EDUCATION

Copyrite `04/05.

Trees around an old brick building
A. L. FORTUNE - ENDERBY, B. C.

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This is, as near as I can remember, an accurate list, description, of the 35 courses I have taken to enhance my education.

ABBREVIATIONS USED ON THIS PAGE

Abbreviations for Canadian provinces: Alta, Alberta; B. C., British Columbia; Man., Manitoba; Ont., Ontario

CAHA - Canadian Amateur Hockey Association

CCC - City Center Campus

CPR - Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation

DGC - Dangerous Goods Certificate

DJ - Disc Jockey

ED - 35 educational courses I have taken.

NCCP - National Coaches Certification Program

R. C. M. P. - Raw Carrots and Mashed Potatoes (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)

UBC - University of British Columbia

VCC - Vancouver Community College

VVI - Vancouver Vocational Institute

WHIMIS - Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System

SCHOOLS I HAVE ATTENDED

1952

ED-1 (Mill Creek) Edmonton, Alta. Bennett Elementary 9703 94 St.

Trees around an old brick building
(Photo `04) (Now - Bennett Environmental Education Center)

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1953 - 55

ED-2 (Strathcona) Edmonton, Alta. King Edward 8530 101 St.

Trees around an old brick building
(Photo `04) King Edward School

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1956

ED-3 Sicamous, B. C.


Me in Grade 4 (5th from right, center row)

Two Room Wooden School - Grades 1 - 4 in one room and Grades 5 - 8 in the other.
My first acting part, Bottom, and Punch, in (William Shakespeare's play) `A Midsummer Night's Dream'.


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1958

ED-4 (Oliver) Edmonton, Alta. Oliver 10227 118 St.

Trees around an old brick building
(Photo `04) Oliver School

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1957

ED-5 (Highlands) Edmonton, Alta. Mount Royal 11303 55 St.

Trees around an old brick building
(Photo `04) Mount Royal School

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1958 - 61

ED-6 Gleichen, Alta.

According to the Alberta Provincial Archives
I attended Gleichen School from `57 - `58
and from `58 - `59 for Grade 7,
then `59 - `60 for Grade 8, and `60 - `61 for Grade 9.
Students gathered in front of main entrance
Me in Grade 6 (Far right, top). Teacher - Mrs. Ann Sherback
This differs with my recollection as I don't recall ever having taken the same, elementary, grade two years in a row and I was pretty sure that the Gleichen School only went to Grade 8.

Students gathered in front of blackboard in school room” style=
Me in Grade 8 (3rd from right, second row from top). Teacher - Mr. Pettifer

(Top Row) (L- R) Jonny Ostrom, Harold Blumontrough, Georgian Duncan, Francis Jensen, Bonnie Murray, Janie Carson, Erma Hunter, Bruce Mullen, Doug Bogsty
(2nd. Row) (L- R) Duane Vollman, Bob Gibson, Raymond Schmidt, Rosi Schwear, Bev Moor, Larry Popoff, Francis McHugh, Doug Gleddie, Leonard Barstad, Me, Ronnie Bouchard, Bruce Walker
(3rd. Row) (L- R) Connie Johnson, Lynn Grant, Pat Fiddes, Louise Murray, Jaculene Minks, Diane Blaney, Heather Holland, Kay Kilcup,
(Bottom Row) (L- R) Terry towers, Herdie Brown, Donnie Towers, Chris Plante, Clayton Bogsty


School and grounds” style=
(Photo `09 June) Hasn't changed much in 50 years


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1961

ED - 7 Enderby, B. C. Sept. 5. A. L. Fortune

Trees around an old brick building
(Photo `03) A. L. (Alexander Leslie) FORTUNE
(Built in 1912) - Originally it had a cupola and bell tower.

Because my courses in Alberta were more advanced than those in B. C., I skipped grade 9 and went into grade 10. However my courses in Alberta weren't that advanced and I flunked grade 10. I had to take it over again in 62. I quit in Feb. of `64 without completing 11 or 12. Actually my records only show that I completed 9, with the odd course in 10 and 11.


Students sitting on bleachers getting make-up
Me (To right) getting make-up for a school play Make-up Artist, Bonnie Melin

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TRAINING I HAVE ATTENDED, SINCE LEAVING HIGH SCHOOL

1965

ED-8 DJ training course.

When I went to Edmonton, filled with the dreams of being a DJ, I took a correspondence course, through the National Institute of Broadcasting, but it never got me a job.

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1967

ED-9 - VVI Basic welding

Vancouver Vocational Institute, night school, five nights a week for 2 months to learn how to cut and weld with acetylene, and arc, welding equipment.

(Photo `04)
Corner of Hamilton and Brunswick, Vancouver, B. C.
I had planned to follow my sister's boy friend to Powell River and get a job as a welder in the construction of the new pulp mill but I had to apprentice as a labourer for 2 years.

