Lakehead Technical Institute Nor'Wester (1956)

Lakehead Technical Institute Nor'Wester (1956) was the 1956 yearbook of the Lakehead Technical Institute at the Lakehead (Port Arthur and Fort William, now Thunder Bay), produced by its students.

People

The volume names about 109 students and 23 staff and other adults, together with 97 names printed with initials only or without a first name. They are listed on Lakehead Technical Institute Nor'Wester (1956) roster; individual portraits cropped from the scan are in Category:Lakehead yearbook portraits.

Contents

• Lakehead Technical Institute (scan page 1)
• The Nor'Wester (p. 3)
• Acknowledgements (p. 4)
• THE Table of Contents (p. 5)
• Editorial (p. 6)
• THE Principal's MESSAGE (p. 7)
• THE S.A.C. President's MESSAGE (p. 8)
• THE Faculty OF L. T. I. (p. 9)
• THE Students OF L.T.I. (p. 15)
• THE Convocation 1955 (p. 24)
• THE Sports SECTION (p. 29)
• Basketball (p. 30)
• Curling (p. 31)
• Men's Athletic Society Executive (p. 32)
• A Letter To Ivan (p. 39)
• Death of A Poker Player (p. 42)
• Indecision (p. 43)
• Sunrise (p. 45)
• The Model Home (p. 46)
• Death Walked That Night (p. 51)
• The Sea Mania (p. 53)
• Mirage (p. 55)
• A Sight So Touching in Its Majesty (p. 59)
• What Science Fiction Needs is a C. D. Howe (p. 61)
• So Near and Yet So Far (p. 63)
• Evidence (p. 75)
• Higher Education (p. 79)
• Calculus With W. S. Armstrong (p. 81)
• Extension Classes (p. 85)
• INDEX to Advertisers (p. 86)
• Date Due (scan page 92)

Groups and organizations

• The Nor'Wester (club)
• Advisory Committee (committee)
• Precambrian Club (club)
• The Men's Athletic Society (club)
• Basketball (team)
• Curling (team)
• Men's Athletic Society Executive (council)
• The Student's Administrative Council (council)
• Chess (club)
• Economics (class)
• Philosophy (class)
• Technical Forestry II (class)
• Technical Forestry I (class)
• Technical Mining II (class)
• Technical Chemistry I (class)
• Technical Mining I (class)

