Topic: ABOUT ABASOBA
A Brief History of the Lisgar Alumni Association Through Lisgar's history there have been organizations of alumni both formal and informal. For example, there has been a group of alum football players who get together informally every year since the 1960s. They meet in a local restaurant for a visit and dinner. Their coach, the late Rene Charron, was always invited and usually attended. Lisgar friends and contemporaries are always welcome. A more formal group was the OCI Old Boys Organization. It had a formal structure with an executive and held an annual dinner at the historically famous Russell Hotel. The Russell was the Chateau Laurier of Ottawa in the years before the Chateau was built in the early 20th century. The Old Boys group was very active and was responsible for establishing academic prizes as well as athletic trophies at the school. This group was also responsible for planning Ottawa Collegiate Institute's Diamond Anniversary Reunion in 1903, the first really formal anniversary celebration recorded in the school's history. The Old Boys published the first history of the Collegiate for that reunion, which is still one of the best chronicles of Lisgar's first 60 years. So our current Alumni Association follows a long tradition. Creation of the current Association in 1984 was suggested by Brian Mitchell (1982), then a very recently-graduated alum who was Head Boy in 1981-82, and a senior student, Diana Smallridge. They felt there should be such an organization through which they could keep in touch with the school and schoolmates after graduation. They approached the organizing committee of the 140th Anniversary Reunion and asked if they could advertise during the reunion weekend festivities to gauge support among the attendees for an alumni association. They put out a sign-up sheet for interested alum and received enough signatures to proceed. A number of local alum, along with some teachers, held the first meeting in the fall of 1984. An ad hoc executive group was formed to manage the organization and to build its membership. This original group included Jim Kerr (1962), Barb O'Brien (Brenagh, 1959), Betty Jane Marsh (Bolduc, 1960), Wayne Pointen (1959), Gerry Diamond (1936), Penelope Feather, Kathy Ullrich (1963), Brian Mitchell, and Diana Smallridge. The executive committee established an annual fee of $5 to cover the cost of mailing a newsletter to the potential membership. Employing the mailing list from the 140th anniversary, they sent their first letter of solicitation. Slowly, members began sending in their membership fees along with letters of support. Now it was time for the executive to work out its mandate. What was to be its mission?
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