Classmates,
You will recall that the subject of Commemorative Stones for the Memorial Arch received a fair bit of play some months ago.
The purpose of this little ditty is NOT to resurrect the debate with another endless round of to-ing and fro-ing but rather, to desribe my personal experience with it.
When I first learned of the project I was ambivalent, to put it mildly. I thought it was just another ploy to solicit funds from ex-cadets for whatever reason.
In the summer of 2007 we moved to Kingston and began our new life in this great part of the world. One of the many bonuses was to be living 20 minutes from RMC and the every day opportunity to see and feel what college life is like today. I have never taken the Memorial Arch for granted and always take a few seconds of respect to the BIG GUY on each drive past.
Who can ever forget that first trip through the Arch. I can remember some very mean guy named Mr. Despatis yelled “Attention!” just as the famous recruit bus entered the Arch coming from the train station. LIke, how do you sit to Attention? I didn’t even know how to stand to attention.
Anyway, the Arch has always had special meaning and majesty for me, and I suspect for most of us. So, why Stones? A question I asked myself many times. Having visited the Arch and immediate surroundings on numerous occasions since the summer of 07 it truly is a special place. The cluster of 1963 Stones is perfect, right beside the base of the Monument, prime real estate. And some smart soul has reserved about 50 more spaces for people that haven’t decided to contribute yet. The Arch needs maintenance. The Stones project fits the bill perfectly.
If, like me, you were sitting on the fence, not procrastinating as there is a fundamental difference, may I ask that you think about it again. What got me off the fence was John Loye’s wife and family when they indicated to me that they would like to have stones for John and Trish, one of their daughters who went to RMC. So, we bought together. And I am looking forward to seeing my stone next to John’s on Reunion Weekend. We were roommates first year.
I guarantee you will be pleased if you decide to be an Arch supporter now, in time to be printed and planted for this year’s historic weekend for our Class.
The March to the Arch on Sunday always culminates with celebrations in that hallowed ground and the inevitable clustering of each
Class around their Stones. It would be a shame if your name and stone were missing. Give it some thought. It’s worth it.
Sincerely,
GK
5820
Last week we ran an article and video on the Memorial Arch Maintenance Fund. It is an important Project that has been on-going for some time now. Support has been fair, reviews, mixed, which is understandable with this kind of fund raiser.
We highly recommend you take a few minutes to look at the Video. And by all means, phone our toll free number: 1-888 386-3762 to get the latest information.
As it turns out 5820 Garry “Sky” King wrote to his class last week on the same subject. We managed to “obtain” a copy which we are sharing with you through e-Veritas. His year – 1959 – is celebrating their 50th of entry so we were delighted to see their Class is using the opportunity to fill in the vacant spaces beside the rest of the Class.
In our view, “Sky” has hit the nail on the head. We highly encourage everyone that has been thinking about it, to get off the wagon and purchase a stone in time to enjoy the moment on that famous and historic Sunday this coming October.
By the way, a little research has revealed that the mean guy isn’t really mean, but 4656 Guy Despatis, CSTO from the class of 1960. He just appeared mean, especially to farmers from Saskatchewan. And the Arch isn’t really called the Big Guy, but it does have a nice ring to it.
Bill & Rolande Oliver