Rick Helmes-Hayes:
CLASS OF 1969
Woodroffe High SchoolClass of 1969
Ottawa, ON
Pinecrest Public SchoolClass of 1963
Ottawa, ON
Rick's Story
While at WHS hung out with Dave Hudson, then John Campbell as best friends. But spent lots of time with Chris Ralph, Ross McClaimont (sp?), Kenny Laver among others. Was never a part of the 'cool crowd' for lots of reasons but still recall high school as a generally good experience. Was pretty shy. Suffered from a pretty bad case of pizza face and was really little (left high school at a massive 5'6" and 125 pounds). Also had Elvis Costello glasses before they were cool, wore bad clothes my mother picked out, and carried what we used to call a "brain bag." Was lucky to have some really good teachers at WHS: Peter Norman, Bob Pointen, "Oog" Wyatt (never knew his first name), Jim Beatty. Generally did well at the academic side of school. Did more homework than any person I knew, though somehow it didn't seem to translate into outstanding marks. Sigh.
After I left WHS I went to Queen's University to do a Phys Ed degree. Thought I wanted to be a high school gym teacher. Lived part of the time while in Kingston with another Woodroffe grad, Henry Vieira, who also did a Phys Ed degree. Finished in 1973, then worked for a year in the Psychiatric Unit of Kingston Penitentiary before heading off to grad school at UBC. Didn't like my program, so returned to Queen's to finish my MA and then went to Waterloo (1 year) and Toronto (too many years) to complete my PhD. Did a post-doc at Carleton/Toronto before landing a job at Memorial University (in Corner Brook, Nfl...Expand for more
d) for a year. Got a job the following year at the University of Waterloo where I have been a faculty member now for 20 years.
Got married while doing my PhD in Toronto (Pam Hayes) and hyphenated my name to Helmes-Hayes. We have two kids (Kevin, 22 and Graham, 17). Kev is working, Graham is finishing high school. Pam, too, works at the U of W.
Was always involved in sports as a kid and through high school. Played rep hockey and baseball as well as golf outside the school system and then played jr and sr football at WHS. Played on the teams that 'starred' Gary Kearns, Brian Casey, Wick Bannister, Fausto Palumbo, Marshall Grant, etc. Bill Mitchell was the head coach. Tried hard, but I was too small, too nervous and too 'blind' - should have worn contacts - to make much of a contribution. After finishing at WHS, I took up, in sequence, lifting weights (wiry kid trying to be bigger), more golf, marathon running (ran about a dozen, plus scores of 10Ks, track races, 20Ks, etc.), and now back to golf and fitness workouts. Can no longer run, after running pretty much every day for 25 years because I developed really bad arthritis in my hips and had to have dual hip replacement surgery. I now count my blessings I am no longer on a cane. Also learned how to play the guitar along the way, though I have long since given it up.
Have kept in touch on and off with a couple of people from high school. Always curious to see what became of various people.
Cheers.
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