Doug Gilfillan
What a joy it is to read all these stories of classmates from the past and see what they all look like now! And also to see what beautiful children they have! It takes your breath away. We all can now appreciate the struggles, the battles fought & won, the multiple relationships, hardships, loss along this journey and the joy, the successes & failures, the false starts & lucky breaks that brought us here.
A postcard from California, the Golden State: “Wish you were here. This is the goose that laid the golden egg. Love you & miss you.” Dougie G.
So you want to read about an old white dude who eats tacos? Picks lemons and avocados off the neighbor’s trees and makes guacamole with salsa? Keep reading.
I am just a model citizen. I am a card carrying member of the ACLU, I donate to Planned Parenthood, and I am a life long Democrat. I also support The Sierra Club. I am also a lifelong Episcopalian.
I shall break this down into three parts: Before MRHS, MRHS, and life after MRHS. I will try not to be a turbo talker!
Before MRHS
Before MRHS, I was awarded a scholarship to the Montreal Museum of Fine Art school downtown. I was in 7th grade. Arthur Lismer was there at the art school, one of the famed Canadian Group of Seven. He was in his 70s then. The Group of Seven was the Canadian school of artists that did landscapes of Muskoka, Georgian Bay, the Arctic, etc., in a style from the 19th Century French impressionist school from the Montmartre district of Paris. They did no urban subjects. Everything was outdoor landscapes, oil on canvas. Tom Thompson, A.Y. Jackson come to mind when I think of this group of artists. They had all studied art in Paris during WW1. Montreal provided a rich cultural heritage. The Montreal Museum school was held on Saturdays. The medium for us grade school kids was poster paint! We were too young for oils. I was in the class with Diana Greer who also was awarded a scholarship too.
I used to deliver the Montreal Gazette on my CCM bike. I had a route down St Claire Road and Lazard Avenue and all over the place. I used to get up at 6:00 am to deliver the papers. At Christmas people would give you a silver dollar! Oh boy!
In elementary school I was sent to Powter’s Camp up in the Laurentians. One year I nearly drowned at camp when I was on a portage on a canoe trip and the canoe capsized in a big storm. All the kids were hanging onto the canoe upside down in a rain storm and this stupid kid next to me says, “we’re going to die, we’re going to die.” I said, “shut up you goof.” We were all rescued by a fisherman.
At MRHS
At MRHS I am trying to recall some of the teachers who stood out in my mind. I was impressed with a Mr. Jack, who was a brilliant algebra teacher. Also I took a Geography class with Mr. Scammell who had that Newfoundland accent that was pretty heavy duty. Mr. Scammell could not pronounce “Michigan.” I can still hear him say “Mitchigan or Lake Mitchigan.” I took an Art History class with a British woman from London but I do not recall her name. She was terrific as she left a deep impression on me because I later found myself taking Asian Art History at Saint Lawrence University because of her. And then, of course, there was the physical education teacher, Mr. Sims, who could teach you how to flip a basketball. I think in high school I had ADD, but in those days they didn’t call it that. They just said you were dizzy!
Je me souviens. I remember the old Rec building. That nasty little shack across from the high school. It had faux brick walls, the wooden plank floors carved with tread marks of ice skates having walked over them many times. My father took us there to play hockey in those outdoor rinks they had. He would give me a couple of quarters and tell me not to buy French fries. When he was not looking I went up to the counter, to that greasy little kitchen they had. and ordered up a hot dog and French fries in a cardboard box and poured vinegar and salt on it. That was tasty on a frosty Friday in Montreal. Not too big, not too small, just the size of Montreal!
After MRHS
College wise, I started out at SGWU in Montreal. I transferred to SUNY with a scholarship they were giving out to Canadians at the time. Canadians were receiving scholarships to play hockey but I was not on the hockey team. I was on the ski team. I also received a Pell Grant & the New York State Incentive & a Student Visa to the USA & later a green card. I was on a special program which enabled me to attend Saint Lawrence University at the same time in Canton, NY. I went for whatever they were handing out! I was able to ice skate at Lake Placid. It was a winter wonderland.
At SGWU in Montreal I worked the summers at the Banff Springs Hotel in the Canadian Rockies. I worked in the dining room. I met college kids from all over Canada, Moose Jaw, Swift Current & East Cupcake.
At SUNY & Saint Lawrence University, I delivered flowers for a local FTD florist. We did a lot of arrangements for weddings in the small town churches there every Saturday. It was romantic.
When I came to California in the late 1960s everything was groovy. It was the Haight Ashbury period & I found myself in San Francisco. I was walking down Market St one afternoon near Union Square and David Pollock came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. We spent time together in the city. That was 1969. We were friends since Algonquin.
