Halifax Grammar School - Grammarian Yearbook (Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada)

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GREGORY ELLIOTT HAMMOND Brevity is the soul of wit . — Shakespeare Greg came to Halifax two years ago from Ottawa, which goes to explain some of his Upper Canadian peculiarities. His unique brand of humour and French (Fetchez le spoon s ' il vous plate) have left a permanent impression on those who have ex- perienced it. One of the school ' s outstanding athletes, he is a member of the basketball and volleyball teams, as well as playing on the curling and soccer teams. Apart from intramural sports, Greg is active during off-school hours and during the summer holidays. Before arriving in Halifax, he had received numerous awards in tennis, hockey and football. The person who introduced Upper Six to The Crippler , Greg has added many other pieces of colourful vocabulary to class conversation (which probably should not be repeated here!) His protracted renditions of Baby, Baby on the school piano every lunch hour create an unpleasant gastric effect among the audience more often associated with the eating of tainted oysters. Still, as Greg would say, Rather a second-rate piano performance than a speech from Dawson . For the most part, how- ever, Greg remains one of the more understanding members of the class, always willing to help out in times of trouble. Greg ' s great love is biology, and thus he is hoping to pursue a career in medicine at Dalhousie. We all wish him the best of luck. TIONG JECK HUONG (CORINA) I get by with a little help from my friends . — The Beatles Corina joined us at the beginning of second term from Malaysia. Being the friendly person she is, she made friends easily and she is a cheerful addition to the class. She has high academic standards, and strives constantly to keep them up. Although at times her English is, well, inventive, we all understand the gist of her conversation. Corina participates in sports, and is an overall terrific girl. If you ' ve ever wondered what your name translates into in Malaysian, you know where to go! Good luck in the future, Corina. CHARLES HAWKINS MINGO Reason is a light that God has kindled in the soul. — Aristotle - The Art of Rhetoric Sometimes the less scientific among us almost think that we will not be able to stand upright in the winds of another rhyming off of the two dozen American univ- ersities that will gleefully accept Charlie next year, of another verbal knocking flat of the poor rival who has not quite equalled his ionospheric chemistry marks, of another blast on the glories of method and reason. Yet what some occasionally perceive as arrogance is merely a spurious electron in the uppermost orbital of Charlie ' s character; his nucleus is a generous and thoughtful disposition. Though he cannot abide a fool, his magnanimity to his friends, both maternal and spiritual, overwhelms them. As he is great-bodie d, so is he great-hearted too. Perhaps it is because he distrusts his heart that he has bent his will toward the sciences. In Charlie ' s analytic mind, passion IS precision; the light of his reason is as direct and accurate as that of a lazer, though not as narrowly focused: already Charlie has a keen understanding of the hmits of his chosen field, which enables him to fill it all the more fruitfully. No one comes out of an argument with Charlie — as his opponents in debating have surely discovered — unchallenged, uninformed, unen- lightened. Science , he says, is no longer after the big Why?, but rather the great How. Charlie is more than equal to that task. —9—

