Staff Who Made a Difference

Remember the staff at Bowman?  Of course you do.   Take a good look back and remember how many of them made a positive difference, not only in your high school life, but in your life to this day.

To add your favourites to this list, post your info on the 
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Here are some of our favourites so far:

Buglass, Pat – Mrs. Buglass & Miss Treleaven put our phys ed classes and our volleyball & basketball teams through our paces (I mean windsprints). Although it seemed like torture at the time, the great times & successes that our teams enjoyed made for some of my best memories of high school.  If it wasn’t for volleyball, I might have ventured into a more sordid life.

Carter, Bob – With his happy smile & kind demeanor, Mr. Carter managed to actually get some chemistry knowledge into my brain.

Didur (Elke), Joyce  -  Joyce Elke (she’ll always be Miss Elke to me), together with Marg Gordon, were the new coaches on the block for our graduating year.  They brought a new, different kind of team spirit & attitude to our school teams, and made us want to work hard for them.

Earle, Barry – Our vice principal was very supportive & tolerant of some of SRC’s wild & crazy ideas.  While appearing very strict, he always listened and made us feel we had potential to do whatever we aimed to do.  He was interested in all the students’ involvements (how did he always know about THOSE incidences?).  

Empey, Gordon – Mr. Empey found a way to make Social Studies less boring, maybe even a tad interesting.  His gruff exterior was overshadowed his wonderful wit & sardonic sense of humour.

Glauser, Lorne -  Brash & demanding, there was never a dull moment in Mr. Glauser’s English class.  He expected the best of his students, and for the most part, eventually got it.

Gordon, Marg – Marg and Joyce Didur (Elke) were the new coaches on the block for our graduating year’s phys ed classes & school teams.  They brought a new, collaborative attitude to our school teams, and made us want to work hard for them.

Greenshields, Gwen -  Mrs. Greenshields was young & open-minded, a gentle demeanor that still managed to control the class.  She allowed us to work through our math program at the pace each of us could best achieve.  Who knew that math could be free-form?

Heighes, Pat -  Formidable!!  That’s what we all think of Madame Heighes.  Every French class with Mrs. Heighes was high energy, making many of us wish we could find our way to Paris. 

Hilsen, Brian – What a cool teacher!  Mr. Hilsen was young, energetic & so encouraging.  In addition to getting math principles through to most students, he supported the SRC, the volleyball teams, and so much more, including watching out for the welfare of his students.  In hindsight, I truly wish I had heeded more of his personal advice!

Hinitt, Bob – Monsieur, Monsieur, Monsieur – there is too much to say about our dear Monsieur.  His patience and persistence in the classroom with those bilingually challenged was amazing.  The thousands of hours and expertise and creativity he put into the drama events over so many years was astounding.  But he will be ever-revered by every single graduate passing through Bowman during the years he taught there, for making our Graduation gala evenings such glorious, spectacular, memorable visions that transported us all to other worlds.  Merci, Merci, Merci!

Hordern, Bob – Mr. Horden was the quiet, gentle musician who knew how to make a bunch of noisy kids into an astounding symphony.  We even amazed ourselves, thanks to his patient repetitions of the intricacies of the musical scores.  Memories of dragging our instruments through the snow out to the portable music classroom behind Castle Theatre are overshadowed by the thundering applause of our appreciative audiences (although they were mostly our adoring parents).  What about those exciting Band Trips to such exotic places as Winnipeg and Edmonton? (Don’t forget, what happens on the Band Trip, stays on the Band Trip, right?)  And who could forget our Green & Gold military uniforms – I remember the look of shear pride on Mr. Hordern’s face the first time he saw us all wearing those itchy, tight uniforms.  We were happy to make him proud.

Loye, Monsieur -  At my Freshie Dance, where I spent most of the evening as a flower planted against the wall, Mr. Loye, my Grade 9 French teacher, taught me how to foxtrot.  To this day, I have not met another single dance partner who could make me feel as light on my feet and as special as Mr. Loye did that evening.  Merci, Monsieur!

McFarlane, Murdoch – Ach, Mr. McFarlane.  We were all neophytes in the fall of 1968 – Mr. McFarlane, newly imported from Scotland, and we, his homeroom Grade 9 freshie students in that portable classroom with “quite the window view” of Miss ?????, as she walked the rows in her class next door.  He regaled us with his refreshing stories of his homeland, and together we all learned the ropes of becoming Bowmanites.  Thanks for making our first year so interesting and such fun, Mr. McFarlane!

Rychjohn, Lawrence – My first and only drafting class was taught by Mr. Richjohn.  Such a quite, pleasant man who tried to make us all feel capable. I have followed and applauded his success in the business world.

Samson, Mrs. - What a kind and supportive guidance counsellor!  Mrs. Samson knew how to help us make good choices for our class schedules that would serve us best to keep all our future educational options available.  If we had a personal issue, she found a way to resolve our traumas with a minimum of personal anguish. Truly a gentle soul who was always on your side.

Sauer, Ken – Remember Mr. Sauer standing in the main hall, arms crossed, head slightly tipped down, giving the impression of being stearn?  Yet speaking to Mr. Sauer was a completely different experience.  He listened, he evaluated our position, and made fair decisions.

Smyth, John - Mr. Smyth was Bowman’s patriarch for so many years.  He knew everything that happened in the school and we knew that he knew.  He steered us through the revolutionary 60’s & 70’s when long hair became the fad for boys & rising hemlines were a must for the girls.  While our recollection of him is likely to be quite traditional, he & Mr. Sauer relaxed the school dress code so that girls could wear slacks, and eventually blue jeans – revolutionary themselves! He always treated his students and staff with dignity and respect, and used collaboration to resolve issues, always with our best interests in mind.  Years later, you could meet Mr. Smyth in public and he would not only know who you were, but recall some detail of your Bowman life.  A genuinely caring principal.

Treleaven, Joy – Miss Treleaven & Mrs. Buglass put our phys ed classes and our volleyball & basketball teams through our paces (I mean windsprints). Although it seemed like torture at the time, the great times & successes that our teams enjoyed made for some of my best memories of high school.  If it wasn’t for volleyball, I might have ventured into a more sordid life.

Woofe, Ernie – Mr. Woofe saved my self-esteem by taking some extra time to work me through some basic math principles that made the lightbulb go on in my head, which serve me so well for the rest of my life.  With that act of kindness & dedication, he became my definition of “teacher”.

Yellowlees, Dale  -  Mr. Yellowlees helped students look beyond the walls of Bowman, the streets of Saskatoon, the shores of Canada.  Start off on a jog with Mr. Yellowlees, and you could end up in Japan through one of his international exchanges!