Good bye Laurentian High

I drove past what is left of my old high school today and took these pictures. I found myself singing the school song as I witnessed Laurentian's demise. I'm glad I drove by today because tomorrow Laurentian High will be gone.

The school song was written by Henry Bonnenberg and is played here by the Laurentian High School Band of 1963/64. Peter Smith arranged the Dixieland version of the song. I believe that Joe Upton wrote the words, but I don't remember all of them. Robert Sutherland (Suds) put the recording onto a CD several years ago so that it wouldn't be lost. Thanks Suds.

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[RonaldFerguson98]

Here is part 2 of Rod Matheson's words about Joe Upton (I had to shorten it slightly to make the character limit):

Joe had a heart attack in, I think, 1962 while coaching the senior football team. He recovered uneventfully but collapsed and died one morning before school while jogging through his neighbourhood in either 1966 or 1967. He would have been in his mid-forties at the time.

He was a big man with an even bigger smile and had a beautiful singing voice.

[RonaldFerguson98]

Carla received these words from Rod Matheson, the history teacher. I need to post them in two comments because of the character limit for YouTube comments. Here's part 1:

Joe did write the words to the school song. He played offensive line for the Roughriders for a few years, taught at Fisher Park high school and, in1958, was appointed the first Head of Phys Ed. at Laurentian. He,more than anyone else, was responsible for the tradition of a powerful football programme at the school.

[MyGirlPepper]

Thanks so much for posting this video, Ron. Brought a tear to my eye. I played 2nd-string centre, #40, on Coach Upton's first football team at Laurentian. We won the 'Junior C' title that year. He worked us hard. I have nothing but respect for that man. I left Laurentian after grade 11, joined the service for a few years then returned to LHS to get my senior matric in 66/67. Joe Upton was the first of my old teachers to see me that first day and he came right over to welcome me back.

Don P.

[RonaldFerguson98]

Thanks for your comments, Don. Joe died when I was in grade 9, and I never had him as a gym teacher. He certainly had a great reputation.

Ron

[pcmaato]

I played trombone in the LHS school song in Henry's band for the 1976 Commencement exercises. I am almost CERTAIN that Joe Upton's name was at the top of the sheet music.

Certainly Henry gave one of his spirited "speeches" about Joe Upton, who of course long preceeded the class of 1976.

Cheers,

Peter Cohrs

[RonaldFerguson98]

Thanks Peter--that rings true for me. My brother Mark played trombone in the band at about the same time as you.

[juliachan3llov3r]

wtf happend to the school

[groundhog128]

@RonaldFerguson98 Oh my God, I just found this page. Let me tell all of how we in the first group to attend LHS decided to have fun with the school song. As good as it is as a fight song, we lived in a time that we were just starting to be aware of the US invasion, but we were proud of being the first students in a new school but we had to find a way to put our own mark on it.

Over the summer, we chaged the song to the Mickey Mouse theme, Laurentian, Laurentian High, enjoy for a chuckle.

[mjpurdyca]

Diane Gibson was a student at Laurentian from 59-64 and as Diane Purdy, the Head of Science 93-96. She teared up as we went by each time. She had many happy memories as both a teacher and student. On the last drive by she was very teary eyed and I said jokingly that we could go in and get a brick—she responded to my kidding by commenting that I was an A..hole. iDEA! Went back later that day and picked up pieces. Diane & Joan Coleman received theirs on Xmas Day. Weepy time. Mike Purdy

[waterloobob]

The last line was "We'll win for Laurentian High", for sure.

Speaking of Joe Upton, this gives me a chance to apologize to all of LHS for sending Dougie Brusso around the wrong end on the last play of a championship game in the 60's.

It was the -only- time Joe sent in a play in all the years I played for him, which speaks volumes as to how amazing the guy was.

Grudgingly Rod I have to also admit there were quite a few amazing teachers at LHS in those days.

[pspurr]

Hello Again,Again, Don

ERRATA

The 1958-59 yearbook had no photos of anything, so I may not have any photo of that Jnr C team.

Also, I was wrong in saying that Mr Hauser wrote the Laurentian theme song with Pop Wallen- I should have said the music teacher, Henry Wollenberg and Pop Wallen.

Peter Spurr

[pspurr]

Hi Again Don;

It probably was me you heard - I have been on radio programs babbling about things like that. The only photo I have, for sure, of our Junior C team is a standard standing team picture in the first yearbook. Somewhere I have a couple of other photos, but I'd be hard-pressed to actually produce them.

Peter Spurr

[MyGirlPepper]

Hi Peter,

Great to see a familiar name. Haven't talked to you since about 1960. Thought I heard your voice on the radio years ago responding to comments regarding CMHC, I believe. Was it you?

Any knowledge of an existing photo of that first Laurentian football team. I seem to have a hazy recollection of one happening but no trace of one in my archives.

Don Parrott #40