Clinton News-Record, 1983-06-08, Page 3After 3
By Stephanie Levesque
A dislocated shoulder
following a trampoline acci-
dent and a "natural bent for
organization" sent retiring
director of education John
Cochrane out of the
classroom and into the front
offices off administration.
In 1957, following the tram-
poline accident, Mr.
Cochrane became vice-
principal of Thomas L. Ken-
nedy secondary school in
Cooksville, having been the
head of the physical educa-
tion department at the
school since 1953.
As the day of his retire-
ment nears, the Huron Coun-
ty Board of Education's
director, since 1969, recalls
his own personal teaching
career and the changes in
the educational field.
A native of Toronto, Mr.
Cochrane attended public
school in East York. As an
aside, he noted that his
Grade seven teacher was
James Kinkead, now retired
and living 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 Cana-
dian Artillery.
The Second World War
ended and Mr. 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 in-
structor for a time in'the ar-
my.
Mr. 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 Kemp-
tville, about 30 miles south of
years 1n1 e (cation
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. Kennedy - 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, Mr. Cochrane
went one step further as in
January of 1960 he took over
as principal of Clinton
District Collegiate Institute,
now known as Central Huron
Secondary School.
During his tenure 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 increas-
ing 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 Mr. Cochrane recalls it,
the U.S.S.R. had launched
Sputnik, the first-ever
satellite in 1961 and
technology was growing by
leaps and bounds.
Up until that time,
technical education (as an
example, 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 County benefitted
from this government
money. F. E. Madill in
Wingham and the Clinton
high school expanded to en-
compass the students
wishing to take technical
education.
An off -shoot of the
technical facilities, in On-
tario at least, was the
"Robarts' plan" named
after then education
minister and former Ontario
premier John Robarts.
Technical education was
reorganized under the late
Mr. Robarts.
"In my opinion, the best
change was never given a
chance," said Mr. Cochrane
referring to the Robarts'
plan or the restructuring of
technical education.
"It was just beginning to
get off the ground when they
( Ministry of Education )
brought in the credit
system."
He sees the educational
system, particularly at the
secondary level, completing
a cycle and reverting to the
Robarts' plan. Citing that
when the credit system was
first introduced it "had too
much of a smorgasbord",
Mr. Cochrane says the credit
system has settled down and
now the Ministry is introduc-
ing further changes with
more compulsory subjects.
In 1965, Mr. Cochrane was
called by the Ministry to be
an inspector. He moved to
Woodstock and inspected
secondary schools in Nor-
folk, Brant, Oxford and
Perth counties.
Then in 1969 county school
boards came into effect and
the position of inspector
disappeared. Many in-
spectors became either
superintendents or directors
of education. So it was for
Mr. Cochrane as he came
back to Huron County as its
first director of education.
He carne back because his
previous working experience
in Huron had been a happy
Members of the Goderich District Collegiate Institute Mime Group greeted guests to the
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JoAnne Taraba and Elizabeth Bundy. (Shelley McPhee photo)
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t
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 Mr. Cochrane said
it will take time for both the
Coe
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 Mr. Cochrane.
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 Mr.
After having been in the educational field for 34 years,
Huron County director of education John Cochrane is
retiring at the end of June. He has been director for the
Board of Education since 1969.
*11 t
Cochrane thinks the im-
plementation of Bill 82 is
great, but he does have con-
cerns 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 secon-
dary education system. The
increase in compulsory sub-
jects and the changes to the
graduation diploma are two
of the major changes coming
in the next couple of years.
"With that corning in, it's
not fair to the board, my col-
leagues and the kids for me
to start getting into the
change," commented Mr.
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, Mr.
Cochrane responded joking-
ly that attending meetings
has been his hobby.
Seriously, he is very proud
of his Scottish -Irish ancestry
and plans to incorporate a
desire to travel and
genealogy. Recounting his
family history, Mr.
Cochrane notes his father
came to Canada from
Scotland as a boy of 14 and
his mother is of a third
Federation accepts rebate
• from page 1
farming community as a whole, and
possesses an element of universality which
is deemed desirable," states the task
force's report.
The five other recommendations are:
- That the farm house be assessed
separately as a rural residence;
- That all the farm land and farm
buildings be assessed on their productive
value;
- That educational taxes on all farm land
and farm buildings should either be
removed or rebated;
- That farm residences will be taxed on
the same basis as other rural residential
units receiving the same services, in-
cluding educational taxes;
- That the concept of an acre of land
under the farm residence being assessed
o e
separately for tax purposes from adjacent
land is totally unacceptable.
