EPISODE 920 SCHOOL YEAR 1958-1959 ONE OF BEST YEARS OF MY LFE: PART 1
alan skeoch’Nov25, 2023
Alan Skeoch and Grant Weber – Toronto Daily Star @ Oakwood field
OVERWHELMING AND PERHAPS UNDESERVED
I never expected to be so warmly greeted by the football community in the fall of 1958 when returning to Humberside
for second stab st Grade 13. What an exhilarating feeling to be welcomed and wanted. Russ Vanstone, Gary Logan and
others were also welcomed. But I got the biggest load of glory. So much so that it is hard to put what happened on paper.
I am caught on the horns of dilemma. To write about my awards and honours is to be vain, yet not to write about them
is to be unappreciative.
So here goes a fast description to show my appreciation of those who’ nominated or voted for me.
Captain of the 1958 HCI senior football team, winner of the Wildman Trophy* (see note*), selected forCity of Toronto All star
football teams by Toronto Daily Star and Toronto Telegram, selected Head Boy for 1958-59 at HCI, elected President of
the BAA.
Contrast these awards with the depression I felt in the previous year with my broken hand.
1958-1959 was a grand year for me. Please excuse my inflated ego for a moment…my 15 minutes of fame.
Now let me flash back to my meeting with Mr. Couke…the suspension. I Decided to buckle down academically
To prepare for the Departmental Exams but to go beyond that. I Bought a scribbler and plotted my free time in half hour intervals
and began a personal reading plan. I decided to read as many great authors as I could…Charles Dickens, Jules Veerne, John Steinbeck even
Dwight Eisenhaur. The psychiatrist Eric Fromm caught my eye and his book The Sane Society made me think about
socialism much to the disgust of Russ Vanstone and the amusement of Jim Romaniuk, my two best friends. Jim had made the cut
the previous year but remained a close friend until his early death.
FOOTBALL…always present
SPOTTING WITH TED PUCCINI AND VIC HOSZKO…NOT A GOOD IDEA
(I am not sure if Ted and Vic were my associates…memory says they were)
“Alan, you have a couple of spares, come with us to spot the Central Tech team.”
“Spotting?”
“Yeah…we’ll see who carries the ball mostly…note their best plays…see if they
have a double reverse like Burf is secretly planning.”
“Is spotting legal?”
“Who gives a damn…join us…Burf will be pleased…”
“Spying?”
“Yeah.”
Somehow our VP got wind as to what we had done. Mr.. Couke was a man with high principles.
Spotting was unfair. Skipping school to spot was worse. Vic, Ted and I were not as highly
principled.
“Would Puccini, Hoszko snd Skeoch report to Mr. Couke,” came over the PA with the morning announcements
We gathered there and Mr. Couke saw each of us individually. Ted and Vic were each suspended
for the week. My turn was next. I was scared to death but not for the reason most would think..
Mr. Couke looked at me and said “Alan, I have to treat everyone equally…”
“Yes sir Mr. Couke can I shake your hand?”
“Alan, you will be suspended for the week.”
“Thank you , sir…thank you.”
(Nothing could be worse than favouritism . If I had got off as a first offense then any respect people had
for me would be lost. I wanted to be penalized. My respect for Mr. Couke lit up like the North Star.)
Something snapped in my head during that suspension. Was I going to spend this year fooling around?
Wasting my time, Or was there another path? Could I make every moment useful. Be a better person?
Where was I going with my life? I was not sure where but I did know the direction. University. If I could make it.
So I took a few steps in a better direction,
First I spoke to Crooky,
“Mr. Cruikshank would you allow me to write the Grade13 history exam? Working on my own, Outside of
the class. I know teachers are judged by their success with students. I will not let you down.” Crooky
agreed. I would self study.
Next I asked Mrs. Charlesworth the same thing. She agreed well aware my self study plan could be a
disaster.
Next I bought a notebook on which I planned a whole year of self study,
I broke all my free time into half hour blocks and assigned myself s certain task for each half hour. If I did the
task then I drew a yellow line through the entry. I became a spare time bookworm
TOSSING AROUND BIG IDEAS
BRIGHT IDEA OR A LOAD OF CRAP
(Russ Vanstone and Alan Skeoch in discussion — Fall season 1958)
“Russ, what do you think of the graduated income tax?”
