Trafalgar Castle School - Yearbook (Whitby, Ontario Canada)

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vox COLLEGII 11 occasionally escorting a husband. At the appointed hour, a gong sounded and the two combatants stepped into the ring. The noise of cheers and clapping was deafening, for Spitoonia our friend has been famous in our part of the world. However, when I glanced at her oppon- ent I gasped, looked again, and recog- nized in the huge and powerful form of the stranger our old friend Ruth Dixon, who at one time was a student with me at O.L.C. I was amazed, but one by one her little peculiarities came back to me — the manner in which she chewed that eternal gum and the great strides she took as she moved around the ring, her little tuft of yellow hair nodding occas- ionally to some friend whom she recog- nized in the crowd. Of course, no one could stand before Ruth, and she won a great victory over the defenceless Spitoonia. Even yet I can scarcely realize that our Ruth has reached the height of her ambition, which was to be a pugilist. Dorothy Follett. It was my first visit to New York, and I was much interested in Chinatown. Willing to try anything, I requested my guide to take me to a Chinese restaurant for chop suey. The Chinese waiter, a thin, wizened-up little fellow, was very friendly, and I was obtaining some inter- esting information from him when I felt, rather than -saw, some person look- ing at me with an angry stare. Turning around I beheld a very stout woman coming towaM me with a rolling-pin in her hand and her face covered with flour. The Chinaman began to cower back and murmur something about his jealousee wifee. I thought it wise to leave as quickly as possible, and was hurrying after the guide when a very familiar phrase dropped from the lips of the stout cook. I turned, puzzled at the sound, and saw a gleam of recognizition shoot across her face. She advanced toward me, the rolling-pin a thing of the past, and to my astonishment I recognized my former school-mate, Dorothy Follett. She and her poor little hen-pecked husband were running a high-class Chinese res- taurant with Dorothy as cook and he as proprietor and clerk. Having graduated in music Dorothy was very sharp in trade but fell flat in cooking. However, I found her as natural as ever. Margaret Maxwell. While holidaying in England in 1922 I was advised of the great world-wide exhibition being held in London on a cer- tain date. Anxious, of course, to take in all I possibly could, I planned to visit the exhibition. It was a wonderful affair ! The build- ings far surpassed anything I had ever seen before, and the exhibits were a mar- vel to my eyes. As I strolled through the wonderful process building I noticed a large crowd gathered around one exhibit, so I went towards it. Inside the enclos- ure there stood a young woman in a plain tailored skirt and a high-necked shirt- waist, dem.onstrating in a very busi ness- like way a new flreless cooker and com- menting upon its many superior qual- ities. Her voice was deep-set and gruff from long experience in this line of work, the only feminine touch about her being a red rose which was tucked into her hair low down on her neck. I gasp- ed as I looked at her,f or surely I had met her before. Yes, certainly ! it was my old class-mate Margaret Maxwell, who spent so many happy days mth me at O.L.C. After the exhibit I hurried to her, and we had a very pleasant re-union. When I enquired about the presence of the red rose, she laughingly explained that she had always worn one since her student days to remind her of — she did not have time to finish as a large crowd had gath- ered, and it was time for another dem- onstration. Muriel Maw. One day, while walking through a pub- lic library, a large brown book entitled Maw ' s Many Methods For Making Meals, ' ' caught my eye. I took it to the librarian for recommendation, and she informed me that at first it had not been popular, but of late had become famous,

