Recently we asked for your help in recognizing the work that Class Secretaries do. Here are the responses we’ve received so far. If you’ve got a story that highlights your Class Secretary send it to Anna-Michelle.Shewfelt@rmc.ca.

Class Entering in 1950

Our class of RR’52/RMC’54 entered the Colleges in 1950 as the third class of the post-WWII era. We had Class Presidents but the formal designation of Class Secretary would come many years later.

Our secretary-like activities began as a fund-raising exercise. When some of us were in Korea in 1954 our classmate 3300 Alick Marshall was killed in a tragic RCAF training accident just five weeks after graduation. Alick had been CWC at both RR and RMC. He was as fine a leader as he was a person.

We raised funds to create the “Marshall Memorial Award for Sportsmanship”. The trophy was first awarded in 1956.  It has been re-dedicated a few times but it is still being awarded at RMC in spite of having various purposes over the past 63 years.

I began communicating with my classmates regarding this endeavour in October 1955. They were all over the world on military postings and civilian careers but the funds we needed poured in.  We were also able to assemble a roster of addresses and a lot of information about our mates, their wives, and their families.

I wrote the first 45 of our Class Newsletters over a period of 12 years. It follows that I will never forget the low-technology distribution process applicable back then.

First I typed the newsletter onto the Mimeograph stencil and made copies using the Mimeograph duplicating machine. (See Wikepdia – Mimeograph). I then had to hand address the envelopes, fold and insert the pages, lick and seal the envelopes, and finally lick and affix  postage stamps. My reward came in being the recipient of mail from my mates based around the world.

Class Secretaries came into being in a more formal way when the RMC Club recognized the need it had for information that was likely available from classes, especially about “lost souls”. The Club needed to keep their records in good order. Class Secretaries could also serve to promote membership in the Club. They were also encouraged to attend the Club’s  AGM and provide input on issues.

Our late classmate 3185 Fred Aldworth was our Class Secretary and served us admirably for many years until his passing last year. Fred was somewhat of a champion in this area in terms of maintaining our Class Address List, maintaining our Class Newsletter, dealing with our Class Reunions, and other undefined but helpful tasks that serve to keep us strong and tight as a class and as classmates.

3201 Austen (Aus) Cambon

Class Secretary, Class of RR’52/RMC’54

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Class of 1984

I have been our Class Secretary for about the past 20 years.  I have to admit that I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  I am not ashamed to admit that each of my classmates has become very important to me.  They were all part of my life during some very formative years.  And now, as we find ourselves getting older, that connection becomes even more important.

Of course, the ability to use Facebook as a communication tool has helped us stay in touch, and to share those milestones of our lives, such as births, careers, marriages, adventures, becoming grandparents, meeting up with classmates just because, and even deaths at times.  Recently though, our class has hit a huge milestone when one of our classmates, Kate Armstrong, published her first book whose subject was her experiences as the first woman cadet at RMC as part of the 32 women who joined RMC in 1980.  We couldn’t be prouder of her.

14559 Steven Gable

Class of 1984 Secretary