MUSicology
People
Jokes
1996 Party
1980s Pix
People Profiles
Updated 2004-09-12 • No longer being updated (kept as a snapshot in time; contact me directly for further updates)
University of Calgary music students from the early to mid-1980s (and their families), listed in alphabetical order, with a focus on the people who attended the 1996 party (because that's the last contact I had with some of them).
Susan Baines and
Dean Mullal
Sue is living in Vancouver with her husband Dean and their kids. They own and operate a couple of Italian-style restaurants (Incendio) — it looks really nice, but it was too busy to get in the time I went to the "West" location. When I visited Sue in 2003, she was looking really good. I also think the West Coast view of life really suits her.
Carole
Berger
Carole is as personable as ever, and her hair still isn't any shorter, you will be happy to know. Carole spent just over 10 years working for BCTel (now Telus) and then had her life turned upside down when her husband Alan was killed during a trip that they had taken to Nepal (if you are unaware of the details, read this news story from 1995). Carole wisely took some time off to travel, visiting friends, relatives and just plain "making lemonade" as the famous axiom goes. She was even nice enough to come to my 1996 party (you can see her in quite a few of the pictures on my 1996 party page). I got the chance to catch up with her again in the fall of 2003 in her home city of Vancouver. She still hasn't gone back to “work” at this point, being an Auntie to Sue's kids and taking time to make music (mostly in Irish pubs!).
Darrell & Wim Croft
Since
leaving University, Darrell has done a plethora of things,
from working for Parks Canada and Alberta Parks, to teaching Grade 5
- 12 Band, to getting married, to having children. But his most
noticeable pursuit has been in the singing arena — he has
spent the past decade studying voice, by singing with the Calgary Opera
chorus (while living three hours away in Taber!), even attending a
summer Opera workshop in
San Francisco in 1994 and
1995.
If you
thought
he
had
a good voice
in
University, you ain't heard nothin' yet! Darrell has done solo work
in Calgary (Festival Chorus), in Lethbridge and Taber, and now in
Vancouver as a part of his Masters degree in voice at UBC.
His wife, Willemina (we all call her Wim) is an elementary school teacher (and a fine one at that) who is now teaching in Taber. Darrell and Wim, who married in 1992, have two sons, Liam (born in 1995) and Ian (born in 1997). Although there are not a lot of good shots of the Crofts on my party pix page, there's a shot of Liam hamming it up for the camera. Darrell and Wim call Taber, Alberta home, as they have for well over a decade
R. Duane Hendricks
Our beloved graduate instructor has done all sorts of things over the past decade or two, including teaching grade 6 - 12 band at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (a private school south of town). He got a chance to exercise his compositional muscles a lot in that job, as a small school population delivered imperfect instrumentation (and only part-time work). When the nature of the position changed in the summer of 1996 with the elimination of Grade 6 band, Duane chose to move on. Duane still does some teaching, but mostly does clinics and is the conductor of the Rocky Mountain Concert Band. Duane is living in Calgary with his significant other and would love to hear from you, especially if you have clinic work for him (he's in the book).
Trent & Jenny Ingram
Trent could not attend my big bash in 1996; it seems that getting married had a higher priority than coming to my party! Trent was a middle school Band Teacher on Vancouver Island (in Mill Bay, to be precise). I say was because hearing problems have caused him to have to give up band teaching, although he still teaches other subjects in the same school. For those of you who remember Trent as one of the real sparkplugs on our M.U.S. Blues hockey team, you will be saddened to hear that one concussion too many has caused Trent to hang the shin pads up for good. But Trent still manages to keep in great shape — if it weren't for a little snow on the roof, you'd swear he hasn't changed much since University.
As I mentioned, Trent got married in the summer of 1996 (July 13, to be precise) to Jenny, who is a lifetime Vancouver-islander and is also a teacher. If you have ever rented the movie Slap Shot 2, (filmed in Vancouver), Trent and Jenny were “extras” in the audience (Trent has a log of where on the DVD they show up). Yes, Jenny is just as much a hockey fan as Trent, and their house has a basement “arena” for ball hockey, a loft with a rod (table) hockey game, and various bits of hockey memoribilia inbetween.If you are vacationing on the island near Duncan, Trent, Jenny and the cats will be happy to have you for a visit and show you the hockey shrine that is their home. Hey, if they'll let me stay over (as they did in the summer of 2004), they must not be that picky. ;-)
Deanna MacGregor
(née D'Ath) and Jordan MacGregor
Deanna & Jordan make their living doing various different things rather than traditional 9-to-5 jobs. Deanna has a veritable forest of flute students, and is also kept busy being a mom to Dagny. Jordan has done contract electrical work, but I understand his current work is a little more steady. They retain their first house in Bridgeland and rent it out (another source of revenue). They currently live in Brentwood, not far from the U of C. You can see pictures of the happy family on my party pix page. They share a house with their longtime friend James (many of you will remember James hanging out with these two back in our University days).
