A Gentleman And A Scholar

The action was a fitting introduction to a recall of the 82-year-old's long career in music, scholastics, athletics would have exhausted most people, but Kalmakoff was undaunted in his pursuit of numerous careers, of which there was many.

His music career began in 1918 at Kamsack, Saskatchewan. His first musical purchase was a bugle he still owns, which enabled him to enter the Boy Scout Bugle Band directed by Ted Foley. A few years later, he entered the Kamsack Concert Band under P. N. Johnson.

Kalmakoff recognized that he was extremely fortunate to have had two such capable band leaders. Director Foley was a gifted musician who excelled on the banjo, the saxophone, the piano and the marimba. Johnson was a former memeber of the Ringling Brothers Band from the United States. He was a skilled player on the trumpet and piano and possessed a magnificent tenor voice. Their instruction had a great influence on his development as a player and later as a director of bands. Kalmakoff's love of music grew, and he played whenever possible. He was in many different orchestras in the Kamsack neighborhood for a number of years and it was often a welcome source of income, especially while he was attending university.

Kalmakoff retired in 1972 after teaching mathematics at City Park Collegiate in Saskatoon for 30 years. He also retired at that time as the director of th Saskatoon Lions Band training program. He had organized that in the early 1950s and the band became the first school band in the province to receive full class credits at the high school level.

Born on the family farm north of Canora, Saskatchewan, as a pre-schooler Kalmakoff moved with his family to Kamsack, Saskatchewan. There his father was an implement dealer who sold cars as a sideline. It was here, during his school days, Kalmakoff began his outstanding career in sports. He won a number of races at annual sports days; as a boxer he won his first trophy, the R. J. Newland trophy, as 1922-23 bantam champion of northeastern Saskatchewan. Later he was a member of the local basketball team.

How he "won" the most important baseball tournament of the area at Swan River one year in the Dirty Thirties with one swing of the bat was one highlight of Kalmakoff's athletic career. He managed this unusual - infact, distinctive - accomplishment with apparent ease. First prize money was $300 that year - a fantastic amount for those dark days.

The team received a bye in the first round of te tournament. Intermittent showers made the ground wet and the ball slippery, difficult for the pitchers to control. On instructions, as a short, lead-off batter, he hugged the plate and "waited out" the pitcher. Without having to swing even once, he was walked the first three times at bat. The team was awarded the game in the fifth when it was called because of rain.

As rain continued for most of the afternoon, all the other visiting teams left for home. The only team besides Kamsack, was the home team from Swan River, Kalmakoff repeated his plan - crouch and wait out the pitcher. His count was three balls and two strikes; he took a mighty swing on the next throw. But there was no home run; it was a foul, dribbling to third base.

He walked on the next pitch and, being a fast runner, stole second. On a bad pitch, he made third base. Two batters fanned and the third made a safe single, allowing Kalmakoff the winning run. That turned out to be the winning run when "buckets and barrels" of rain poured down and the game was called. The two teams split first and second money.

But he still had to make a living. He attended Normal School in Saskatoon , and then in 1926 began teaching at Pretty View, a rural school 10 miles north of Veregin moving to Whitesand School, for his seond year of teaching. The young teacher played in dance bands, sometimes well into the night. After one mid-week barn dance he went back to the teacherage for a noon-hour snooze and was awakened much later by students hammering on the door to get him back to class.

After teaching at Kamsack for three years, Kalmakoff realized he enjoyed teaching enough to make it his life's work. He decided to improve his qualifications and attended the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon for four years. He graduated with two degrees.

It was while attending university that Kalmakoff accumulated his 20 silver trophies for tennis. He won the university singles and was a member of the university tennis team for the following three years. Playing in Edmonton, his best of three singles matches lasted 53 games, the final thrid set ending 13-11 in his favor.

He served as a member of the men's athletic board as a representative of the College of Arts and Science. He played hockey, in the inter-faculty league as captain of the winning arts and science team until his final year. He then played on the education and law combined hockey team.

Music took up quite a bit of Kalmakoff's time at university. He was appointed student band director of the university COTC Band which provided music at the Rutherford skating rink three times a week. He was also a member of the Varsity Merry Makers Orchestra that played for student dances. He played tenor sax and doubled on clarinet and trumpet.

Leaving university, he accepted the position of principal of Veregin high school, which he held for three years. Three and one-half years as vice-principal of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, high school followed. On December 31, 1938, he was married to Anne Hollicky of Rosthern, whom he had met at Kamsack where she taught.

He and Anne celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1988. Kalmakoff speaks very highly os his "jovial, good wife," but unfortunately she suffered a crippling sroke seven years ago. She is now a wheelchair patient in a nursing home in Saskatoon, where he visits her every day. Their son, Don, is a Toronto radio broadcaster and a partner in an investigative agency.

His long term of 30 years as mathematics teacher at City Park Collegiate in Saskatoon was combined as a long record as band master. To better prepare himself to handle the Lions band training program at the collegiate, he took a year's leave of absence to undertake a study of American band training methods.

He visited bands in 27 states and covered some 27,000 miles, accompanied by his wife and son.

American music educators were most helpful and he returned considerable more knowledgeable about training bands. He also attended music classes in several American universities during the year and enjoyed serving as band conductor in a number of American schools. Of special importance were two summer courses at VanderCook Music College at Chicago.

Despite a heavy schedule as a mathematics teacher and band director, Kalmakoff managed to pursue other interests in Saskatoon. He curled on a teachers' rink skipped by Don Wilson. Each year they won one or more awards, including two grand aggregates as well as the $1000 first prize in the bonspiel. Although they represented the Granite Club in four northern playoffs leading to the Brier, they never won top position.

As band director, Kalmakoff went with the Lions band when it was invited to play at the Pacific Exposition in the early 1960s. They also attended the International Lions convention at Toronto, receiving the highest rating of a Canadian band. Following Expo at Montreal in 1967, it went on a side trip to Ottawa, where it played again. At the annual Moose Jaw band competition, the Lions Band won a number of awards through the the years, as did their majorettes.

Kalmakoff enjoyed playing the trumpet in the symphony orchestra for four years, however, he finally relinquished his position because rehearsals conflicted with his bridge game. He and Anne joined the Saskatoon Bridge Club and they both became Life Masters.

Of the half-dozen plaques Kalmakoff received, he prizes the one presented to him at a civic banquet at the Bessborough Hotel in 1966. Saskatoon was celebrating its diamond anniversary as a city at the time. The plaque was one of 60 given to citizens for contributing to the city's welfare. Kalmakoff was honored by mayors and other civic officials over the years, but probably one of his fondest memories is the two-day reunion held by the Lions Band graduates on his retirement in 1972.