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CHRISTOPHER GEORGE GAINES carry the sun in a golden cup, the moon in a silver bag. — William Butler Yeats In the middle of an Upper Six gym class you can see a gremlin leap up in the air and you hear the primitive sounds he lets out; you see an artist ' s hands weaving the wools of a tapestry into a curling, growing tree root; you hear an actor ' s rich voice, see his fluid movements and you forget he is an actor. You listen to a student calmly point out the flaws in some historian ' s argument and you are left thinking I wish I could be .... ; you hear a poet gravely reciting his work and you are suspended by his intensity; or perhaps you Usten to a would-be musician plunking out simple and sad songs on the piano you are witnessing the phenomenon of Christopher Caines. Chris dislikes no one; he will kindly reveal to anyone at any time their de- ficiencies or ineptitudes — but don ' t be irritated; you know he is right, he always will be. Accept it. In spite of this sometimes cursed infallibility Chris has no real enemies — only real Mends. To be his friend is to partake of that love which is constant and without deceit, and bound to endure all its intimacy until death . Welcome to solidity you have found your rock. PETER FRANCIS DAWSON But good gracious, you ' ve got to educate him first. You can ' t expect a boy to be depraved until tie ' s been to a good school. — Saki (H.H. Munro) Peter has only been at the school since Upper One, but some can still remember the days when class conversations were civiUzed and logical. Peter ' s ability to unseat anyone with what he calls venomous wit has changed all that. This ability has made him the school ' s star debater, with a fifth prize at McGill last fall. In addition to that, Peter also represents the school on the Reach For The Top team, and sings in the Senior choir. He fills the post of secretary on the Student Council in his inimitable manner, still finding time to indulge in his hobbies, which include females, callig- raphy, cross-country skiing and collecting stationary and ties. Next year, Peter plans to attend King ' s for the Foundation Year Program, where, if he ' s not lynched, he will probably do well. JOHN MANUEL A. EMBIL The measure of greatness cannot be found in a yardstick. — Toulouse Lautrec John is one of the few survivors of twelve gruelling years at the Halifax Grammar School, where he has achieved a good academic standing due to his per- severance, willpower and diUgence. His interests are varied; from story writing, where he displays his good sense of humour, to cartoonist (being of great assistance in most of our events); to swimming. Recently he received his lifeguard certificate and with the Instructors course he plans to take, will be a full-fledged lifeguard instructor who will spend his entire summers soaking up the sun, watching the bathing beauties and occasionally saving dis- tressed swimmers. Among his interesting jobs in the last two years, John has worked in a Research Lab.; and as a Library Clerk in the children ' s section of the Halifax City Regional Library, where he is presently working part-time. He is also involved in this year ' s Student Council, where he is Upper Six Representative. This Haligonian, with his good nature and Spanish temperament, has enlight- ened us all, mainly in French class with, Oh yes, and there is an expression in Spanish which.... . He plans to pursue a career in Science. We wish him all the luck he deserves for his hard work and efforts. -8—

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SAEED KAHNAMELLI He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again. Shakespeare Being the most senior member of our class (and the hairiest), Saeed has managed to keep his head above water, which is quite an achievement, considering he knew no English when he came to us three years ago, from Iran. Being a lively person, he immediately became involved in sports, last year winning the MVP in soccer, volley- ball and best male athlete of the year. Outside of H.G.S. he played on the Scotia Olympic soccer team, plays raquetball, and has a fantastic social life. Although his attendance was lacking at times, we all grew to know and love him, and wish him all the best in his future pursuits, possibly engineering at Saint Mary ' s. MARY SUSANNE LANGILLE Nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility — e.e.cumming8 In her dark, severe, woolly coat, her loose-sleeved arms lengthened by the weight of an old knapsack and a bag, Mary has the air of an immigrant just descended from the boat. Exhausted, desperate to ask for directions, but distrusting the language, the unreal landscape, the people ' s shut faces, she stands and watches her shoes. Sometimes Mary seems to have arrived unsuited for earthly life. Indeed, she knows many ways to abstract herself from it: her imagination is always ready to take flight to the regions of Thomas Hardy or the Brontes (all three); to the kingdoms which she rules behind her eyes; to the land of her own writing where every mole, every stalk of wheat, every woman must submit to her tyrannical vision of fate; or to the theatre. It is on the page or on the stage that Mary is most at home on earth. She is always acting, trying on new gowns of words, new masks, though each be as fragile as the last. The effect ranges from ironic humour to anguish, but her aim is, as her friends know, not to deceive, but to transcend. Mary has an active understanding of T.S. Eliot ' s dictum that poetry is not an expression of personality, not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from both. All the different Marys cohere about one thing, a searching soul, whose goal is faith. Wherever she rests on that long migration, she will make in that place a circle scraped in the sand, a fire where the storyteller sits, a stage: and she will be radiant. ANDREW HENRY ZWICKER McKEE Give me where to stand, and I will move the earth. Archimedes Andrew has been one of the mainstays of our class for many years. People who know Andrew well know him for his quiet nature, his intelligence, and his ability to remain sane when the work starts to pile up. He is also known, to a minor extent, for the less-than-cerebral gatherings which he sometimes finds himself hosting. These past years, Andrew has participated actively in student and extra- curricular affairs. Last year he demonstrated his financial competence as the business manager of The Grammarian and this year he was elected to the post of treasurer of the Student Council. Sports also take up their share of Andrew ' s time. He is an experienced sailor who has had a hand in winning several races, and he is also the captain of the H.G.S. curling team. Next year Andrew plans to pursue a degree in either engineering or commerce at a university outside the province, and then, perhaps, to go into law. Whichever path he chooses, we are sure he will meet with success. —10—