Memories of the Kam High Dormitory, 1952 - 53

While visiting Kamloops in the spring of this year (2003) my friend Frank Endersby (Kam High Pres. 1951-52) told me they were demolishing the old dormitory at Kam High. I went to the site to find machines tearing it apart, “making way for progress”, actually an expansion of Sagebrush Theatre. As I watched, a flood of memories came back from 50 years ago. The school year 1952-53 was my grade 12 year but also my first year on my own, away from home. It became memorable.

Kamloops’ school boards had for years mulled over the best way to educate high school students who lived in the rural areas of the district — far from a high school. In the early 1950s when the new high school was being designed, the opportunity was there to add dormitory facilities for 24 students who could then be fed in the new cafeteria in the new school. As a result a dormitory was built off the east wing of the new school; a matron was hired; and all was ready for the school term starting in the fall of 1952. Applications were encouraged.

How did I get there? In the spring of 1952 my mother, sister and I joined my father at Kitimat, the construction site of Alcan’s new smelter and proposed new city 750 miles up the BC coast from Vancouver. Kitimat had only an elementary school in the fall of that year so my sister and I had to decide where to get high schooling. She opted for correspondence courses, but having attended Kam High for grades 7 to 10, I now wrote to Kamloops to see if they would accept me in their new dorm. I was accepted (I was a taxpayer as I was a part-owner of a Paul Lake cabin my friends and I had built) and left home in September 1952 to live in the new dormitory.

The dorm opened with about 12 girls and 9 boys. Here my 50 year-old memory will fail me but I will include who I can recall. From Merritt came Bob Gillis and his friend “Spot” Ingleby, three sisters from a ranch away up Deadman Creek (Bonnie, Gail and Pat), there was David Thompson from outside Chase, Dino Demarni one of the young ones, Elsie Ward, Jim Hanbrook (these ones I can’t remember from where), and from up the North Thompson valley came Norm Rosen from Barriere, the Nelson girls Sheila and Marilyn from Black Pines, Ted Hansen from Little Fort, the Madill sisters from McLure. There were several others I can see but can’t get the names yet (I apologize for errors). And part way through the year Margaret “Maggie” the daughter of the new matron (Mrs. Groom) joined us.

The dormitory was staffed by a matron, Mrs. McLeod (affectionately we called her “Ma”) was the first. There was a cook all the time in the cafeteria, and various janitors (do we all remember Bert Turner?). Students lived-in generally from Sunday night to Friday night when many went home for the weekend, but several of us were there over the week-ends — me all the time. Meals were served in the school cafeteria at regular times (during this I ate a lifetime’s amount of “Jello”); students were expected to be doing homework in their rooms from 7-9 and the dorm was to be quiet from 10 on. There was a roster of those doing the cleaning, helping in the kitchen, etc. One school-night a week, with parental permission, students could be out until 10 PM (over 15, to 11 PM). One night a week we had the use of the school gym; so played volleyball and basket ball, and rougher games together.

When I think back, it worked very well. The matron had the role of parent and the job was challenging. We had a new matron by Christmas (and may have had 3 during the year). After all who in their right mind would take on full-time responsibility for 24 teenagers? The matrons were all kindly, well meaning, but the energy and hormones of the teens were hard to keep up with. Discipline was a challenge and by Easter a sort of “prefect system” was brought in under the Vice Principal. However the rules were followed by most and a family-like care spread amongst the students. Many of the older students helped the younger ones with hard schoolwork. Older girls counseled the young ones. I remember being astonished at the variety of clothing the girls had — until it was obvious that they shared one-another’s clothing on a regular basis, trying on and borrowing on a grand scale. And when I got Scarlet Fever and had to spend 10 days in hospital, I was moved by the visits by dorm members who came to see me at the window of my room in the isolation section of Royal Inland hospital.

Naturally the year had its memorable events. There was the 6 AM raid on the boy’s dorm (off limits to girls) by the girls on April Fool’s day. They came with water in buckets and perfume, and shaving soap aerosol cans. There had to be a big cleanup! Earlier there had been a “pantie raid” into the girls’ wing (off limits to boys). I wonder who left the mysterious messages, as in Chinese fortune cookies, found in each sanitary napkin in the girls bathroom dispenser (“you are the most wonderful girl in Kam High”, “Kilroy was here”). This daring adventure was based on the “intelligence” that there was a heating, plumbing, and electrical service tunnel under the girl’s wing that could be accessed from the laundry room by moving the washing machine, and lifting the door in the floor. With a flashlight you were ready, and in 5 minutes of dust and scary tunnel experiences you could lift the floor door in the girls drying room. And several boy-girl relationships sprang up in the group and much hi-jinks revolved around that. Eventually the matron needed stronger back-up to her discipline, and the famous Vice-Principal, Chris Wright, stepped in and played a part. It was his skill in setting up a group of students who did some advising, that smoothed over some problems. I remember well him taking me for a ride to Monte Creek in his brand new Monarch car to encourage my behaviour in a certain way. I was impressed with the car and got the message. One of the most memorable lines in my life came from Chris Wright who one evening drove up to the dorm unannounced, and “caught” me sitting on a chair outside the window of a young lady’s room. She was cleaning her room, and I was innocently “visiting” with her. That’s not how Chris Wright saw it as he called out, in his distinctive British accent, for all to hear, “Spawks, if you knew how asinine you looked….” I am never allowed to forget that line.

Many memories, and I am sure the others have more and different ones.

So I wonder what became of that “family” of 20 or so that cared for one-another during that first year of the new dormitory. I know they might be shocked to learn that I became a high school teacher and had a full and happy time of it.