“Think it’s a load of crap. Why shouldI I pay more tax if I work harder than my neighbour.:”?
“Erich Fromm would make the rich pay higher taxes than the poor.”
“Sounds like crap to me, Alan”
“Try this side on for size. Fromm thinks we should all have the same salary. Exactly the same…let’s say $100 a week would be paid to
bricklayers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, store clerks, garbage collectors, teachers, ..;everybody.”
“Sounds goofy…off fthe wall, Alan…wacko.”
“Fromm figures most of us are unhappy because we are not doing what we enjoy in life.”
“Crap!”
“Makes some sense to me. Most people pick a job because of the money. What is the wage….what’s
in it for me?”
“Now that makes sense.”
“Just suppose money did not matter….everybody gets the same wage. Then what job would attract you?”
“You are getting more wacko by the minute, Alan….got a screw loose somewhere in your head.”
“What would you really want to do? I know your choice even if you do not.”
“Keep me out of this.”
“No, Russs , you already told me what you loved doing. You loved that farm your dad owned out in
Manitoba…the tractors …the people.”
“I told you it was flat as piss on a plate…nothing more.”
“Not true Russ. You loved that farm. Fromm says if we delete money as a motive for work, we will find jobs that make us happy”
“My dad would call you a Commie.”
“I am nothing. Give the idea a chance.”
“You mean find a job I love.”
“Yes. Russ you are natural farmer.”
“And what are you, Alan?”
“I don’t really know…maybe a teacher..”
“Do you really believe that crap?”
“I would make an exception. Doctors should be paid more. I don’t want some prick
with a knife carving me up because he loves doing it?”
“Let’s get a hamberger and coke.”
“From a waitress who loves her job?”
“Right. No joke. There are people who love to cook and serve food. Right now
they are at the bottom of the economic pyramid.”
“Give her a big tip Alan,”
“I can’t do that. I have no extra money.”
“Case closed.”
Meanwhile other things happened…
FOOTBALL EVENTS
Here are several events associated with football that year.
“JARRING” JACK OSMOND
Jarring Jack Osmond brought his violin case to the Red Feather night game at Exhibition
stadium. Violin case? Jarring jack was not in the orchestra. Why the violin casy would he bring a violin to an alll city footballl game?
“Jack, why the violin case?”
“Want a beer, Alan?”
“I don’t drink beer, jack.”
“Tough luck.”
Jack had a six pack of Mosons Export beer tucked neatly in the violin case.
He was nabbed quickly and then suspended from Humberside C..I. for a
few days. To us he became a kind of folk hero. A gregarious chap who meant
no great harm to anyone; Took his suspension in his stride. a folk hero.
WRONG WAY CUSH
About the same time Wrong Way Cush became famous and got the nick name
of “Wrong Way” because he intercepted a pass from the enemy quarterback
and proceeded to run with the ball for a possible touchdown, Only trouble was that
he ran the wrong way. He was about to score a touchdown against his own team…
our team. As he ran by our team bench we were all lined along the
field white chalk line margin yelling “Wrong Way! WRONG WAY CUSH!
“Hey there Cush,…why did you run the wrong way?”
“I got confused….got turned around,,,,did not ex[pect to catch the ball really
but once caught I knew I had to do something.”
“Some of our guys weere trying to knock you down…didn’t you notice?”
“Yes I noticed. Wondered why they would want to knock me down…I was on
their team. I thought they were confused.”
“How come you stopped?”
“Passing our bench someone called me an ‘asshole’ while the rest of
you were yelling “Wrong Way Cush.”
and that was how Wrong Way Cush got his name.
GRANT WEBER’S STOMACH…BONG!
(fond memory of Caroline Laughlin, Nov 22, 2023)
“Grant Weber’s stomach sounded like a big bass drum”
“Stomach?”
“He blocked a kick with his stomach.”
“How would you know?’
“Heard the drum sound way across the field where the fans stood,”
“That was more than 50 years ago…are you sure?”
“Yes…some fans wondered why Grant would do that.”
“I wondered as well”
END PART 1 SCHOOL YEAR 1958-1959
NEXT EPISODE: PART 2
Romance, yearbook fiasco, coagulation, HERMES error In school assembly, Alaska, MARJORIE