Jeff Manley & Maureen Manley (née Morris)
Jeff & Mau were in Ottawa during the big bash in 1996. But they were nice enough to give us some news tidbits to pass on. Here's what Jeff wrote at the time:
"A couple of items of news that you can pass on: the first being that Maureen and I are now parents. Shannon Grace Manley was born on May 31st at about 6:45 a.m. We are both very excited about being parents and believe it or not we are even getting a bit of sleep.
"The second bit of news is that after teaching band for 11 years in Carstairs at Hugh Sutherland School, I decided it was time for a change. I have accepted a Grade 8 teaching position at the same school and have turned the band duties over to Barry Valleau who was in Didsbury previously. I'm very excited about the change. I will be teaching Language Arts, Social, Health, Phys Ed and a couple of option courses.... HI! to everyone."
When last I saw them (at the MacGregor's BBQ in 1998), Maureen said she was expecting their second child in December of 1998. And Shannon, 2 at the time, is certainly a rosy-cheeked cutie! The last word I heard, Jeff & Mau were living in the national capital region (i.e. Ottawa area).
Allen & Helen
Melling
Allen & Helen are living happily in the deep southwest of Calgary. Allen is teaching band in Northwest Calgary — it's quite a commute, but Allen says he gets to listen to more music now! If you haven't seen Allen since University, well, you may notice that he saves a lot of money on shampoo nowadays. Allen is also improving at golf, which he likes to do as much as possible during the summer. The Mellings have two wonderful boys, Francis and Kristof, and now a younger sister Jaylene. There are some pictures of the happy family (pre-Jaylene) on my 1996 Party page. Allen, Darrell and I try to get out golfing at least once a year. We try to go out in May, as they took me out around my 40th birthday as a diversion for a surprise party, so now we treat it as an annual event.
Doug Nishimura and Jennifer Gilmour
Doug is one of a rare breed: an honest lawyer. I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to talk to the career-minded couple at my party, but they were nice enough to attend during a rather busy period for them. They had also just returned from an extended stay in Ottawa (they did the condo swap thing). You can see a picture of them (albeit a little small) on my party pix page. If you want more details, I'd call Al Melling (apparently, trumpet players have a long-term bond like flute players do).
Tyrone Paterson
& Joanne Paterson (née Pickell)
Well, Ty and Jo had a good reason for not being able to attend the 1996 party: they were moving to Vancouver at the time. Since then, they have moved to Ottawa, where Ty is the director of the opera company there. He frequently comes back to Calgary to conduct with Calgary Opera.
They have son, Benjamin, who should be 10 or so as I write this. The last time I saw Ty (at the premiere of Filumena), I didn't get a chance to ask him for an upate, but everything seems like it is going well for them.
Scott Stewardson & Rhonda Stewardson (née
Morris)
Apparently Scott & Rhonda had better things to do than come to Calgary for my party. Something like Scott being in Atlanta working on the Olympics TV coverage for CBC. Pretty lame excuse, huh? :-) Seriously, though, here is a brief update from Rhonda, received by e-mail in late July 1996:
"Scott is presently in Atlanta for 6 weeks, working about 120 hours a week for the Olympic broadcast. He'll just be getting home to Vancouver on the 8th and will need some rest! (and need to cool down) I am currently working 7 days a week in the CBC newsroom; on the weekends I am the Assistant Director... which is quite exciting, but I hope I can have a day or two off before my other show (The Score) starts up in September. Summer is always a bit frantic for us! Say hello to all our old (and that's starting to be true as we all age) MUS pals!"
One of my spies also tells me that Scott is a lean, mean, jogging machine. No wonder with those work hours! I haven't been able to catch up with Scott and Rhonda since, but perhaps a subsequent trip to Vancouver might give me a chance to update things.
Darryl Williams
& Marla Leitch
I guess these two have gone the furthest distance away from Calgary, as they currently reside in Australia. Both are teaching band Down Under and appear to have taken up permanent residence. (You may remember them going for two years, returning to Calgary and departing again.) I saw the happy couple most recently in early January 1996, as they made the mistake of coming to Calgary during their summer holidays. Calgary behaved like a scorned suitor and pelted them with the coldest winter we have had since our undergrad days. (Of course, this was out done in December 1996, but they seemed to have learned their lesson and missed the lovely –35 degree weather.)
I can report that the sunny Southern Hemisphere seems to be treating them well, and they have started to pick up Australian accents and speech affectations (although I'm sure their colleagues think they have a pronounced Canadian accent). They also have children, although I can't recall the details. Perhaps I will have to give them a visit sometime.
Kent Archer and Melodie Archer (née Smith)
Well you know you're old when you run into Kent and Mel on campus, escorting their daughter Katrina to her entrance audition on saxophone! Both are looking great, with Kent still playing in a community big band. They also have a son of high school age (whose name escapes me at the moment), also a musician.
Greg Baker and Susan Baker (née Cruise)
Greg and Susan are still the proprietors of the Johnny Cruise Drum Shop on 17th Ave. SW. Again, you know you are old when you remember their daughter Katie as an infant, yet witness her complete her degree in Horn performance at the U of C in 2004. All three are doing well.
Of course, my bio is also available elsewhere on this site.