St. Lambert High Alumni from the 1940's

Graduating Class of 1940

Back Row L. to R.: Keith Pettigrew, Philip Etienne, Michael Wine, James Reid, Tom Hale, Jim Kiely and Bill Dunwoody.

Standing L. to R.: Margaret Peterkin, Betty Giovetti, Joan Ross, Hilda Yeats, Betty Corner, Jean Forsythe, Margaret Husband, Gwen Belanger, Gladys Downing, Joan Waghorn and Helen Skinner.

Seated L. to R.: Mona Tait, Joan Green, Peggy Martin, Mr. Brough, Miss Salicis, Jean Patterson, Lorna Despres and Barbara Hall.

Front Row L. to R.: David Telfer, Peter Lawrence, George Hale, Kenneth Murray, Ronald Grant, John Wilcox, Larry Seith and Ron Townshend.

Left to right: Daughters Leslie de Freitas (Toronto), Jennifer de Freitas (Montreal), and Lynn de Freitas (Duke), St. Lambert High Class of 1949, in the garden on the Northwest Arm, Halifax.

I often think back with fondness to growing up in St. Lambert and the happy schooldays and wonderful teachers at St. Lambert High, and before that at Victoria Park School. What an idyllic existence it seems with my rose coloured glasses perched on my nose! After graduating in 1949, I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Education at McGill in 1953. I began teaching Art at MacDonald High School in Ste. Anne de Bellevue where I met Tony de Freitas, a graduate student at McGill. We married in 1957. The wedding photographer was another graduate of St. Lambert High, Bruce Field, whose photographs of St. Lambert I have so enjoyed in the issues of this newsletter. Tony and I spent four years in Minnesota where Tony acquired his doctorate in Biochemistry and I worked for a while as an illustrator until family duties took over. We moved back to Canada and settled with our children in Ottawa where Tony took a research position at the National Research Council. I taught art at Elmwood School, Ottawa and later at Roland Michener School in Kanata while our three girls were growing up. In 1979 Tony transferred to the Halifax Laboratory of the National Research Council. This was a happy move for everyone. We had spent most of our recreational time racing catamarans at Britannia Yacht Club in Ottawa and now were a chance to cruise the wonderful coastline of Nova Scotia. On vacation we also enjoyed charter sailing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines where Tony grew up. I worked for the Canadian Paraplegic Association for ten years until we both retired in the early 1990’s. Our three daughters and three grandsons live in Montreal, Toronto and Brooklyn and we love visiting with them whenever possible. Although our sailing days are over, we still enjoy being by the ocean and the joys of this beautiful province. Lynnn de Freutas (Duke)

St. Lambert High students enjoying riding classes organized by gym teacher Phyllis Powell. The riding stables were located on St. George between St.Louis and Taschereau. St George was the continuation of Tiffin. There was an old stone farmhouse and stables there. It was demolished to build a large condo project. Part of the land was used to build the exit from Taschereau to the 116 to go to St. Bruno coming from Jacques Cartier Bridge. Seen mounted here from left to right are; ??, Patricia Wilcox, Gwynneth Maxwell, Anne Hodge, Heather Scott, Barbara Neale (Belwood, ON) and Lynn Duke (Halifax, NS). Standing, left to right are; Donald Dobson, Bill Roach, ??, Jim Green (Rougemont, QC) and Eric Abbott. (Photo provided by Lynn (Duke) Defreitas and names by both Lynn and Bruce Field).

