Rick Wallace:
CLASS OF 1966
Birchmount Park High SchoolClass of 1966
Scarborough, ON
Winston Churchill Collegiate InstituteClass of 1967
Scarborough, ON
R. H. King Collegiate Institute High SchoolClass of 1966
Scarborough, ON
Birchmount Collegiate High SchoolClass of 1966
Toronto, ON
Birch Cliff Public SchoolClass of 1961
Scarborough, ON
Rick's Story
SPRING, 2008 / amended October 11, 2015 & August 24 and 30, 2021
I'VE WORKED AT A LARGE VARIETY OF JOBS SINCE LEAVING HIGH SCHOOL. IN 1971, I BECAME AN APPRENTICE PLUMBER IN CONSTRUCTION WORK. I BECAME A LICENCED PLUMBER IN FEB/76, WORKING, FOR THE MOST PART, IN CONSTRUCTION, IN THE I.C.I. SECTOR. I SPENT MY FINAL SIXTEEN WORKING YEARS AS A MAINTENANCE PLUMBER
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, FROM MARCH, 1994, UP UNTIL I RETIRED NEAR THE END OF MAY, 2010,
I GOT MARRIED IN AUGUST, 1970, IN SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO, JUST EAST OF R.H.KING C.I. MY WIFE CHOSE TO END THE MARRIAGE IN OCTOBER, 2013, AFTER 43 YEARS OF MARRIAGE. WE HAVE 3 GROWN CHILDREN, 4 GRANDCHILDREN, AND 2 GREAT GRANDCHILDREN.
__________________MY YOUTHFUL WANDERLUST & INDECISION_________________
- FALL,1966 - BACK TO BPCI TO PLAY FOOTBALL ( & ADD A COUPLE OF COURSES TO MY H.S.S.D. )
- JAN., 1967- DECIDED TO QUIT BPCI & WENT TO BELL TELEPHONE AS TRAINEE INSTALLER. RESIGNED THAT IN MAY AND TOOK A SUMMER JOB WITH S.P.U.C, (WATER WORKS),. AFTER HAVING APPLIED TO TEACHERS' COLLEGE IN TORONTO.
- FALL,1967- STARTED AT TORONTO TEACHERS COLLEGE, BUT QUIT BEFORE THE END OF DECEMBER, AFTER HAVING MOVED WITH MY FATHER AND YOUNGER SISTER TO BALDWIN, ON., JUST BELOW SUTTON, FOLLOWING MY PARENTS' EARLIER MARRIAGE BREAK-UP.
IN EARLY JANUARY, 1968, I MOVED TO TORONTO, TO LIVE AT MY GRANDMOTHER'S ROOMING HOUSE ON WALMER ROAD.
- FEB,1968-CANADA MANPOWER, THE GOVERNMENT'S UNEMPLOYMENT SERVICE, SENT ME TO A DOWNTOWN OFFICE BUILDING ON YONGE ST., SOUTH OF KING ST., AND I WAS INTERVIEWED AND HIRED BY GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE CO., TO START IN THEIR MAIL ROOM, LATER I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE AUTO INSURANCE DEPARTMENT. AS A CLERK. (THAT SUMMER & FALL, I ALSO PLAYED FOOTBALL FOR THE SCARBOROUGH RAMS, DRIVING OUT FROM MY ROOMING HOUSE NEAR SPADINA & BLOOR IN TORONTO EVERY NIGHT FOR PRACTICES AND GAMES). IN THE SPRING OF 1969, I WAS OFFERED A PROMOTION TO JUNIOR UNDERWRITER, AT THE INSURANCE COMPANY, BUT I HAD ALREADY APPLIED FOR, AND HAD BEEN ACCEPTED, TO BECOME A POLICE OFFICER IN TORONTO, SO I HAD TO TURN IT DOWN.
