Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2021 17:31:15 -0500
From: Wendy Fine
Subject: and now for my 'contribution'


Okay, I feel compelled to jump in, although the past 57 years of my life haven't
been nearly as exciting as many of yours.


Some memories of OHS - Mr. McCutcheon who taught us geometry in grade 10. He was
a miserable man and we gave him a really hard time. He constantly used to tell
us that we would all fail our geometry matric. Ben Fairbairn, a great teacher
and really fine man who taught us trigonometry. And a great gym teacher in 9th
grade, Patricia Esply who taught me all the ins and outs of badminton followed
by the spinster and rather unpleasant Miss McPherson, who was our gym teacher
for 10th and 11th (she had been my mother's gym teacher way back when!)


I went to McGill after high school and did a BA but took a lot of math courses.
Then I got a teaching certificate at Bishops. I married Allen Spanier and
started teaching math at Town of Mont Royal High School in Montreal while
supporting Allen who was in medical school at the time. The principal at TMR at
the time was Ben Fairbairn and Norman Steinberg, (the music teacher at OHS) was
also on staff at TMR, now a guidance counsellor! I taught at TMR high for 5
years and quite enjoyed it! then I had 2 sons, Michael in 1974 and Rob in 1977.


For a few years I did some part time teaching, math and then computers at
several private Hebrew elementary and high schools, worked for a time at a CEGEP
teaching adults computer skill and gave a few computer courses to staff at the
Montreal Children's Hospital. I eventually pursued a certificate program at
McGill in computer technology which led me to a part time job doing programming
at the Royal Vic Hospital. This led to a job at the Research Institute at the
Vic, first as a programmer which then evolved into a data manager position.


After 18 years of marriage, Allen and I divorced. We both eventually remarried
and I've now been married to Harry Shizgal, (a retired surgeon and researcher)
for 30 years. Allen died suddenly at the age of 52. Some of you who lived in
Montreal might have remembered the circumstances of his death as he had a
massive heart attack at the Montreal court house while a coroner's inquest was
being held regarding a patient of his.


My oldest son Michael lives in Montreal   on Dollard Avenue, just down the
street from Outremont High and is a lawyer. He has 2 sons, Sonny 12, and Tristan
9 and is expecting a little girl in June. The boys spend lots of time playing
soccer on the field at the back of OHS and sledding on a hill that was built up
near the field, so I seem to have gone full circle and am now (or was until the
pandemic) spending lots of time on the grounds of OHS again! Rob lives in
Toronto and is a real estate developer specializing in mixed-use development  
he's working on his own now after many years working with development companies.
He has 2 daughters, Addison 10, and Logan 8. I used to spend significant time
with the kids both here and in Toronto and I miss these times terribly.


Harry and I are both retired now. We were fortunate to travel a lot up until
recently. We also used to spend a good part of the winter in Florida where we
have a small condo in a senior's community in Deerfield Beach. This is the first
winter in Montreal for us in 20 years. To my surprise and delight I'm really
enjoying winter!


I reread the little paragraph about me in the out-look, and true to form, I
still spend a lot of time either in a gym or doing gym related activities.
Sadly, no more skiing or windsurfing or running for me, and squash and badminton
are no longer, replaced by 'pickleball' and a bit of tennis, biking, some
hiking, some power walking and lots and lots of aerobics classes. All in all,
life is good!


looking forward to seeing everyone tonight!

Wendy