This photo is the Grade 11 class of 1944. It was taken by Mr.Meacoe in the latter part of May 1944, probably in Mercille Park across the street from the present Elementary School. Front row: Peter Church, Cliff Fisher, Ken Matheson. 2nd row: Myrna Lalanne, Ruth Letts, Jean Harris, Miss Mary Nickerson ( class teacher), Meredith Mercer, Mavis Clark, Lorraine Marcuse. 3rd row: Margaret Allen, Daphne Richmond.Cynthia Wallace, Una Field, Eileen Cherrie, Joyce Bell. Back row: Rodney Oakley, Norman Ahern, Ken Vroom, Frank Yule, Richard Smith, Douglas Stewart, Wyatt Grant. (Photo provided by Warren Thwing (C-'71), and names reviewed by Myrna Lalanne and Bruce Field)

1942 "Tea Bags" Bonaventure Station

The names are as follows: The three girls in the back are: Nora Allbut, ??, Mary (Nicholls) Smiley. The front row, starting at the left: ??, Peggy Martin, Irene (Norman) Berry, Phyllis (Ingmire) Mackie, Frances Mavor, ?Woodward, Isabel Hunter, Barbara MacNutt, Lorna (Wooley) Hale, ? Mavor, ? Scholes, Elaine Hammond, Isabel Burrows, ? Gibbs, Muriel (Russell) Crosby, ? Letts The officer kneeling on the right is Capt.St.G.Hall who organized the "Tea Bags". (Photo and names provided by Phyllis (Ingmire) Mackie - C-'38).

The "Tea Bags" were organized to meet the incoming trains as they pulled into the old Bonaventure Station with trays of snacks, etc., which they would distribute to the soldiers on board the train before alighting, thus these women became affectionately known as the "St. Lambert Tea Bags". The organizer of this group was Capt. St. George Hall, who was a resident of St.Lambert at that time and a member of the local legion. In addition the "Tea Bags" would meet the troop trains, traveling from Montreal to Halifax, at the St. Lambert Station and give the soldiers heading off to war tea and cookies ( they may have wanted something stronger but tea & cookies is what they got). Apparently someone else within the legion had a connection at Canadian National who would let him know when a train was scheduled to leave Central Station, giving them time to organize.

Top Row L to R: Helen Martin, Lorna (Woolley) Hale, Isabelle Burroughs, Mary Nichols Smiley, ??, Nancy Bradwell, Margie Letts, Junie Letts, and Elaine Hammond

Middle Row L to R: Peggy Reid, Connie Pratt, ??, Norma Clark, Norah Darley, Jean Fisher, Marion Askew, Jean Bourne, Dorothy Thomas, and Peggy Martin

Front Row L to R: Ruth Johnson, ??, ??, Joan Baker, Liz Walker, Margaret Henstridge, Isabel Oughtred Fee, Helen Smiley, Joan Russell, Ruthie Letts, Dorothy Red Letts and Ruth Hubley. Photo courtesy of Wally Charron C'39.

Names were provided by Phyllis Mackie (Ingmire) C'38, Wally Charron C'39, and Bob Smiley. We are attempting to gather a complete listing of all the women in the photograph.

St. Lambert High Class of 1948

Top Row L. to R.: Mr. Ken Elliot, Bob Heughan, Karl Stensrud, Charles Neale, Wally Mateson, Eric Abbot, Doug Reekes, Russell Griffith, Irving Moscovitch, Lyle Hemmings, Bob Strange, Jerry Gariepy, Donald Maxwell, Donald Heughan and Mr. Brigden.

Third Row L. to R. : Miss Aggie Ross, Pearl Larsen, Doris Collver, Marilyn Giovetti, Mary Duhan, Frederica Tanton, Heather Wallace, Elizabeth Morris, Lucille Vinitski, Kay Ashfield, Anne King, Beverley Woodward, Margeurite Craig, Joan West and Miss Burton.

Second Row L. to R.: Adele Oxley, Margaret MacKay, Lois Prime, Ann Stevens, Dorothy Rutledge, Meriel Darley, Mary Neate, Pam Fitzhardinge, Marion Moore, Lois Wallace, Marion Hicks and Marjorie Forker

Front Row L. to R.: Ronald Walker, Bob Fraser, Norman Fisher, George Walker, Harry Letts, Cameron Kenny, Mr. Winslow Shufelt, George Oughtred, Graham Coughtry, Donald Dobson, Richard Cleverdon, David Parsons, Roger King, Donald Knowles and Keith Bentley.

