Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School - Specula Galtonia Yearbook (Galt, Ontario Canada)

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1 ... ff u - f fi 'WA Tv l L' A Pnm-rvs Moderns, Mr. Logan, Classics, Mr. Evans, Commercial. The next year, 1901, brought the first lady teacher. At this point Mr. Hamilton quite seriously remarked, There have been tremendous developments along that line since. The year after Mr. Hamilton's advent into our school's'life, he took charge of all athletics. He taught the girls physical training, and started teaching the boys rugby. He also coached them in soccer, lacrosse, football and other athletics. To promote interscholastic competition he donated the first Hamilton Cup. It was Won for seven consecutive years by Guelph who for their Wonderful success were given perpetual ownership of the cup. The second cup was Won for five consecutive years by Galt, who now have perpetual possession of the cup. The present cup is still as strongly fought for on the gridiron, as in bygone days. But Mr. Hamilton did not confine his interests to sport alone-. The first school paper was a Written copy which was read at Literary Society meetings. He organized and edited the first printed school paper called the G. C. I. Record. It was a monthly paper and sold for five cents the copy. He related an amusing incident concerning the paper and the late Mr. Mac- George, the former man-of-all-work about the School. Mac was some- thing of a poet and when asked by Mr. Hamilton to contribute one of his poems, he did so. Mr. Hamilton tried to correct the metre and when the poem appeared in print Mac was terribly outraged and proceeded to tell in verse of the horrible attempt of the Science Master to reconstruct his poem. After Mr. Hamilton graduated from University he kept up his studies and in 1901 finished the necessary Work to obtain his M.A. degree. Mr. Hamilton has done some extensive travelling during his summer holidays. His travelling motto seems to be, See Canada First, for he has travelled over our fair Dominion from East to West with the exception of the Peace River District and the North Pole, which he says he intends to visit in the near future. In his estimation the West is a greater source of interest than the East. Another of Mr. Hamilton's hobbies is Systematic Botany. The pursuit of this hobby has lured him all around Galt and the surrounding district in search of plants and the study of their habits. At his home he has a very fine collection of plants, which collection is reputed to be one of the best in Galt. Mr. Hamilton has seen our School's enrollment increase from one hundred to eight hundred, and the teaching staff from six to thirty-one, so that through his care have passed pupils Who have brought honour to themselves and to their School. Amongst these are Charlie Houston and Albert McCrae, railwaymen, John Detweiler, professor of Botany at West- ern University, Herbert Detweiler, prominent consulting physician in Toronto, the Struthers Boys, missionaries in Honan, China, Capt. Harold Oaks, prominent in aviation circles in Canada, Miss Christine Elmslie, winner of Prince of Wales' Scholarship at Toronto University, the late Fraser Kerr, winner of the coveted V.C. during the Great War, Miss Donelda Dickie, historian at the University of Edmonton, Frank Pana- baker, an artist Whose Works are accepted by the American Art Academy and Frank Hogg, Professor of Astronomy at Harvard and winner of a gold medal for astronomy. The Staff of the Specula Galtonia take this opportunity of Wishing Mr. Hamilton continued success and happiness in his associations in our School. 26