Write-ups and events

• Editorial: The editor discusses the goals of the yearbook and proposes the creation of a monthly school newspaper to better handle topical news and student self-expression. He challenges the 1956-57 student body to start the publication immediately rather than waiting for a new building.
• The Principal's Message: Principal Harold S. Braun congratulates the 1956 graduates, noting the high demand for technicians in an expanding economy. He emphasizes that graduates value advancement and interesting work over pay, and reminds them of their responsibilities as Canadians to guard their heritage of freedom.
• The S.A.C. President's Message: The student council president discusses the school's evolution into a new college and criticizes the local community's tendency to favor larger universities over the local institute. He calls for students and parents to show more pride and support for the institution to ensure its future success.
• Convocation 1955: The Lakehead Technical Institute held its seventh annual convocation on May 9, 1955, at Fort William Collegiate. The event featured an invocation by Reverend James H. Hinchliffe, a welcome from Principal Harold S. Braun, and a guest speech by Gordon P. Dalzell.
• Social Events Calendar: A collection of invitations and announcements for school dances and banquets held throughout the 1955-1956 academic year at various local venues.
• Here's What I Think: An opinion piece discussing the need for improved social and athletic activities at Lakehead Tech. The author suggests that the difficulty in electing a student council stems from students not knowing each other well enough early in the term and proposes an informal outing to foster friendships.
• HERE'S WHAT I THINK: The author suggests organizing social events like bowling parties or stags to help students and staff mingle, especially given the high ratio of male to female students. Proposed events include a gathering after the S.A.C. induction, a Christmas party, a January event, and a graduation dance.
• Editor's Note: The yearbook editors introduce a guest article by a local history teacher who won a national essay contest sponsored by NATO.
• Conclusion on Freedom and NATO: The author concludes an essay discussing the value of private enterprise, individual dignity, and the legal protections afforded to Canadian citizens. He emphasizes that the culture and freedoms protected by NATO are worth defending, even at the cost of life.
• Death of A Poker Player (A Stook Game): A poem by K. McIsaac describing a card game taking place in a snowy tent during a storm. A player named Bill wins several rounds, causing frustration among the other men until the game ends and they leave.
• Sunrise: A science fiction short story describing the final moments of a base on a dying planet as a rocket launches toward a green morning star, leaving behind a deserted desert landscape.
• The Model Home: A young boy named Bill struggles with his father's obsession with keeping their new house pristine, which leads to the father's intense dislike of the family's messy dog. Eventually, the mother arranges for her sister to take the dog away, leaving Bill feeling resentful as his father justifies the removal by claiming the house was no place for a pet.
• Death Walked That Night: A man named Tom Burns plots to murder his wife for insurance money by sabotaging a cellar step, only for his wife to push him down the stairs first. After he dies, she prepares to frame the scene as an accident, but she forgets she also needs to step on the weakened board herself to complete the ruse.
• The Sea Mania: The author describes the 'sea mania' that grips readers of maritime adventure stories, recounting a humorous anecdote about a man who died in a sand hole after becoming obsessed with sea serials. The piece goes on to mock the stereotypical characters and plots found in these novels, such as the surly captain and the rescued heroine.
• Sea Stories: A satirical critique of melodramatic sea novels, describing a cliché-ridden plot involving a hero, a heroine, a villainous stowaway, and a mutinous crew that ends in the death of all characters. The author expresses a wish that the writers of such books would meet a similar fate.
• Mirage: An article explaining the scientific phenomenon of mirages, including historical anecdotes from World War I and Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, and the physics of light refraction.
• Mirages: This article describes different optical illusions caused by atmospheric conditions, such as the 'Phantom City' in Alaska and the 'Fata Morgana' in the Strait of Messina. It explains how light refraction creates images of mountains, ships, or cities where they do not exist, often fooling sailors and travelers.
• Crocker Land Expedition: A 1913 expedition set out to map Crocker Land, a territory supposedly discovered by Robert Peary north of Baffin Land. The explorers found that the land did not exist where expected and their instruments gave conflicting readings, eventually realizing the 'land' was actually a large ice floe.
• A Sight So Touching in Its Majesty: David Elliott describes the student common room at Lakehead Technical Institute as the heart of campus life, where students gather to play cards and ping-pong in a dimly lit, smoky atmosphere. Despite the proximity of outdoor recreation like skating and the lake, the room remains a popular hub for socializing and eating lunch.
• The Common Room: An anonymous student describes the bustling atmosphere of the common room, filled with card games, ping-pong, and philosophical chatter. The narrator recounts a humorous incident involving a malfunctioning coke machine and a clever peer who claimed the drink they paid for.
• Science Fiction and Mystery: The text discusses the evolution of detective stories from a low-brow genre to one respected by world leaders and religious figures, suggesting science fiction may follow a similar path of increasing popularity and respectability.
• So Near and Yet So Far: A young man loses his friends in a large crowd at a fair. While waiting for them, he is singled out by a blonde saleswoman on a platform to participate in a product demonstration for Lan-x-Creme and Lan-x-Bar, during which he spots a girl he knows named Rita in the audience.
• Rita at the Fair: A narrator recounts meeting a girl named Rita at a fair after having known her casually since public school. After the narrator endures a scalp treatment demonstration by a saleswoman, he and Rita spend time together on various fairground rides, including the ferris wheel.
• A Night at the Fair: A narrator spends a romantic evening with a girl named Rita at a fair and a movie theater. They share a moment on a ferris wheel before learning she is moving to British Columbia on Sunday, leading to a final date on Saturday night in a quiet city.
• A Night of Fate: A narrator recounts a romantic final evening spent with a girl named Rita before they both move away from their town. They walk through a park, watch fireworks, and discuss the nature of time and fate before parting with a promise to write to each other.
• Evidence: A student named Gil is accused of breaking into the school and damaging Room 107 after his wallet is found at the scene. Despite his claims of being home alone, the principal, Mr. Chase, decides to expel him due to the physical evidence and a suspicious cut on Gil's hand.
• The Menace: A poem by Ron Bellingham about the distractions of television and how it interferes with homework, math, surveying, and biology studies.
• Untitled Story Fragment: A fictional narrative about a student named Gil who has been expelled from school. He reflects on his past misdeeds, such as creating a stink bomb and fighting, before being found by Charlie Johnstone.
• Higher Education: A humorous narrative describing a student's daily routine, including a missed bus, interactions in the common room, and a chaotic Student Administrative Council meeting. The author recounts various nicknames and antics of fellow students during lunch and between classes.
• Calculus With W. S. Armstrong: A poem by Dorn MacLeod describing the process of solving calculus problems involving integration, rates, and brine concentration in a class taught by W. S. Armstrong.
• A Day's Activities: An anecdotal account of a student's afternoon spent in the Common Room listening to the Western Hit Parade and playing ping pong with a student named Hickie before discussing the school's need for new equipment.