Other recommendations which the task
force feels should be handled by other
agencies are:
- Financial impact to the overall sub-
sidies program;
- Eligibility criterion;
- Incorporated farming operations.
The task force, made up of James Arm-
strong of Wingham, Robert Boylan of
Ethel, Laurie Cox of Goderich, Tom Cunn-
ingham of Auburn, Clete Dalton of
Goderich, Bill Trick of Clinton, George
Underwood of Wingham and John Van
Beers of Blyth, was formed to develop an
alternative .to the present 50 per cent
rebate and avoid the proposed plan to
rebate 100 per cent of tax on farm land and
buildings.
Tit4ir piill champs
In the Children's Micati Tractor Pull at
the Clinton Spring Fair winners were:
Under 50 lbs: 1st, Matthew Turner,
Stephen King; 2nd, Pam King, Rachel
Jenkins, Trevor Britton, Jason Riley; 3rd,
Grant Laws, Danny Morgan, Michael
Salverda, Darryl DeRuyter, Katie An-
drews, Dean Christiens.
51 - 75 lbs: 1st, Melody Turner, Pam
Salverda; 2nd, Terry Smith, Scott Vodden,
Lesley Dalzell, Krista Dalzell, Stacy Read,
Bryan Watson; 3rd, Tom Leppington, Jeff
DeRuyter, Scott Jewitt, Bobbi -Jo Lepp-
ington, Mark King.
76 - 100 lbs: lst, Michelle Turner; 2nd,
Laurie Jewitt; 3rd, Scott Koetsier.
Demolition Derby Winners Were:
Heat No. 1: Ryan Rhodes, $40. and
Trophy; Leo Horbanuik, $25.
Heat No. 2: Joe Kienapple, $40. and
Trophy; Tom Fehr, $25.
Heat No. 3: Tom Piggott, $25. and
Trophy; John Hart, $25; David Kuehl, $25.
Feature: Leo Horbanuik, $200. and
Trophy; Ryan Rhodes, $100.
In the Guess The Weight Contest the cat-
tle beast weighed in at 836 lbs. and the
draw was won by Jack Van Egmond of
Clinton with a guess of 836 lbs. He will
receive $100.
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CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 1983—PAGE 3
e a
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
commitments.
"I owe my wife a lot of
time," said the retiring
director.
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 off Huron County. The
oldest child, Joanne, 25, is a
re
producer off television and
radio commercials for an ad
agency in Toronto. One com-
mercial in particular she
produced is the now -showing
Becel margarine ad utilizing
the popu! ar Rubik's cube.
The eld.st 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
variety store in Clinton and
Ian 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
Mr. Cochrane is extremely
proud.
"People in Huron County
don't have to take a back
seat to anyone," said Mr.
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.
Myrtle Hamilton of Clinton spent two days baking, in preparation for the Clinton Spring
Fair. She gained the highest number of points in the baking section at the fair and was
- named Baking Queen of -the -Fair. Last year Mrs. Hamilton was one point short of the
title. (Shelley McPhee photo)
John Deere owners last longer
Once a John Deere owner, always a John Deere owner.
Or so it seems.
Bill Hendrickson, for instance, has been riding his 110
tractor since 1965. And when he does eventually replace
it, he, like most John Deere tractor owners, will probably
stay with John Deere.
But that's not surprising when you know how they're
built. Even the smallest John Deere lawn and garden trac-
tors have features like solid steel frames and cast iron ax-
les with heavy duty spindles and bearings: Their depen-
dable 4 cycle engines are enclosed and isolated for a
smoother, quiter ride. And John Deere offers dozens of
durable power -matched attachments including centre
mounted rotary mowers with 38 or 46 inch cutting widths.
John Deere lawn tractors also have a loyal following.
With several models to choose from, you can select mow-
ing width, drive system and power sizes up to 16 h.p. All
feature electric start, smooth 4 cycle engines and efficient
deep tunnel mowers.
In fact the John Deere 111, our best sellinlawn trac-
tor may be he best outfit you can own. Justask any of
the folks who do.
Nothing Runs
Like a Deere ; "-
tart,
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TkACTdR
SOME_WM VERY Rig