Royal Military College of Canada - Review Yearbook (Kingston, Ontario Canada)

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even better known to posterity for his definitive his- torical writing on Canada under the French Regime which has been done since his retirement. Admiral de VVolfe is widely known as one of Canada's most famous and successful sailors. He has been a close and valued friend of mine for almost twenty years. During his tour of duty as Chief of Naval Staff, he completely won the respect and affection of all the members of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. His ability to see the point of view of the other services did much to establish the climate of opinion which has made possible the successful creation of the Canadian De- fence Force. Very early in my work with DRB, I became in- volved in the discussions about the re-opening of RMC. At that time, opinion did not unanimously sup- port re-opening and there was a prolonged and lively discussion. I well remember a final session in which opinion was turning in favour of re-opening and Principal Wallace of Queen's broke the tension and tipped the balance decisively by asking that RMC be re-opened in order to avoid possibly disastrous effects on the personalities of the male undergraduates of Queen's. He explained that ordinarily the men out- numbered the women at Queen's to such an extent that the men might well get an exaggerated sense of their own importance because of the ease with which they could get dates. He said that over the years com- petition from RMC had kept the Queen's men on their mettle and added greatly to the morale of Queen's girls. Principal Wallace was one of Canada's greatest educators and I hope that over the years the RMC cadets have vindicated his faith in their com- petitive spirit. It used to be a tradition for the convocation speaker to give some sage advice to the graduating class. I am told that in these enlightened days an occasional con- vocation speaker resists temptation and reiects the tradition. I must warn you that I do not intend to re- sist. My father graduated from Queen's in Philosophy and Divinity and went into the Presbyterian and later the United Church ministry, so when I warn you that I intend to deliver something approaching a sermon, you will understand that I came by this tendency honestly. The text on which the sermon is based is this - You have received an exceptionally fine educa- tion, in accepting this education you have accepted also an obligation to use this education not purely for personal aggrandizement, but at least partly for your community, the nation, and even the world. Univer- sity education in Canada in general is very good, but your education at RMC has been outstanding in at least three important characteristics. First, there has been exceptional emphasis on bilingualism. All of you have at least a start toward the effective use of a second language. Second, all of you have had a broader than average education because of your faculty's in- sistence on giving more of the humanities to the scientists and engineers, and giving at least an introduc- tion to science to the arts students. Thirdly, and most important of all, you have had an unique exposure to life in a well-organized and disciplined community. You have learned more than you yet realize about how to live in a group, how to be a leader, how to be self-disciplined, and how to discipline others. You are going into the services and into the life of Canada at a very exciting time. lfrom the view point of service life, you are entering at a period when unification is becoming a reality. You will be the ones who will make it work and I firmly believe that with your help the Canadian Defence Force will become a model for the military forces of many other nations. You will be among the first officers to start your career in a unified force. You will be able to see its problemc free of the influences of old associations. You will make a vital contribution toward establishing new traditions and a new esprit de corps for the uni- fied force. In doing this, you have a magnificent foundation on which to build. All three Canadian services have a record in peace and in war of which every Canadian can be proud. If you can meet the challenges of your times as well as they have met the challenges of theirs, you can feel that you have done a first class job. This is not going to be an easy assignment. You are setting out on your working careers at the begin- ning of the space age, at a time when the world is changing at a bewildering pace. Research is pushing out the boundaries of knowledge faster than ever before. Rampant nationalism is changing political boundaries overnight. Population pressures are increas- ing and the rich grow richer as the poor grow poorer. I am convinced that during your lifetime the world will divide into the haves and Uhave-nots . Unless rich and fortunate countries like Canada can find some way to help the have-nots out of their desperate poverty, a nuclear holocaust is almost inevitable. You, as the leaders of the future, must take over the task of solving this and other equally pressing problems. Possibly the most important thing that you have to contribute to Canada as you go out into the world is your training in leadership and discipline. I person- ally take what may well seem to be an old-fashioned view, that a good many of the ills of the world to- day are due to lack of group and community disci- pline which, of course, stems from lack of self- discipline. A person who has disciplined himself to achieve the goals to which he aspires, becomes more amenable to the group discipline needed for success- ful community life and also begins to understand both the problems of and the need for leadership. In most universities, students learn about leadership merely by example. They are not explicitly instructed in lead- ership and have no opportunity of practicing it in a controlled commuity such as yours. There are even some who doubt the value of the kind of discipline and leadership training that you get at RMC. It is up to you to prove them wrong. If the skeptics would look at the record of RMC graduates of the past, they would see an outstanding record of achievement. Canada and the world desperately need your ability as leaders and I hope that you will go out in-to the world determined to maintain and even improve RMC's great reputation for producing effective leaders.

