Friday, November 10, 2023
I am very sorry to learn of Ardith's passing. She and I first met in Grade 1 at King George School on Bentley St. I clearly remember and her friend Sandra Belyea. I thought that they were the cutest girls I had ever seen.
Ardith was also almost always at the top of the class through grade school and I tried hard to compete with her, sometimes I did better than she but not often. I very much admired her and perhaps hasa bit of a crush.
We both attended Saint John Vocational School. I was in the "Technical" Group and my recall is a bit unclear, but Ardith perhaps started in that group but subsequently transferred to the "Commercial" Department" and I lost any contact with her. I was always to bashful to approach her in any meaningful way so we went our separate ways. alnd
About 10 years ago I did contact her by phone and tried to relate to her how much the Grade 1 experience had impressed me and how the memory had remains with me and influenced some of my thinking about women and the Saint John, not so subtle at times class structure which she clearly demonstrated was foolish to say the least. King George School almost literally straddled the "tracks.
I am not sure that I made myself clear when I talked to her but hope she felt that she had contributed to my life.
IAll,
Tom (Tommy) Graham
I lived directly across the street from Voc. the little white house, still there.
