usm heen aNo

_ profile

’. BILL and Jean (Ritchie)
Gilmour would not

‘ think of living anywhere
but the North Shore.

; “Both had long teaching
. careers here, raised their fami-
ly, and have witnessed many
changes as their beloved
North Shore'community |
developed through the vears.
“> In the early 1930s, Bill
‘watched as Grouse Mountain
was ravaged by fire. Also in the
*30s, Grand Boulevard was .
used asa lending field — of a
sort,
“Bill Gilmour was ; born on
ani..12; 1916, at home on.
2th Street in North © :
Vancouver. His father was.
killed in the First World War,” .
Bill and his father never
knew each other. Bill and his”:
‘one sibling, a sister, lived with. :
thei mother, and Margaret
hat » a lifetime friend of his
cr As young women,’
ney had come to Canada ©
from Scotland together: '
./ Bill had a happy | childhood,
as there were lots of things to
do. He chapped wood, shov-
elled snow, had a newspaper...
route, cleaned the four-foot by
2-foot or, so wooden side-

‘As a youngster in school,
he kept a school garden. Such *

gardens were organized by the. .

Women’s Institute of Lynn.
Valley to supply the’ staff with: -
vegetables and flowers. Each.

child participating had a three-:

foot by:10-toot garden at:
¢. Prizes were given for:
best vegetables and flow!

, also in Vancouver, and gradu- ~

gainst some of.
the parsnips ftom my garden
rom the tip of the root to the
p of the stock; the parsnips
found to be taller than 1:

“moved to Harold Road in
Lynn Vall

:inaking the pilot away:

«plane has ever landed

bers crossing the Mill
Pond by using a wood-
en pole and a raft, t©
get to school. For eight
years he had perfect
attendance at the Lynn
Valley School. He then
attended high school in
North Vancouver.

Bill remembers that
as a boy he attended
manual taining classes
onee a week ar the
Ridgeway and Queen
Mary schools. He was
given a streetcar ticket
to attend the classes,
but he would run to
the classes from his
home in Lynn Valley, to
save the ticket to use
for more interesting

‘places he wanted to get

to.
: “Ie was in 1933, and
I was walking through
Grand Boulevard, on
my way to the hospital.

I saw a small, single

engine airplane ercling
, around, and then it

landed in Grand

... Boulevard, on the crick- -
tt pitch. The pilot got

out with a map in his

hand and asked, ‘Is this

the airport ...'\wi hav is
this body of ‘water?”

“Instead of being the .
” Fraser River, the body.“

of water was the Inlet,

off course. I think “:
that’s the only time a

on Grand Boulevard.” -
Bill recollects with.

* vivid detail that-“it was

also in the early *30s that a
lightning-induced fire raged

- across Grouse Mountain from
the West roward the East,
_ purning everything in its path...
Ic started ona Sunday just as

we were leaving the Lynn |.
~" Malley United Church. It was a
horrible sight.”

After finishing high school;

Bill studied senior mathematics °
‘at King Edward in Vancouver, .-

then aerended Normal School,’ :

ated in 1934, For atime |

‘thereafter, he did substitute

teaching, around North:
Vancouver before accepting a
two-year teaching position at
Sealy Lake.
For two years, ‘1938: "40,
he was principal of Roche
Point School betore deing .

- transferred to Ridgeway

School in North Vancouver,»
During that time he studied

“general courses at UBC.
In 1942, Bill took a ieave — ,
‘of absence from teaching and

joined the Armed Forces —:

the COTC under Dr. Shrim,

at the anti-aircraft base in
Alaska — before being sent to

‘Victoria, B.C. to instruct air-
-craft recognition. Later, he was
» stationed at Brockville, ~

_ Ontario for officers’. training ..-
and was assigned to Eastern"
» Canada’s Camp Borden far
training recruits. ;

At Fort Benning, Georgia,

~ Bill was tained in American
_ Weapons, with the intention”

“that he would return to’

» Canada, and teach chat Subject

* planet on Feb. 16, 1918 at:

‘ 25 NEWS photo Mike Wakefiel
RETIRED teachers Bill and Jean Gilmour are highly respected by

~ their many friends, hundreds of ex-students, and others through-

out the community. :

at Camp Nanaimo. However,

the war ended, so he was dis-. .
:. charged on January 16, 1946.

He then commenced studies

“Sar UBC the following week”

and finished with his BA, BEd
in 1947... -
Jean Ritchie graced this -

Medora, Manitoba. All three” 2

*. siblings were girls, and they *
_ had a very happy childhood.
Asa child, Jean Temembers

riding in her parents? touring
car in the.*20s.

“It had cellophane flaps
instead of window glass, and -*

“ave thought it was the coolest
~ thing,” says Jean. She was Sse ;

Sunday, December 24, 2000 —- North Shore News - 29

acher

cated in Manitoba and
graduated from
Brandon College.

Jean moved from
Winnipeg to Nanaimo
early in 1942, Then,
when she and Bill mar-
ried in 1947, the new-
iyweds settled on the
North Shore where

: both taught school.

- Eventually, Jean left her

. teaching carcer to raise
their three children.
However, when their
children were in junior
high school, Jean
returned to teaching in
North Vancouver, ane

-. substitute taught for’

» eight years, until she
retired in 1974,
Finishing at UBC in

~ Seprember 1947, Bill’
taught junior high at
Ridgeway Schooi. After
a teaching career of 45

years, Bill retired in

».1974, as department:

head of mathematics at”

Sutherland...

For 20 years Bill has ~

been a member of the .
2: Chrysanthemum Club.

of both North . °°

» Vancouver and West °°

Point Grey. Through
the vears he specialized
_ in growing chrysanth
. mums, dahlias and .;
sweetpeas. Being a gar-
‘dener since an early.

“maintain beautiful

around their home:*...”
Bill and Jean have trav-
elled around the South
* Pacific and enjoyed a tenting

; ~~ holiday throughout Auswalia -

and New Zealand. For two :

~~ months in 1960, the...
 Gilmours, their three children’.

and a friend’s child camped -
and hiked throughout Europe,
:: Their church affiliations .

'*> mean a great deal to Bill and *)

Jean. They are also avid read-

“ers. Bill has been i into, to photog:

juice can” .do-. the |, sami
-Welch’s, the grape juice mana- :
facturer, sponsored this study.
“Even so, the results ‘snowed
“thatthe jt Goes decrease .
. platelet buildup ‘and increases’
the release of substances caus-"
ing dilation of the blood ves:
“sels. Good for the heart. .

DAVIES PHARMACY
oe 1408 St t. Georges.

age, Bill continues to. ope

“flowerbeds and shrubs |

coup

raphy for years, and ran the
photography club at
Sutherland schoo! for a while.
Jean’s hobbies are baking,
singing, piano and reading.
She also belongs to a debating
aid public speaking club. In
her younger vears she enjoyed
ice skating, hiking and camp-
ing.

Jean’s advice to young, peo-
ple is: “Be very definite about
your priorities in fife, and what
you expect to give, not get, .. ,
throughout 3 your life.” Bill’s

advice is short and sweet:
“Stay off drugs, smarten up
and fly right!”

The North Shore commu-
nity continues to wish this
wonderful couple many years;

"of good health, happiness and

togetherness. ©: -
Vikki Finkbeiater i iba ‘North

| Vancouver writer, Ifvon know of

someone who might “make: an:
interesting profile, send yosir iden
ta Vikki c/o. North Shove: News...

Shering @ Vistow_ |
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This information session is”
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your attendance with Patt
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information call 984-3709.

cancer. If you wi
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