Eventually I was in the real estate industry in Hollywood. Here in Hollywood they say; “I can make you a star.” Well anyway I started out at Fred Sands on the Sunset Strip which was a big Westside broker then. Residential R.E. was always about the “bigger fool theory.” On my first day in the office I went down the hall to meet everyone. And who do I meet? Phyllis Grekin from Mt Royal HS was standing there in the hall. She recognized me right on the spot. Phyllis flipped out and ran down the hall screaming: “he is from my high school, elementary school.” I thought she was going to have a heart attack. This was the beginning of a fun working relationship with Phil as my friends called her in the office. Her aunt used to make chopped liver for our broker’s open houses. We all had big roll top desks. The sharks in the industry could shake you upside down till the gold fillings fall out of your teeth. I remember being sexually harassed in the office on several occasions. What do I remember about the real estate career? Oh yeah, one day I took a woman friend from the office to a restaurant on the boulevard. We were sitting under a Cinzano umbrella and this dude walks right up to our table and says, “aren’t you two porn stars?” My jaw dropped! I became a multi-million dollar producer in the office.
The office manager, Marilyn Hare-Green, noticed I had writing talent. I had a lot of hidden talent. She had one of those double barreled names. In England, I think it means you are high class? I took Journalism at SUNY for several semesters. Marilyn was a beauty queen who was a star on ‘Queen For A Day’ in the 1950s. She liked me. She was busy being blonde. She acted like the Mother Superior and she treated us like her children! Marilyn gave me the office job of writing the ad copy for the Los Angeles Times for the Sunday edition. I recall using the words “affordable” was quite popular and peppy in the day. I was the guy who made the coffee in the morning. My ad copy made the phone ring. “Which house are you calling about? Will you hold please?”
Marilyn died of cancer. That was the end of an era for us. Marilyn was like the mother I never had. I still visit with Phyllis Grekin on the phone as she is up in Los Angeles County.
Throughout all these years I was involved in the sport of showing purebred dogs at the local American Kennel Club dog shows. I went Best in Show with an Afghan Hound one year at the Scottsdale Dog Fanciers match. Most recently I showed Chinese Shar Pei from the famed Lava Kennels of Lynn Olds. I was very fortunate to have met some of the biggest legends of the dog world.
Last year I was elected the Vice President of the Canine Club here in the Village. Now I remain on the board. We are very much involved with dog rescue. I got a rescue black miniature poodle from a judge I met at a dog show.
I have been selling on Ebay for 10 years now. Buy it Now. I take PayPal. It is a cheap thrill sniping online auctions. I don’t ever have to meet anybody. What do I do with all this junk I buy online? Sell it back on anther auction for more money!
Marital status: single. In a relationship you have to deal with three issues: jealousy, possession and emotional duress. I remain single.
Why am I typing this 60 wpm? Because I took Mrs. Wright’s typing class at MRHS. I was the only guy in the class. I used to sit next to Jackie Warden. What is not to like?
Thank you, Mrs. Wright!
Before my retirement I was also involved in volunteer work at PawsLA and then Laguna Shanti, where I met a lot of wonderful people.
I am waiting for my economic stimulus check from the President. I need a stimulus, economic or otherwise!
One of the biggest highs here is to be at the Hollywood Bowl on the Fourth of July having a chicken dinner there with a bottle of wine and seeing the fireworks display.
In my retirement I find myself in Laguna Woods Village on a cul de sac inside the gates. This town was previously called Leisure World aka “Seizure World.” This is one of the original 55+ communities outside of Sun City. It is generally very quiet in here except for the occasional sounds of ambulance sirens. My neighbors are dumpster divers. I could furnish an apartment from the trash! One day I found 7 wooden coat hangers labeled “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.” Now I am so organized. I call it “shop at home.”
The average age here is 78 so I am chicken here. There are a lot of chicken hawks around.
I live in the hills above the tennis courts. I began tennis at Connaught Park in Mt Royal in high school. My mother would make a brown bag lunch and send me to Connaught Park on my CCM bike to find some kid to play tennis with in the old days. I remember all the kids on the block used to say that CCM stood for “crappiest crate made.” Mother would say “go chase yourself.”
Age now: 62 + tax, license, insurance & handling and Free Shipping!
Family members deceased: I lost my dad in 1987 & mother died in 1993. It was a big shock as now I am on my own alone in the world. I left home long time ago.
Moving right along, the secret to a great retirement? Having developed interests & hobbies during your life time that will continue as you age. Otherwise you will die of boredom. I did not want to die with my secret you know!
I enrolled in the emeritus classes at Saddleback College held here in the village. I began with pottery on the wheel. It was more difficult than I thought. I was at the wheel and the clay spun off and splattered on the wall. It was getting out of control. The old boy sitting next to me says to the instructor, “you can use him to show the class what not to do.” I thought I was going to be the next Georgia O’Keefe! She took up pottery after she went blind.
