Ashbury College - Ashburian Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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NIR. A. B. BICLCHER Senior Huusemaster and Head of the Iinglish Department 1943-1963

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THE ASHBLTRIAN ASHBURY CCJLLEGJC OTTAYS'A VOLUME XLYII 1962

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THE ASHBURIAN 3 ilu illllmnnriuiit A. B. Belcher came to Ashbury in january of 1943. lle came with a varied background. llc had graduated froim R.Xl.C. toward the end of the 191-I--18 war, but his first heart attack prevented him from going to Europe. He retired to his country home. During this period he raised rabbits, and later kept bees. He always found time to write, but he found his greatest pleasure in hunting and fishing. For Duke the greatest moments in life came in the faint light of early dawn, his canoe's bow softly swishing as it thrust through the fog-laden waters of a Bobcaygeon lake, then crouching in the hide, a dog silent and alert beside him, both listening and waiting for the first pair of ducks to streak down the lake, Hy up, circle around, and then come in toward the decoys. He did not spend all his life outdoors. He went to New York in the 'twenties and joined the gay literary and theatrical life which flourished in the Village at the time. During this interlude he appeared in a Broadway production. On his return to Toronto he published a book of verse and con- tinued his interest in the stage forming a part of the brilliant young C.B.C. group which centered around Mavor Moore. just before coming to Ashbury he joined the staff of his old school, Ridley, found the school master's life congenial and, happily, came on to us. It is not enough to say that we shall miss him. This goes without saying. Ashbury's loss is deeper than that. It would be more accurate to say that he can never be replaced. Not as a Housemaster, not as an English teacher. Wie will have other housemasters - fine men no doubt. who will have their own effective ways of dealing with the problems of boarding school life. VV e will have other teachers of English, perhaps even better Cthough this is unlikely as Duke was one of the finest teachers of matriculation English in Canadal, but whoever they may be theyqcannot take Duke's place, and it is unlikely that their influence on future generations of Ashbury students will be as forceful and as permanent. Mr. Belcher could express himself verbally or on paper with great clarity. VVhen writing, whether it was a letter to a friend, a precis for an English class, or a poem, he always chose that word or phrase to express the nuance of meaning which gave the exact picture in the reader's mind. Here are two poems he wrote during his recent years at Ashbury.