George Jardine
Condolences to the family on Mary’s passing ... I’m so sorry to miss the Service on the 16th as I’ll unavoidably be away ... my thoughts and prayers will be with you.
Although I hadn’t seen them since 1951, Len and Mary attended my father’s 1998 funeral in Elmvale where we reminisced about the good times we’d had together 40 years earlier. And I had a wonderful conversation with Mary at Len’s funeral.
Mary and Len helped shape my boyhood in many positive ways — their gentleness, kindness, and zest for life significantly influenced me and memories of those good times over six decades ago, are part of my being. The following are edited excerpts from my autobiography, 'BECOMING ME: As I Think It Happened'.
My fond memories of Len and Mary began in January 1948 when Dufferin Presbyterian Church, in Toronto’s west-end, added a Wolf Cub Pack to the Boy Scout Troop that had been started the previous year ... Len was appointed Cubmaster with then-fiancee, Mary, as his Assistant. I was one of the six Charter Cub-Members of that 211th Toronto Group.
Len and Mary were devoted inspirational leaders, providing a terrific program that quickly attracted many more neighbourhood boys — a program that filled us with enthusiasm and learning, and encouraged us to confidently expand our horizons. Under their guidance, I had my first tent-camping experience on a weekend in the late Spring of ‘48 — I’d just turned nine!
At weekly meetings, we played a wide variety of games, learned craft work with beads, or leather, and made molded plaster-of-paris figures that we painted. We helped the Group with paper-collection fund-raising drives, participated in Boy Scout Apple Day, the Group’s annual banquet, church parades, and district Cuborees. We especially enjoyed the week-long, summer-camp adventures held at the Everton Scout Camp. There was never a dull moment — and we thrived.
Saturday August 9, 2014 at 1:54 pm