(Photo and identifications provided by Elizabeth Neate-Hawley C-'50)

During the 1940's one could go into any St. Lambert High student's bedroom expecting to see a collection of pennants (cities, sports teams, schools) hanging from one (or all) of the walls. They could hang at random as that seen above, or hang vertically from an imaginary line that begun at the edge of the ceiling. School clothing such as gym shorts, T-shirts, sweatshirts and shiny red and black windbreakers were always available at the beginning of every new school year from Taylor's department store on Victoria Ave. Team crests were not individualized by activity but were general and were handed out to anyone who was on a school team, together with an identity tab indicating in which activity the individual took part, e.g. Hockey, Basketball, Track, Swimming and others. (Photos by Bruce Field)

1940's St. Lambert High School members of the St. Lambert Teen Age Recreational Club bowling at the Maurice Bourdeau Bowling Alleys on Green St. opposite the "Cave". Seated: L. to R.: Bob Baxter, Violet Belair, Vivian Wright, Kenny Wallace, Wyatt Grant and Bob Belanger. Standing: L. to R.: Myrna MacGilvary, ? Weir, ?, Joan Martin, Eric Maize, Frank Taylor and Linda Comeau.

1940's St. Lambert High School members of the St. Lambert Teen Age Recreational Club bowling at the Maurice Bourdeau Bowling Alleys on Green St. opposite the "Cave". Seated: L. to R.: ?, Doogie Parsons, Ken McGowan, Ann Findlay, Barbara Ricketts, ?, Jim Brown Standing: Going out the door is Ralph Alcorn and behind Douggie’ s shoulder is Ross Dever.

St. Lambert High School - 1945 (Combined Grade 11's)

Top row L. to R.: Roald Anderson, John Dever, Arthur Laws, Jeff Dever, Harry Bragg, Charlie Parker, Andrew Martin

Middle row standing L. to R.: Dave Johnston, Bill Leggett, Megan Belanger, Arthur Berry, Norma Stewart, Louise Rosevear, Dorothy Mayo, Edith Beeley, Myrla Croteau, Barbara Abbott, Shirley Brophy, John Parkes, Zita Lansing, Neil Anderson, Charles Stephens

Middle row seated L. to R.: Eugene Janssens, David Leyland, Edith Murray, Ruth Lucas, Bunny Clifford, Miss Nickerson, Miss Jones, Miss Ross, Barbara Gough, Lorraine Fraser, Barbara Bradbury, Amy Agar, Jim Brown

Front row L. to R.: Ronald King, Glenna Lymburner, Betty Foster, Barbara Heath, Elaine Ritchie, Joyce Cowie, Audrey Irving, Eunice Ward, Barbara Ricketts, Doreen Field, Ross McConnell, Kenny Vance

St. Lambert High Class of 1948 Reunion held in October 2003

On the weekend of October 1st 2003, Don Knowles, his wife Gayna (Tank) and Eleanor Abby (Sheppard) and her husband Art, organized a Mini-reunion of the Class of 1947- 49 of St. Lambert High School. This highly successful and fun event was held at Val Carrol Resort in the Laurentians.

Top row L. to R.: Dick Van Deusen, Carol (Philip) Van Deusen, Art Abbey, Eleanor (Shepherd), Abbey, Don Knowles & Gayna (Tank) Knowles.

Second row: L. to R.: Don Green, Bob Heughan, Joe Dorning, Don Green, Stew Cummings, Don Knowles, Bob Strange, Harry Letts and Nancy (Douglas) McMahon.

Third row: L. to R.: Joan (Snyder) Lloyd, Shirley & Stew Cummings, Betty (Case) Smith, Joe Dorning/ Margo Letts (upper), Joan (Martin) Dondale (lower).

Bottom row: L. to R.: Ken Barwick, Midge (Craig) Barwick, Bev (Woodward) & Bob Strange, Rod Foster, Marion Foster.