I applied at a few shops in Vancouver but no one needed an apprentice at that time.

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1st marriage

1972

ED-10 - Industrial Air Ticket

This was a six week course, held in the high school in Lumby, B. C. Two nights a week for two hours per night.

We learned the various types of valves used in the air system on a truck, their functions and applications.

One had to have a photographic memory to pass this course.

The exam consisted of 25 questions that had to be written out in the same words as those used in the manual.

I failed the exam but a paper stating that I had attended the course was sufficient to get an air endorsement on my drivers license.

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1974

ED-11 - Industrial Air ticket

This was a two night course held at the Jeune Landing logging camp.

We had 2 hours of lecture one night.

The second night we had a ˝ hour of lecture, ˝ hour of movie, and then an exam.

The exam was 25 questions with 3 possible answers. (Commonly called multiple guess exam.)

I aced the exam with 0 wrong.

Those who failed were allowed, after a short review, to rewrite.

One fellow still failed. He was given a short review and allowed to rewrite.

He still failed.

Each rewrite was using the original exam so he could see which ones he had to redo and the wrong answers were already marked wrong.

Duuhh.

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2nd marriage

1978

Young hockey players in front of a goal
Me in the blue jacket.

ED-12 - NCCP Level I

Wow, it has been so long, I barely remember this. NCCP is a program for teaching people how to be a coach, in almost every sport.

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ED-13 - NCCP Level II

Under the auspices of the CAHA, I studied to be an assistant hockey coach.

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ED-14 - NCCP Level III

I trained to upgrade from a level II hockey coach.

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ED-15 - Basic Wiring

I took a correspondence course through the provincial school board. I studied the Electrical code of Canada and the Electrical code of B. C.

The course covered residential wiring.

Later, with this knowledge, I totally, rewired my sister's house in Well's.

The inspector passed it first check.

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1983

ED-16 Cow Mountain School of Fine arts, an outreach of the Emily Carr Institute. Photographic composition


Still life, `Photo Gear'.

I took a one week course in Wells, B. C. learning about photography. We used black and white slide film because it was quick and easy to develop so we could see what we had shot and dissect our shooting.

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1984

ED-17 Cow Mountain School of Fine arts, an outreach of the Emily Carr Institute. Colour Darkroom

I took a one week course in Wells, B. C. studying colour photography and processing.

Instructor, on left, I believe his name is Chris,
and fellow classmates, me in the middle.
It turned out that I was more advance than my teacher and was teaching him some new ideas.

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1985

ED-18 - Criminology Department of Attorney General


(Photo - `03) R. C. M. P. office - Prince George, B. C.

This was a correspondence course through the ministry of the Attorney General in Victoria with classes held by the R. C. M. P. in the police station in Prince George.

It was a one year course and covered the, at that time, new Criminal Code of Canada, provincial statutes, and municipal bylaws.

At the completion of the course we were sworn in by the Attorney General as provincial peace officers under the Provincial Police Act.

This meant that we were peace officers, at any time of night or day, under the authority of the provincial government, and had jurisdiction anywhere within the province.

We were also federal police officers when we under the direction of a member of the R. C. M. P.

There was a movement afoot, at that time, amongst the provincial government, to cancel the services of the R. C. M. P. and start a provincial police force.

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ED-19 - St. John Ambulance Safety Oriented First Aid - CPR

Through the R. C. M. P. I took basic first aid, the ABCs of first aid, and studied CPR.

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ED-20 - R.C.M.P. Handcuffs

At the police station we were trained how to hold a person, position a person, and apply handcuffs to their wrists.

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ED-21 - R.C.M.P. Baton

The R. C. M. P. baton is probably the most effective weapon a police officer can carry.

It doesn't have the persuasion, or intimidation, of a pistol but it can quickly subdue a much larger opponent without using deadly force.

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ED-22 - R.C.M.P. Pistol

We were issued brand new Smith & Wesson, 38 caliber, Police Special revolvers and taught how to clean, maintain, aim, and fire.

The police special has a barrel that is ˝ longer than that sold to the public. This results in a slightly more powerful muzzle velocity. (Or something like that.)

At a provincial competition, I placed 16th in each, of two separate categories.

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ED-23 - B. C. Hydro, Electrical Hazards

In a classroom at B. C. Hydro we were shown an industrial film that told of the dangers of electricity, how, not to, handle it and how to help someone who is trapped or injured.

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1987

ED-24 - Trimac DGC

Trimac and its subsidiary H. R. Trimble are bulk goods carriers. As such they carry large containers with dangerous products.

The driver of the truck must know what the product is that he is carrying, its potential hazard, and who to call in the case of a spill.

Dangerous goods is an open book exam. I was given a half hour to study the book, then I was shown a short movie, followed by a half hour to write a 25 question, multiple guess, exam.

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1989

ED-25 - VCCBasic Electronics - Aug - 90 Mar.


