con - board, a book on the basics, centration he can win more and "escalated", as he puts it. titles, and maybe even some - Today he is one of the lop day reach • his goal, the best four players in the London backgammon player in the Backgammon Club and earn-. world. ed (he'most improved player "I do the same with my awrrd in 1981 and 1982. , work," he said. "if you want Paul's only been with the to be successful you have to'. club a little over a year and apply yourself." . already he is completely en- Paul took part in the Na- thused about tournament tionalClassicTournament in play. He's also a winner, plan Ottawa in May, but his tru- ing fourth out of '32 in the mediate goal is to'play in the novice division at the tourna- World Amateur Charnpion- ment in Saginaw, Michigan ships, to be held in Las Vegas and first in a novice consula- next year. The backgammdn tion tourney in Detroit. tournament of tournaments "I wish 1'd learned the runs five days and in 1982 game when I was prize money in the novice 5 -years -old," he enthused. "If division alone was $25,000. you like mathematics. it's a Paul is actually (tulle great game to learn." modest about his backgam- Paul enjoys the strategy. mon accomplishments, and the constant planning of the doesn't believe he is too good next move, the speed and the to play the game with less ex - aggressive style that he's perienced friends or family. developing for the game. in tact when Paul plays won Paul claims he "attacks the his wife Beth. she often wins. Better Lawns and Gardens begin with a visit to MacLeans' GARDEN CENTER Everything for everythi • Fertilizers - • Gross Seers • Sheep or cattle manure • Peat Moss • Insecticides 8 Fungicides • Pine pork nuggets or mulch • Potting Soil • Gardening 8 lawn tools • Herbicides • Garden Seeds You Need ng you plant • lawn mowers 8 tillers • Lawn mower ports • Weed Eaters • Wheelbarrows • Seed 8 Fertilizer spreader • Rakes • Pruner Shears • Shovel • Garden hose • Hose nozzle • Bug lights cLif Check our Prices on 11 H.P. Riding Traitors Check the features before you buy Are Dandelions taking over your yard? 4114fr If so, you need Turf Builder Plus II from 110 Main St., Exeter 235-0800 1 1 "I concentrate' on helping her game, not mine," he grinned. He's also interested in help- ing other people play . the game and has plans to start a local backgammon club in the fall. To be based out of his Ex- eter home, Paul is looking for beginner backgammon players from Exeter, !fermi!, Seaforth and Clinton. For more information you can call Paul at 235-2502. Learning backgammon in- volves three levels, the basics, strategies, and reading the odds. Backgammon, he explain- ed, used to be a conservative game, but an American cude of thee game hanged to an egressiveattitmanner when he introducedthe the dou. ble cube. Today it's an ex- citing fast paced, attacking, blocking game that can last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. The more you play the game, the faster it gets, Paul explained. "After hundreds and hundreds of games, there are many similarities and you can memorize layouts of the checkers and the moves." It's a game of strategy, not chance, in Paul's opinion, "Players don't depend on the roll of the dice. You have to have a knowledge of the odds. Your strategy has to be calculating theodds of the dice roll before making moves. One wrong move and the whole game can he thrown." Paid plays daily and heads to the London Club each Tues- day night. When he's not play- ing backgammon, he's reading backgammon. When he's not reading backgam- mon, he's trying moves out on his small computer with its six levels of play. Paul could go on and on talking about the wonders of backgammon. Then he's like ly to invite you to play F match with him. Backgammon, for Paul Anstett is a fascinating game that he wants others to learn about and appreciate. "Anyone who will play the game with me, i'll play," he offered. He has seen many changes in the educational field since he started and one of the most recent is the emphasis placed on special education. Philisophically Cochrane thinks the implementation of Bill 82 is great, but he does have concerns for certain practical areas such as costs. The director of education had originally planned to retire in 1984, 35 years after entering the teaching profes- sion. Instead he is retiring a year early. The main reason is because of the re -organization of the secondary education system. The increase is complusary subjects and the changes to the graduation diploma are two of the major changes coming in the next couple of years. "With that coming in, it's not fair to the board, my col- leagues and the kids for me to start getting into the change," commented Cochrane noting he'd already been through similar changes in the '60s. The end of June looms closer and when asked if he had any hobbies, Cochrane responded jokingly that atten- ding meetings has been his hobby. Seriously, he is very proud of his Scottish -Irish ancestry and plans to incorporate a desire to travel and geneology. Recounting his family history, Cochrane notes his father came to Canada from Scotland as a boy of 14 and his mother is of a third generation Ottawa Valley Irish family. He also wants to take the time to do some of the things he hasn't been able to do because of occupational committments. "I owe my wife a lot of time," said the retiring direc- tor. She stayed at home and raised their family of four children. Lina, is currently on the Huron County Family and Children's Services board, the Clinton Hospital auxiliary and has done much volunteer work. All the children are pro- ducts of Huron County. The oldest child, Joanne, 25, is a producer of television and radio commercials for an ad agency in Toronto. One com- merical in particular she pro- duced is the now -showing Becel margarine ad utilizing the popular Rubik's cube. The eldest son Mike, 23, also lives in Toronto, in fact the two oldest Cochrane children share an apartment in the big city. He works for Adelaide Personnel Services as a personnel selection and placement officer. The youngest children, 20 -year-old twins Lynne and Ian, are closer to home. Lynne is employed at a varie- ty store in Clinton and Ian is employed at the Bayfield Boatyard in Vanastra. Upon his retirement, it will be his colleagues that he will miss most. They have work- ed together to produce the kind of education system of- fered in Huron, one of which Cochrane is extremely proud. "People in Huron County don't have to take a back seat to anyone", said Cochrane referring to students leaving the county to pursue higher education or careers. After 34 years, his interest in education will not wane upon retirement. RETIRING — After having been in the educational field for 34 years, Huron County director of education John Cochrane is retiring of the end of June. He has been director for the Board of Education since. 1969. REDI•MIX CONCRETE MTC Approved ALL TYPES OF CONCRETE WORK REDI-MIX CONCRETE 8 FORMWORK PRECAST PRODUCTS DEALER MANGERS STEPS McCann Redi-Mix Inc. SLATS Dashwood, 237-3647 CURBS Exeter 235.0338 Federal Business Development Bank • PAUL MCCUSKE'R Klaus Brodthagen, Manager of the Federal Business Development Bank in Stratford, is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul McCusker as Management Services Officer. Prior to this position Paul was a Credit Officer with FBDB. The Management Services Department of the Federal Business Development Bonk assists potential and existing small businesses in developing sound business practices through information services, counselling and training programmes. Mr. McCusker's responsibilities include presen- ting management seminars to the business community on a variety of topics such as star- ting your own business, bookkeeping, finan- cial analysis and -time management, designed to help the small business owner improve his management skills. Paul is looking forward to meeting members of the business community throughout Perth and Huron counties. For an appointment to see him or learn more about FBDB's services, call 271-5650 collect. (