- MAY, 1969, STARTED WITH THE METROPOLITAN TORONTO POLICE FORCE, AS A CADET FOR 3 WEEKS, UNTIL I TURNED 21 YEARS OLD, AND ON THAT DAY I WAS SWORN IN AS A POLICE CONSTABLE, SOON TO START TRAINING. I ...Expand for more
ATTENDED THE LAST CLASS OF RECRUITS TO DO OUR FULL RECRUIT TRAINING, OTHER THAN FIREARMS, AT THE TORONTO POLICE COLLEGE ON GREENFIELD AVE., IN WILLOWDALE.......THE NEXT GROUP WAS TO GO TO THE ONTARIO POLICE COLLEGE, IN AYLMER, ONTARIO.
- OCT,1969-ON THE BEAT AS A POLICE CONSTABLE, FIRST IN 51 DIVISION ON REGENT STREET, IN CABBAGETOWN, THEN IN EAST YORK AT 54 DIVISION.
- JAN,1970- QUIT THE POLICE FORCE ( IT JUST WAS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED, I GUESS.)
AND STARTED SEARCHING AGAIN.
- FEB,1970-BACK TO GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY AS A JUNIOR UNDERWRITER FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLE INSURANCE. I WAS VERY HAPPY HERE, BUT FROM TALKING TO FRIENDS, I GOT THE ITCH TO GET INTO THE CONSTRUCTION TRADES.
- JUNE,1971 - STARTED APPRENTICESHIP IN PLUMBING, MOSTLY IN CONSTRUCTION WORK, WITH LOTS OF UNEMPLOYED TIMES, DURING WHICH I TRIED TO FIND STEADIER WORK, FIRST AS A SECURITY GUARD FOR COMMUNITY GUARDIAN CO. LTD. AT ONTARIO HOUSING BUILDINGS, THEN, BACK TO CONSTRUCTION PLUMBING. WHEN I WAS LAID OFF AGAIN, I BECAME A CAB DRIVER FOR BECK TAXI, UNTIL I FOUND A JOB AS A MAINTENANCE PLUMBER, IN SPITE OF MY HAVING NO MAINTENANCE EXPERIENCE. THAT JOB STARTED AS FULL TIME, BUT SLOWLY THE HOURS WERE CUT BACK DUE TO A SHORTAGE OF WORK, I APPLIED FOR A JOB ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THROUGH CANADA MANPOWER. WHEN I WAS NOTIFIED THAT I HAD BEEN ACCEPTED, IN MAY, 1980, I WENT TO TRAIL, B.C. TO BE A PIPEFITTER FOR COMINCO MINING AND SMELTING COMPANY, UNTIL WORK GOT SLOW THERE. BACK TO ONTARIO, IN FEBRUARY, 1983 WHERE I TRIED REAL ESTATE FOR ABOUT A YEAR. THAT WAS A TOUGH BUSINESS TO GET ESTABLISHED IN, AND I FINALLY HAD TO GIVE IT UP AND GO BACK TO CONSTRUCTION PLUMBING, WITH A COUPLE OF OTHER FILL-INS DURING LAYOFFS. THEN IN SEPTEMBER '93, I GOT A CHANCE FOR 4 WEEKS WORK ON MAINTENANCE PLUMBING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.......THAT 4 WEEKS TURNED INTO NEARLY 4 MONTHS WORK, LASTING TO CHRISTMAS VACATION TIME FOR THE UNIVERSITY. I GOT A CALL TO GO BACK TO U. OF T. (MANY THANKS TO BRUCE SINCLAIR, PLUMBING FOREMAN.), IN LATE MARCH OF 1994, WHERE I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BECOME A PERMANENT STAFF PLUMBER.
I GUESS I HAD FINALLY SETTLED DOWN----MY WIFE PROBABLY MADE ME DO IT ! I'M VERY OBEDIENT ! JUST A ..."BE THERE IN A MINUTE, DEAR." ...SK H..... " O.K., I'M COMING RIGHT NOW,SWEETIE !" ..........
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