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11 SE ..,. QE , . VA. JP I 1 'M Tv l Pnrrvs ' R. S. Hamilton, M.A. Note:-This is the second of a series of sketches of our illustrious teachers, to appear in the Specula Galtonia each year. He ls a Verray Parjit Qentzl Knightf, -CHAUCER R. HAMILTON was born in the little country village of Motherwell, situated in the beautiful valley of the Thames, six miles north of St. Mary's. At that time it was a Scotch settlement, but since then it has lost its identity as such. His father was the Presbyterian minister at Motherwell. Mr. Hamilton received his primary education at the Regular Mother- well Academyj, as it was called. Where, said he, smiling reminiscently, The rawhide and maple-wood pointer reigned supreme. These were the symbols of authority. The Academy was preparatory for the entrance examinations, but during the winter months it was not unusual for pupils of twenty and twenty-five years of age to attend. Leaving the Academy, Mr. Hamilton started his High School career at the St. Maryfs Collegiate Institute. It was during this period that he de- veloped a liking for walking because he had to walk the six miles back and forth from his home to St. Mary's every week-end. Mr. I. M. Levann, one of the Inspectors of High Schools for Ontario, was principal of the St. Mary's Collegiate Institute at that time. Graduating from St. Mary's, Mr. Hamilton journeyed to Toronto where he enrolled in the Science Course of the University. At that time there were just eleven men in the freshman year of the Science Course and these eleven passed through the whole four years and graduated together. The Hon. Howard Ferguson, newly appointed High Commissioner for Canada to Gt. Britaing James Brebner, former Registrar of Toronto University, and Dean DeLury were amongst those who graduated at the same time. Mr. Hamilton has always been vitally interested in all kinds of sports. He played soccer and football and it was while at University that he first became interested in and started to play rugby. He was a member of the Varsity Glee Club which toured the country during the Christmas holidays making appearances. At this point in the interview he laughingly re- marked, I am now a horrible example of one whose vocal chords have become useless through lack of exercise-or was it too much exercise ? Apparently those old Glee Club days left some impression on him for he has since played very successfully many prominent roles in the Staff Players' Productions in our School. The year Mr. Hamilton graduated, the University was completely destroyed by fire, which they said was due to Pride, because of the fact that the unfortunate man who dropped the fatal lamp was named Johnny Pride.--So the old adage- Pride goeth before destruction. Dr. Daniel Wilson was president of the University at that time. Mr. Hamilton graduated from University with his B.A. degree and went to one of the Training Schools at Guelph, Ont. He accepted his first position teaching at Georgetown, but for only six months. Then he took another position at Whitby, where he taught for three years under Prin- cipal Tamblyn. . Then Mr. Hamilton came to the Galt Collegiate in the capacity of Science Master. At that time there were only five other teachers on the staff : Dr. Carscadden, PrincipalgMr. DeGuerre, MathematicsgMr. Wright, 25

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if ARA TU l U L' PARATUS llllllillElll3?ffl . Awake, for morning in the bowl of night, Has cast the stone that put the stars to flight. -OMAR KHAYGAM Un Such are Friendships Made By HONOR BAILIE T was one of those glorious late June days made up of heat and sunshine and colour, an ideal afternoon for a boy and a dog. But Peter exper- ienced no pleasure in the warm brown dust under his bare feet, nor any thrill in the feel of his fishing rod as he trailed it listlessly along the ground. Toby, not sharing his master's unhappiness, was gaily trotting in front and regaling himself occasionally in hide-and-seek with the squirrels. Well, really, Peter had plenty of reason to be miserable. Here it was summer, the happiest time in a boy's life, and Reggy Schwartz, his best pal, was down with scarlet fever. There was Hanky of course, but Hanky didn't count, he was a big sissy in Peter's conception. It was no fun to play Indians or pirates by oneself. Peter, lost in his misery, did not realize that he was the object of deep scrutiny, until his melancholy reflections were suddenly interrupted by this startling comment, Gee, I bet you ain't caught a fish in your life. Peter raised amazed eyes to the intruder, and beheld a dirty, ragged little boy, of his own age, perched on a stone wall. I have so, I've caught lots, hotly retorted Peter. By this time Toby was inquisitively examining the stranger. Say, call yer hound off meg he looks wild. At once Peter was on the defensive. He 'won't bite yah, he ain't a hound, and he ain't vicious. He's thoroughbred. Ha, ha ! jeered the stranger, Uthoroughbredl ha, ha, he's a hound. He ain't, stoutly denied Peter. Well, what is he then ? This nonplussed Peter for a time, but he bravely rallied to the occas- sion. He's got a thoroughbred collie tail, declared Peter, pointing to- wards Toby's jaunty little plume, and he's got thoroughbred police dog ears. Peter got no further. 27 -