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10 vox COLLEGII friendliness as we foiuid them always svTnpathetic and ready to help us with any difficulties. But while we bepran to think of them as friends our respect for their knowledge and their authority was not diminished. In fact they may haA-e suffered for their learuedness by bein x bothered continually with appeals for help upon every possible line. We es- pecially appreciate their readiness to en- ter into all our activities of school life ; indeed they have been as older sisters to us, helping us in every possible way. To our fellow students we extend all sorts of good wishes for their further work here, and if it brings to them as much pleasure and profit as it has to us, I am sure they will have very loving and grateful memoricvs of the Ontario Ladies ' College. To each member of the Senior Class we extend hearty congratulations and the very best of wishes for the work which each one is about to take up. Times arc so changed and uncertain and women are being called upon more and more to take positions of responsibility, thus making it necessary for a thorough train- ing. We feel that our graduating class this year is indeed going out well equip- ped to take positions of trust. There is a great call for well-trained business wo- men to take the places vacated by our men in active seiwice, and we are proud to say that we are sending out six capable girls who hope to help the situation as best they can. The problem of food con- servation has become so acute that wo- men with a knowledge of foods and their values are now in great demand, and wide fields of activity are open to the four domestic graduates. In the stress and strain of the present world situation we ought not to neglect the beautiful in life, and we are glad that the college can send out three graduates in music and one in Art, thus contributing to our na- tion ' s artistic development. No matter what our work may be, whether at home or abroad, may we all prove true to the ideals of our Alma Mater. After this splendid valedictory ad- dress the prophecies respecting the dif- ferent graduates were read as follows: MoRDKN Busby. In 1930, while visiting in New York, I was told of the presence of a large choir which was giving a series of concerts. I obtained a ticket and entered the large auditorium where the concert was to be held. When the choir came out on the platform I was very much interested in the appearance of the leader who looked so tall and stately, wielding her baton and directing the choir. I could not but think she looked familiar to me, and when obtaining a glimpse of her face you can imagine my surprise as I dis- covered her to be my old college chum, Morden Busby, a member of the grad- uating class of 1918 at O.L.C. After the pei ' formance I was alile to talk to her for a few minutes, when she explained her career since leaving college. She had taken a position as stenographer in the office of the manager of the choir. While there she had the good fortune to meet the director of the choir, and as the old story goes, love at first sight. She soon found her voice to be her foite and later, when hci- husband lost his voice, she had taken over the dii ' cctorship of the choir. Rtjth Dixon. As I sat in the street car this moi ' ning on my way down town 1 spied a huge notice on the back of the newspaper which the man opposite to me was read- ing — a notice telling the public that the much talked-of prize fight between the world ' s women champions would be held this evening. Gi eatly interested in the fate of our own beloved heroine, I im- mediately commenced to make my tele- phone wires buzz, and within a few min- utes had a legion of supporters promised for the evening performance. Would the time ever come! Dishes were left standing on tables, brooms in their cor- ners, husbands were commissioned to mind the baby without fail, while the all-important members of the family busied themselves with gathering to- gether groups of fans and supporters of Spitoonia. All the seats were filled long before the appointed time, women with their knitting or their newspapers, and

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12 ;, ;TOX,T OLLE GII world-wide. I was told that I mi ht meet the authoress as she was in the building at the present time for her beloved daily hour with the great mistress, so it was with gi-eat expectation that I went for- wai ' d to meet her. I was led to where a very slim woman wearing a high collar, her hair brushed straight back, and large tortoise-shell rimmed glasses, sat deeply engrossed in an immense volume entitled, ' ' The Life of an Insect. ' ' Approaching. I did not recognize her, but on being in- troduced to her fomid that it was none other than Mui ' iel Maw. our beloved president of the 1918 senior class at the Ontario Ladies ' College. I learned that after leaving the college. Mxiriel had, for several years, taught shorthand, a. course which she discovered to be both varied and interesting. She had just come to the conclusion that this was to be her life work when she received an order from King George V to take command of the Royal kitchen to teach the women of England economy. This work proved too strenuous, and her health broke down, so she undertook Titing, the result of which was this wonderful book which I later found to be invaluable. LrcY Robertson. In 1925, while in California. I visited the -Universal City, the home of many a thrilling moving picture. Through the couitesy of my guide I was given the privilege of watching a picture being taken. It was supposed to represent a royal duchess being chased by a common burglar, who washed to gain possession of the wonderful jewels which adorned her neck and hands. She ran up hiU and down and paddled through muddy streams lantil she looked ready to drop at any minute. When she appeared to be able to hold out against her pursuer no longer, she spied a steep rock, and with another effort she began to climb, and with perseverance reached the top. She never stopped, but ran to a wide ledge which overhung a pretty little lake, and with one spring dived into the silent water below. When the picture was over and I was able to see the actress more closely. You can imaging my surprise when I discovered that this daring person was no one else than my old class-mate, Lucy Robertson, who had gone into the movies to nuike her fortune doing stunts. WiNNiFRED Scott. While at the Toronto Exhibition in 1923, I was passing along the midway and finally found myself in a crowded tent, where fancy riders were perform- ing. The first thing that met my eyes was a imrc white horse, ridden by no one else than Winnifred Scott of 1918 graduating class at O.L.C ' . She was per- forming all sorts of fancy stunts, and you can imagine my consternation to see her in such a place. After the perform- ance I Avent over and spoke to her, and she informed me that she liked her work very well and in her spare time she was painting a gruesome i)oster of the Wild Man from Borneo. Grace Sykes. In 1926, while in California, I was taken one day to see the famous and uni((ue Sykes musical farm. On it lived one hundred and seven girls, all about 18 years of age. ' They worked foiir hours a day on a farm and studied music the rest of the time. I was introduced to the Lady Principal, who was a smiliug young lady vnth a most fetchiuu, twinkle in her eye. I recognized her immediate- ly as my old school chum, Grace Sykes. iShe ha.d left O.L.C. after working on the school farm, and the work so fascin- ating her, she vowed to return to it some day. She studied music for years and years, and then had become a noted teacher. Moving to California she built this farm. This is the only musical farm in the world. Olive Tucker. In the year 1926 one of the famous exhibitions was being held in Chicago. A party of us were attending it, and af- ter enjoying the wonderful sights within the various buildings, walked out upon