Fifth Form at St. Andrew's (1964 - 1965)

The year must have started off with a lot of excitement, because my first entry was not until November 19, 1964:

It sure has been a long time since I wrote anything in this diary. Well, I had a great summer. We went to Paris, Piza, Sardinia, Franco Champs, all of Norway, Copenhagen (where we met the Moffits before they left for Canada), and all of Sweden, too.

Upper Sixth Form at St. Andrew's (1966 - 1967)

For some reason, I stopped writing my diary in Lower Sixth Form (1965 - 1966). What I remember of the Lower Sixth Form was that I began it by taking up residence with Fred Duggan as a House Captain in MacDonald House (the Lower School). Fred was not exactly an intellectual, so that perhaps curtailed my interest in keeping a diary somewhat. As well, I was developing an increased interest in my daily tasks with other people, apart from my historical concern about my own personal undertakings. Anyway, the next entry in the little green plastic covered diary is on November 8, 1966:

First Year at Glendon Hall (1967 - 1968)

What my diary does not disclose, but what is the fact, is that my attendance at Glendon Hall of York University was largely the result of the efforts of the then Principal, Dr. Escott Reid. Dr. Reid had attended at St. Andrew's sometime in our last year to address the graduating class on the value of applying to Glendon for admission. There is no doubt that he was cultivating a breeding ground for young public servants and foreign emissaries. We found out years later that he had visited many of the other private schools on a similar mission.

Second Year at Glendon Hall (1968 - 1969)

The return to school in the Fall of the year has always been a delight to me. The delight has continued even to this day, long after I have stopped "returning to school". For me, September is a time of rejuvenation, new beginnings, excitement and expectation. On the more mundane level, I always have my annual medical examination at this time of year. In a style not unusual for this period, I report:

Third Year at Glendon Hall (1969 - 1970)

This year appears to have been the clash between the Titan forces of religion and peer groups. No doubt some of the privilege of dwelling in those regions arose from the degree of liberty one feels as the course of study draws to a close, and one is a "senior". A good deal of the entries reflect my somewhat depressed view of my environment, the people, myself, my world:

No sunshine today. A place for despair only. There was no movement; the air lay very still. The breath of lethargy fell upon the campus. February 9, 1970.

But the winner was God, to whom I continued to look for guidance and direction. To this day, I often feel that it is only through a relationship with God that the world makes sense. While I have not as yet suffered any great loss or hardship, I somehow feel that such a religious focus will be the answer to all problems, big or small.

Law School at Dalhousie University, Halifax (1970 - 1973)

Law School revitalized me in many ways. It was the first time I had been out of the Toronto area (or "Upper Canada", as it was called in the Maritimes) for many years. I was away from literally everyone I knew, and I had lots of time on my hands to think about the past and to develop in directions that amused or pleased me. There was clearly less pressure on me from others, because I had no standard to conform to, other than any I may have had for myself. It was also a lonely time, and in fact it must have got the best of me, because I reapplied to Osgoode Hall (which had previously accepted me, but I had declined) for admission and was again accepted for my second and subsequent years. However, Dean Murray Fraser specifically asked me to stay, which of course I did, and I have never regretted that decision.

Articles at Macdonald, Affleck, Ottawa (1973 - 1974)

The singular feature about Articling (at least in the days when I did it) was that you barely got paid for it. If I remember correctly, my annual salary may have approached $4,000, if that. Which meant that the luxuries of life were unattainable, and one even had to be creative about the necessities. Fortunately for me, the necessities were all I needed at that time. Having broken off my engagement with Heather in the summer after leaving Halifax, I made a not unexpected about-face which included a passionate conviction to losing weight, eating only raw foods, no drinking (though I still smoked very heavily), very little socializing, going to bed early, getting up early to bicycle as much as 150 miles a week, and the like - or the dislike, if you will! I lived in Pestallozzi College, 160 Chapel Street on the corner of Rideau Street.

The Bar Admission Course at Osgoode Hall (September, 1974 - May, 1975)

Interestingly, there is a complete gap in my diaries from the time when I finished my Articles (August, 1974) until February 5, 1976 (when I was back working at Macdonald, Affleck). Had the gap been any earlier, I probably would not remember much about it. However, my times at Osgoode Hall were largely my times at Devonshire House as a Don, and I recall those days vividly. It was like returning to boarding school, but armed with all the knowledge and wisdom I had gained about living in that sort of environment. I recall, for example, peering out the window of my ground floor suite of rooms and seeing a new student arrive at the commencement of term with his parents.