NELSON HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1954

Barbara (LESLIE) McVicar

Family:

One wonderful brother, two nephews, a great nephew and a great niece.  Keeps things very simple for remembering crucial dates.

Present Activities:

Retired from the Department of Foreign Affairs after 38 years.  Retirement certificate, signed by Mr. Chrétien, adorns the wall of what used to be the cats’ bathroom.  Since I no longer have any cats, the status of the certificate has been elevated somewhat. Hiking, cross-country skiing, swimming and bicycling are activities I indulge in depending on the season and the weather.  Travel is another pleasurable activity.  The rest of the time I keep busy with volunteer activities: Church Altar Guild, Secretary of my Condominium Corporation, Docent at the National Gallery, Art History Study Group, Volunteer Interpreter for temporary exhibits at the Museum of Civilization.  With respect to the latter, I and about 90 other volunteer educators for the school programs had the distinction of being fired from the Museum.  So, anybody who thinks you cannot be fired because you are a volunteer, it isn’t necessarily so!  Some of us returned to work in the temporary exhibits.

Pre-Retirement Work:

Responsible for ever changing client services in the Department of Foreign Affairs.  Finished off my career writing tenders for informatics personnel and evaluating the bids prior to issuing the contracts.

Memories:

Cannot remember back that far.  The whole experience, except for French class, being kicked out of one Grade 9 class for talking when I wasn’t and dared to dispute the point with Mr. Crawford, and skating, is one large blur.

Barbara passed away in Ottawa on December 23, 2004.