Letters to the Editor
Competing choirs
I read with interest about the Guelph choirs earning national recognition in the 2006 CBC competition. The article said this was the first time Guelph choirs had entered, but I think that is incorrect. If I recall, Gerald Neufeld entered the University choir in the competition back in 1982, although I can’t remember what the prize was. I was a very happy member of that choir and really enjoyed the experience.
Ann Sanders
Sauble Beach, Ont.
Editor’s Note: Thank you for the correction. The University of Guelph Choir did win a $500 second prize in the 1982 CBC National Radio Competition for Amateur Choirs. The entry was a tape recording of a live performance given in Halmstadt, Germany, when the choir toured Europe in 1981. In the same competition, the Guelph Chamber Singers won first place in their category, earning $1,000. Prof. Gerald Neufeld directed both groups.
Friendly homeowner
My husband and I are Guelph graduates — I’m FACS ’77, and he’s BA ’74. We met living in residence on the sixth floor of Addington in fall 1973. I was in my first year; he was in his last. I moved into a single room on the sixth floor for my second year, and Ed went to teachers’ college. We were married in the summer of 1976 and lived in married-student residence while I finished my fourth year and Ed commuted to a teaching job in Toronto.
To make a long story shorter, we have three sons, and our youngest just started at Guelph in the fall. When choosing a residence, he asked for an academic cluster and was assigned to Room 605 in Addington. What a coincidence, we thought, that he was on our old floor.
Move-in day came, and when Matthew and his dad started carrying in luggage, I stayed with the car. Coming back for the second load, Ed had a big grin on his face. Not only was Matthew on our old floor, but he was also in his dad’s old room! How unusual is that? There must be thousands of residence rooms on campus, and our son is in his dad’s old room.
On another note, I’d like to offer my thanks for someone’s thoughtfulness on move-in day. We had to line up on University Avenue for more than an hour, and after a large cup of coffee, I needed to use a washroom. As our car inched ahead, we parked in front of a beautiful two-storey red-brick house. Out front was a sign saying: “Please feel free to use our bathroom.” On the front door was another sign saying: “Please walk in, you don’t need to knock, the bathroom is around the corner.” So I did.
It was a beautiful home, and no one seemed to be around. I whispered “thank you” on my way out. If anyone knows who owns that house, I’d like to thank them. It was a very generous offer, much appreciated by this Guelph alumna.
Anne Otten, B.A.Sc. ’77
Etobicoke, Ont.
Guelph photos
I am now pursuing a PhD in chemistry at the University of Toronto, but I have published a number of photos taken in Guelph when I was a student at the University. The Guelph album is part of a larger Canada-Ontario Photo Gallery. If anyone is interested in looking at my photos for nostalgic reasons, the link is www.hanifworld.com/canadaphoto.htm.
Hanif Bayat Movahed, M.Sc. ’05
Toronto, Ont.