The following semester I took Russian History with an instructor Georgy Gounev from the University of Moscow. He does a lot of readings from his Russian history book and no one in the class can understand his English half the time so he asks me to read to the class which I think is cool. Don’t you? My acid reflux is better now. The Rector at the Episcopal church here had me doing readings there also. Maybe I should take up public speaking in my old age? I continue on with the Russian History class every Wednesday. We like that Russian accent you know. I think that comes from the cartoons Boris & Natasha in Bullwinkle? How could you forget that? Georgy Gounev has now written a book called “Fighting Evil with the Help of Satan.” (President Roosevelt & Joseph Stalin 1939–1945) Needless to say this is quite a fascinating class for all of us. I take classes forever because I never get enough..
About a year ago I took conversational French at the Senior Center. We would have lunch there for $3.00 and it tastes like the cafeteria at MRHS! They teach with the book called "The Capretz Method French in Action: A Beginning Course in Language and Culture," by Pierre J. Capretz. The teacher came to class wearing a beret and a pink Hawaiian shirt. I think he was trying to come out of the closet but at 87 years old I think he should pack it in! I put up my hand and told him, “Je suis Pierre, I am from the left bank et je suis artiste.” The instructor lived in France with French families because he was a Mormon on a mission. You never thought that I took French seriously did you? He stopped teaching the class last year because Jacqueline complained that he stayed on chapter 15 for 3 months!
I took a creative writing class at the emeritus class at Irvine Valley College with an instructor Beverly from Montreal. Beverly is also my neighbor in here. I call her “Beverly Hills” and she seems to like that! She kept on my case to take her class. It has been a whole new journey. A Vietnam vet in the class says, “Doug writes like he talks.” The students also said about my style of writing, “it is casual.” Creative writing is a a very personal thing. You expose yourself. I wrote a piece called “Ipperwarsh”, my summers at Lake Huron. Also wrote a short story about a contractor I hired to remodel the house who turned out to be a cross dresser! The story was titled “Handy Andy.”
Health: Do you know anyone who does not have medical problems? I suffer from acid reflux which is pretty awful. I got asthma last spring big time. Last year was bad for asthma here. I coughed so much I could hardly breathe. I thought I was going to die.
A couple of months ago I was diagnosed with glucose intolerance. That was another medical scare as my BP dropped one day. I said “hey nurse he’s worse!” Now it is no dairy. Have to drink that let’s pretend milk, Soy milk. Yuck! And let’s pretend butter, etc “I can’t believe it is not butter.” I can. When you go off dairy you lose weight. I lost 10 lbs.
I have had episodes of skin cancer having lived in the sunbelt for most of my life now. Basal cell carcinoma. I had skin cancer burned off my ear recently. Ouch. I try and stay out of the sun but that is not possible here. The eye doctor says you will get early onset cataracts because of the bright sun here. I can hardly wait for that too. Other than that I am just the picture of health.
Travel:
Through my neighbor here retired from Delta Airlines, I have a buddy pass. I can fly to Hawaii & visit an old friend retired in the Big Island of Hawaii on the Puna Palisades. Sydney & Auckland are my favorite destinations in the South Pacific.
On the mainland I have journeyed north to the California Redwoods, the Oregon coast, Washington State and British Columbia. We sailed around the gulf islands. We went skiing at Whistler. I made many road trips to New Mexico & Arizona & Nevada. I still ski at Mammoth. I always have my bag packed.
Some day our paths will cross again. I mourn the loss of my classmates and friends, Bertram Kidd who I also knew from St Peter’s Anglican Church, David Pollock of course I knew from Algonquin school, Gaylen Duncan was a friend also and Trevor Sevigney I knew too. I knew each and every one of them. I miss you.
I hope that your journey is a long one.
So anyway, next question? And please repeat the answers! Thank you!
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Doug, on Taco Tuesday, December 16, 2014 |
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Powter's Camp, St Donat, Quebec, 1957. L to R; Joy Riddell, my brother Alan, Alex Riddell with lollypop, myself, and my brother Keith with lollypop. This is the gang from Morrison Avenue. |
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White caps at Lake Huron. Photo taken of me in 1959. I spent my summers at the family cottage at Ipperwash on the sand dunes. Big storms would come off the lake with violent thunder & lightening & heavy rain. I used to ride the waves in an inner tube. This is where I learned to swim. This is my "Howdy Doody" period when I had lots of freckles! |
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This is a photo of me in 1992 at the house in Gulf Stream, Florida where I was for a bunch of years. This is where I acquired my passion for growing orchids. I also was into boating & deep sea ocean fishing with my neighbor who had a little skiff, a Hatteras Sea Ray, to cruise the intracoastal waterways. This was the year of Hurricane Andrew & what a mess that was! |