Advertisers

The volume carries 93 advertisements from 92 businesses: THE CORPORATION of the CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, Madsen Red Lake Gold Mines Limited, The University Of Manitoba, Gardner-Denver Company Canada Limited, Steep Rock Iron Mines Limited, Premium Iron Ores Limited, Ontario Department of Mines, McMaster University, Andrew Insurance Agency Limited, Perciante & Laprade Sporting Goods Limited, Department of Lands and Forests, Regular Officer Training Plan (R.O.T.P.), The Thunder Bay Automobile Dealers Association, Lakehead Motors Ltd, Dominion Motors, Jessiman Motors, Kam Motors, S. J. Hill & Sons, Gibson Motors Ltd, Port Arthur Motors, Wilson Motors, Evans Motors, The T. Eaton Co. Limited, Abitibi Power and Paper Company Limited, Willport Realty Ltd, Provincial Paper, Limited, McNultys Limited, Shaw's, Queen's University, The New SIMPSONS-SEARS Family Store, International Transit LIMITED, Bonin-Dobie-Jackson LIMITED, The University of Western Ontario, Harold G. Blanchard, Newaygo Timber Co. Limited, G. R. Duncan & Co. Limited, Peterson Electric COMPANY, LIMITED, THE DAY COMPANY of Canada Limited, The Ontario Paper Company Limited, Lowerys Limited, Gavin H. Young, Q.C, LeCocq the Florist, Mahon Electric Co. Ltd, C. D. Howe Company, Limited, Tourtellot Hardware Company Limited, E. Thompson Whiteley, St. Michael's College, J. & T. M. Piper Hardware, R. C. Addison, Bentz Millwork Limited, Cooper's, Thunder Bay Lumber Company Limited, G. H. Godsall Equipment Limited, DOUG'S Office & Stationery Supplies, Birks Stitt Credit Jewelers Ltd, Northern Wood Preservers Limited, Agnew Surpass Shoe Store, ATKINSON'S Jewellers Limited, The Great Lakes Paper Company Limited, Russel-Hipwell Engines Limited, Bourke's Drug Store Ltd, MacLEOD-COCKSHUTT Gold Mines Limited, Bryans, Bird's Restaurant, Victoria College in the University of Toronto, Ruttan-Bolduc-Adderley Limited, Van Peteghem & Henry, Nipigon Lake Timber Company Limited, Cochrane Hardware (Western) Limited, The Corporation of the City of Fort William, St. James Gift Shop, Powell Equipment Company Limited, Marathon Corporation of Canada Limited, Louis Helper Limited, Kresge's, Longlac Pulp and Paper Company Limited, Clemens Grocery and Meat Market, Ogilvie Flour Mills Company Limited, The Willson Stationery Company Limited, The J. H. McLennan Lumber Company Limited, Dryden Paper Company, Limited, MAKI'S Confectionery, The Camera Shop, University of New Brunswick, Andres, L. D. Dack, St. Lawrence Corporation Ltd, The News Chronicle, Master Cleaners and Tailors, Gent's Toggery, Neilson's, Chapples Limited.

Transcription notes

Transcribed from page images of the Internet Archive scan. Descriptions of write-ups are summaries in the wiki's own words. Names printed with initials only cannot be matched to people and are recorded on the roster as printed.