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ADDRESS T 0 ON VOC A TI ON HONORARY GRADUATES, 1966 Q Left to Right: Col. W. R. Sawyer, Vice Commandant and Director of Studies, Dr. O. M. Solandt, the Honourable P. T. Hellyer, Chancellor and President, Dr. Gustave Lanctot, Vice Admiral H. G. DeWolf, Air Commodore L. J. Birchall, Commandant. ADDRESS TO CONVOCATION May 27, 1966 Dr. O. M. Solandt, OBE, MA, MD, DSC, LLD, MRCP, FRCS Dr. O. M. Solandt, born in Winnipeg in 1909, obtained his B.A. degree from the University of Toronto in 1931. Since that time, he has fashioned an outstanding career as a research scientist and plan- ner. In 1944 he became Superintendent of the Army Operational Research Group, after the war, in 1947, he became the first Chairman of the Defence Research Board, a post he relinquished in 1956. He has since held many responsible positions in the government service and in industry. This outstanding Canadian has received eight honorary degrees and numerous ADDRESS T0 Mr. Chancellor, Commandant, members of the staff, ladies and gentlemen: I am greatly honoured by your invitation to come to R.M.C. today to receive an honorary degree. I am doubly honoured by being given the opportunity to address you. I shall begin by expressing the most sincere thanks, both personally and on behalf of Admiral de Wolfe and Dr. Lanctot, for the honour that you have done us today. other awards in recognition of his accomplishments in research and scholarship and for his service to his country in both peace and war. He was a Governor of Sir George Williams University from 1957 to 1963 and is at present a Governor of the University of Toronto, being elected Chancellor of that university for the period 1965 to 1967. just prior to the delivering of the Convoca- tion Address, the Chancellor of R.M.C. announced the Prime Minister's appointment of Dr. Solandt as Chairman of the newly constituted Science Council CUNVOCA TION I was particularly pleased to be invited to receive a degree at R.M.C. because of my very high opinion of the past record and the present quality of the institution. It is a university of which all Canadians can well be proud. My pleasure today is completed by your choice of the other two honorary graduate s. Dr. Gustave Lanctot is a young man of 83 years who has had several careers. He is known to many as a former Dominion Archivist, but will probably be

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sw'-rf g Y THE CLASS OF 1965- 66 PROJECT i X' ls' 5 6 . 6 f 1 my ,3A1,tg,iv K :xf' l T ,mls A 4 li' f I g, V ' 1 C.,,.- wma, Ewa . Mfg: va- , . g'.. M - fgw i.:.J .K at R0 TE 66 This year the Class of 66 was faced with a -delemma: What would we be remembered by in the years to come, what would our contribution be, would we leave a plaque, a trophy, or would we again darken our halls with stained glass? After many meetings and various discussions we came to the conclusion that our Class Project would have to be something decorative and useful Cnot to say earthyj. Looking around the College grounds, it became obvious to those in charge of the Project that something had to be done about the ugly yellow path leading from Lens Lane to Massey Hall, a path which was cut by the very people who had a dilemma to solve. It was decided that our contribution would not only be useful but amendatory. Hence ROUTE 66 was conceived and eventually, after walking and stomp- ing over many obstacles, laid. It is hoped that our gift to the Cadet Wing will last as long as our memory o'f the College and that all those who use it will appreciate its convenience.