Patrick Forbes:
CLASS OF 1969
Haddon Township High SchoolClass of 1969
Westmont, NJ
Donald A. Wilson Secondary SchoolClass of 2009
Whitby, ON
Paul VI High SchoolClass of 1969
Haddonfield, NJ
Patrick's Story
Visited my cousin in Montreal on a whim (1970). Loved it, returned and stayed. Married there in '72 (just practice, but had two kids that she turned against me when she drove it south). I'm now happily married (19 years) to WonderWoman, the most wonderful woman in the world after that 9 year practice run with the Wicked Witch of the North and we have a super great lovable Sean (17) who continues to amaze, confuse, frustrate, entertain, madden... us on a daily basis and always seems to make us proud of him. Who knew?
Moved to Cornwall, Ontario to run a Motorola Service Centre and then moved to Toronto, where I was born, when it's lease was up in '94.
Department got sold, didn't like new owners and I got hired in Presque Isle, Maine ('01) to run his service department quite near most my family and an Air Canada airport just over in New Brunswick so the wife could travel back to see her family. His Biz folded due to Insurance costs and a bad accountant and I found like employment in Winnipeg ('02) till their family feud drove me out.
Old buddy E-mailed me and I am now back in Whitby with Toronto Fire Services for life. Just like that. Living in the same town where we started and son going to same schools with his same friends. Cool, eh!
We live in the 'burbs East of Toronto and I commute by shuttle bus and commuter train to/from work. You haven't lived 'til you get chauffeured to/from work and can nod off on the way! Trick is to wake up in time to get off the train!!!!!!
I also do, from time to time, a bit of freelance (keyword: free) consulting on the Net for those radio guys who get themselves in trouble from long-wave to multi GHz IP systems. I even developed not only a complete and bullet-proof Internet supply and distribution System for remote and extremely remote locations but the business plan and financing organization to not only sustain it but promote it's growth and community involvement and ownership.
I'm trying now to create the next generation of communications system for Toronto Fire employing Mesh, GPS, IP, VoIP and analogue radio. Everyone thinks I'm off my nut. I might just be but, it's great fun......
I also care for Toronto Hydro's several radio systems and consult for Works, EMS, PD and a few others to keep them on an even keel and out of the newspapers.
I am also our family's Genealogist and have over 3k entries some going back to the 1600s on several continents in my database which I put on the Net with a password. I've a few additional files to add but haven't found the time to date. This helped me make contact with 'relatives' in the UK and Australia. I helped the latter connect with the Brits to get documents about his granddaddy's military service in India that he asked me about after seeing what I found for one of my ancestors.
I tilt my share of windmills up here from time to time. I've become somewhat of a thorn in the side of a number of politicians, Federal, Provincial, Regional and Municipal both here and in Maine (Idiots letting Motorcyclists ride without helmets. Half my family is in the Medical world and sees first hand the veggies that taxpayers and insurance policy holders need to support because they wanted to get bugs in their teeth- Veggies can't vote). I'm now aiming at Florida, as my mum Winters there, with their cockamamy idea of letting folks 'Opt' out of local Fire ...Expand for more
protection for a miniscule reduction in their property taxes. Get this: Your house could be on fire and the local FD will show up only to protect those of your neighbours who didn't 'Opt' out. How's that grab ya? Insurance companies are jumping for joy right about now.
Photo is of us at my mum's summer place in Maine.
ClassMates Story Ideas:
What about you would surprise everyone at your high school reunion?
That I am a Canadian?
That I and my wife met the Chief of our Forbes Clan and received a personal tour of our Clan's Castle in Scotland in '89.
Which teacher would you love to see again? Why?
Mr. Conlin, About a short story I once wrote for our English class
Mme Pelouze, How I finally learned to speak French well.
HTHS Geography teacher whose name I cannot remember: Really big tall guy.
HTHS Social studies teacher whose name I cannot remember either: Very short youngish lady (hippy type)
What's the wildest thing you ever did in school?
Smoke cigarettes in the unopened classrooms at Paul VI in grade 10
'Borrowed' an auditorium mic to work with my 'CB' (got many compliments over the air) and returned it. One of the Priests fingers me but let me go as it was returned. Cool Priest! Forget his name.
Paul VI Nun (forget her name) who opened the door to my technology 'calling'.
What happened to your first crush?
She needed to go her way and stick around in NJ and couldn't accompany me on my personal trek back to Canada. She married there and has a wonderful family and we lost touch... I wish I could re-connect. She was a hair dresser in the area and worked at a few salons.
How do you hope old friends remember you?
As an OK fella with his head mostly screwed on.
To be truly happy, you would be where, doing what, with whom?
Way out in a country village, in an old stone farm house, helping folks out however I can with their appliances, devices and technologies, with my wife and son helping as they do now.
Life doesn't always turn out the way you expect. What's been your biggest surprise?
First wife: I call it 'practice' as the second is WAY better.
You get one do-over. What do you do differently?
Not marry first wife,
Do my time with the Canadian Forces to help folks out where I can and learn stuff I still want and need to know.
What's the weirdest job you ever had?
I've never had a 'weird' job. I've had quite a few incredibly interesting, challenging and wonderful jobs with some really great folks, co-workers, superiors and clients. Wouldn't trade that for anything, EVER!
Where have you lived? Why did you move?
1970 Montreal, Quebec: Cause it was a REALLY nice place to live at the time,
1988 Cornwall, Ontario: To run a Motorola Service Centre (promotion),
1995 Whitby ('burb of Toronto), Ontario: Transfered to Toronto Service Centre when Cornwall lease wasn't renewed as Motorola changed it's focus,
2001 Presque Isle, Maine: To run another service Department, when I had the new Toronto owner 'Up to here!', and be closer to my family in Maine and still have access to a Canadian airport (St. Leonard, NB) for my wife to visit her's,
2002 Winnipeg, Manitoba: To run another service Department, when the Maine fella folded, where both our families actually came from,
2004 Back to Whitby, Ontario: For a great job with Toronto Fire Services with several former Motorola coworkers. Here endeth job search!
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