Seniors Situation Room by Dawn Ford Hotel Dieu 69 Yearbook AUG 21 18

 

Cornwall Ontario – The last Vitae Lampada, the yearbook of the Hotel Dieu Hospital School of Nursing, was in 1969, the year the school closed. Luckily I was able to borrow a copy and also a Graduation Exercises program from Terri Hooker, Class of ’69.

In the yearbook are a lot of photos of staff in the various departments, on the wards of the floors and individual photos of each member of the graduating class as well as group pictures. It was wonderful to read and to see so many happy smiling nurses.

There were many festivities to celebrate the graduation: a Mother and Daughter banquet, a banquet given by of the Auxiliary of HDH, a Parent banquet, a special Mass and breakfast and a formal dance held at the former St. Columban’s Church Hall, now the Agape Center.

The Graduation Exercises were held at the General Vanier Secondary School on June 11th. In the program are many familiar names.

Rev. Rudy Villeneuve was Chairman for the evening. The Valedictory was given by Mrs. Jeanne Macintosh, Class of 1969. Mr. Jerome Duplante led the class in singing The Class Song accompanied by Miss Lucie Cardinal, pianist. Greetings were given to the class by City of Cornwall Mayor Nick Kaneb, Mrs. Emile Fortin of the Woman’s Hospital Auxiliary and Dr. A. J. McLean of the Cornwall Academy of Medicine.

Sister Mary MacKenzie, R.H.S.J. led the class in The Jeanne Mance Pledge:

“That I may be strengthened in my resolve to model my life of duty after that of Jeanne Mance, the first lay-nurse of my beloved Canada. I place myself in the presence of God, and I pledge myself with the help of His Grace to be faithful to the following ideals:

I will be true to the practice of religion which is the inspiration of my noble vocation and while administering to the body will serve the soul by observing the principles of right Ethics and nursing honour.

I will be devoted to the profession that is mine, obeying the physicians within the sphere of his authority and I will make my work a labor of love rather than of profit whenever the service of God or country requires it of me.”

The presentation of pins was by Sister Mary Murphy, R.H.S.J. Administrator of the HDH. The address to the Graduating Class was given by Kevin B. Mooney, B.A., PhD. Chief of Psychological Services, Ottawa General Hospital and the presentation of awards was by Dr. W.B. Renner, President of the Medical Staff. Pipe Major was Robert Kitts accompanied by Piper William Cooper.

The Graduating Class of the Hotel Dieu Hospital School of Nursing 1969:

Back Row l-r: Lynne MacDonald, Sharon Emberg, Judith Bogar, Wendy Warden, Jean MacIntosh (deceased), Sheila Russell, Barbara Proux, Gail MacDonald, Andra Fortin, Teresa Cook, Lisette Boucher, and Mary Hebert

Row 3 : Theresa Szniger (deceased), Bonnie Painter, Lucie Laforge, Dorothy Ann Ferguson

Row 2: Linda Lemire, Mary Jane Macphee, Olive Bergeron, Anne Robertson, Shirley Lauzon, Peta Fraser, Sheila MacDougall, Mary Markell (deceased), Gloria McKinnon

Front Row: Francine Claude, Mary Gault (deceased), Barbara Mongor, Caroline Rines, Adele Copp-Rolofs, Anita Lauzon, Colleen Burson, Imelda Cleary, Lynn Lalonde, Therese Theriault, Louise Poirier, Maureen Malyon, Margaret Leduc.

Some of the interesting things in year books are the ads of the sponsors at the back of the books. Many of the businesses in this year book are no longer in business. Some of the ads were of the Cornwallis Hotel, Struthers Pharmacy, Marthe’s Corset Shoppe, Lavimodiere Furrriers, Albert’s Dry Goods, R. Fraser Jeweller, Wilson’s Wool and Gift Shop and The Advance Shop, to name a few.

A big thank you to Jean Martelle, President of the HDH School of Nursing Alumni and Terri Hooker for all their help and information. It is very much appreciated.

Limericks are always lots of fun.

Here is a great one by Carolyn Wells:

The Tutor

A Tutor who tooted the flute

Tried to teach two young tooters to toot.

Said the two to the Tutor,

“Is it harder to toot or

To tutor two tooters to toot?”

And one by Rudyard Kipling:

The Boy of Quebec:

There was a small boy of Quebec

Who was buried in snow to the neck;

When they said, “Are you friz?”

He replied, “Yes, I is-

But we don’t call this cold in Quebec.”

The recent newsletter of Child Haven International is once again full of pictures of happy children, staff and their activities. CHI was founded in 1985 by Dr. Nat Shah and Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino to help orphaned and destitute children and women in need of food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and moral and emotional support. There are ten projects in four countries: Tibet in China, Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Many other children not living in one of the homes are sponsored for education.

For more information on CHI go to: www.childhaven.ca or email Fred at fred@childhaven.ca or phone the Maxville office at 613-527-2829.

In this photo in the Kaliyampoondi home in Tamil Nadu, India, a staff member, Satish, is “surrounded by an admiring crew of young helpers and collaborators”. Satish is recycling some old paint cans to be used as water dippers for showers, a vegetable oil tin to be used as a trash can and is also repairing one of the boy’s trunks.

The newsletter always closes with the quote from Rabindranath Tagore:

“Let me light my lamp, says the star,

And never debate if it will dispel the dark.”

Here is a cute joke from a friend:

A Senior’s Version of FACEBOOK

For those of my generation who do not, and cannot, comprehend why Facebook exists: I am trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same principles. Therefore, every day I walk down the street and tell passers-by what I have eaten, how I feel at the moment, what I have done the night before, what I will do later and with whom. I give them pictures of my family, my dog and me gardening, taking things apart in the garage, watering the lawn, standing in front of landmarks, driving around town, having lunch, and doing what anybody and everybody does every day. I also listen to their conversations, give them thumbs up and tell them I “like” them. And it works just like Facebook. I already have 4 people following me: 2 police officers, a private investigator and a psychiatrist.

Have a good week, Dawn




4 Comments

  1. Those are very good memories Dawn. I no longer have my year books at all. I worked as a candystriper back in those days at both the Cornwall General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Hospital and maybe we might have ran into one another back then. You are a great lady Dawn and I mean that fully.

  2. I came across a name that brings me way back Maurice Duplantie and he was one of my teachers at SLHS in the French section back in the good old days when Cornwall was alive and well. Today Cornwall is a grave yard. I came across my history teacher in the French section of St. Lawrence when I was with hubby at a gas station here in Ottawa (Vanier area) and introduced hubby to my history teacher.

  3. Jules: thanks for your nice comments. I am glad you enjoyed the column. Dawn

  4. Dawn I always enjoy your column and one of the nicest people that Cornwall has or ever had is yourself. I remeniss of the good days of Cornwall and today it is all gone. Society today is gone completely and even here in Ottawa you see the people like literal zombies in the stores, etc. How society has changed so much.

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