VCC - CCC (Vancouver Community College - City Center Campus)
FORMERLY VVI (Vancouver Vocational Institute) Corner of Dunsmuir and Hamilton.

I was sponsored for this course by Canada Manpower.

To become sponsored I had lined up a job with AT&T.

Upon completion of the course I would be flown to various industrial sights to repair their computer systems.

This was a 6 month, full time, day, course that taught us everything about diodes, transistors, batteries, wiring, etc.

By the time I had completed this portion of the course, computers had advanced so rapidly that I no longer had a job waiting for me.

There was no longer a need to hand wire chips. Circuit boards were so common, and cheap, that they could be easily discarded and replaced.

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1990

ED-26 - VCC Electronics Technician, Computer - Apr. - Oct.

classroom, classmates in front of blackboard
Classmates & instructor
Small plastic robot with computer on top
Final project, design, & build, the computer,
and write the software to control this robot

In this part of the course we were taught how to design and build a circuit board, design and build a computer. How to write and test a computer program.

During this course I started looking for and found a job. When I completed my second practicum I only needed to attend one more week of class and then by returning to the company where I had had my second practicum I jumped over my last month of class and received automatic graduation.

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3rd marriage

1995

ED-27 - UBC Real Estate

This is a one year correspondence course. It was supplemented by evening classes in the offices of Realty World, where I had found employment, provided I passed my exam.

There were over 900 people writing the exam. We had to get over 60%. I got 63%.

I was average, of those who passed.

Over half the class failed.

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4th marriage


1999

ED-28 - WR12 Correspondence English Lit. 12

Basically I wanted to learn when a person should use; or , or : so I took a correspondence course which is the grade 12 English course.

After some weird markings by my examiner I wrote a letter to the minister of education who simply sloughed me off by telling me that the correspondence courses were through a private company and not under their jurisdiction.

I tried to complain to the supervisor at the correspondence branch but was told that I was just an uneducated student and how could I possibly know more than the teacher.

I finally threw the course in the garbage as there were too many mistakes in the manual.

I can only assume that whoever wrote the manual never completed English in a Canadian high school.

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ED-24 - Teamsters 155 DGC

Teamsters 155 is not a company and does not hire drivers.

Teamsters 155 dispatches drivers to film companies to move the camera trucks and the special effects trucks. These vehicles often carry containers of compressed gasses.

Dangerous goods is an open book exam. I was given a half hour to study the book, then a half hour to write a 25 question, multiple guess, exam.

The driver of the truck must know what the product is that he is carrying, its potential hazard, and who to call in the case of a spill.

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ED-24 - Van Kam & Reimers DGC

Teamsters 31 is not a company and does not hire drivers.

Teamsters 31 dispatches drivers to companies to move trucks. Usually the kind that carry general freight.

General freight encompasses all sizes of packages and will often include packages or containers of: compressed gasses; liquid detergents oil based products; acids; and other potentially hazardous products.

These products are usually in small quantities and often a truck will contain several types of products.

To cover this eventuality the truck will bear a placard that says `DANGER' and the driver must have paper work in the cab showing what those dangers are.

Dangerous goods is an open book exam. I was given a half hour to study the book, then a half hour to write a 25 question, multiple guess, exam.

The driver of the truck must know what the product is that he is carrying, its potential hazard, and who to call in the case of a spill.

Under the new regulations the driver must take an exam, and hold a ticket for, every company he drives for.

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2000

ED-29 - Hertz Scissor lift

Teamsters 155 arranged for me to attend a one day training seminar on the safe operation of scissor lifts and Genie booms.

This was a class room lecture followed by field training on overhead lifts rented by Hertz Equipment Rental in Port Kells, B. C.

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ED-30 - Hunter Industries Fork Lift Operator

Teamsters 155 arranged for me to attend a one day training seminar on the safe operation of lift trucks.

This was a class room lecture followed by field training on forklifts rented by Hunter Industries in Port Kells, B. C.

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2002

ED-31 - Douglas College 700 Royal Ave. - B. C. Film Industry Orientation Course

Vancouver, B. C. 619 26 Ave. E.


(Photo Feb. `06) One of the lower rooms, in the South wing.

As a prerequisite for becoming a member of any of the unions involved in the film industry in Vancouver a person must attend a film industry orientation course.

This course is a 2 Saturday affair that costs $125 and tells you, virtually nothing, if you have any experience in the film industry.

However, for a novice it may be somewhat enlightening.

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ED-32 - Douglas College WHMIS

The film orientation course, on its last day, includes the work hazard course that is now required by most companies.

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2003

ED-24 - Teamsters 155 DGC

Dangerous Goods is an open book exam. I was given a half hour to study the book, then a half hour to write a 25 question, multiple guess, exam.

Under the new regulations drivers must renew their DGC every two years.

The new regulations, as proposed by the Canadian Government, set out a newer system of placarding that is to be followed by all countries in the world.

However the Canadian Government itself fails to follow the new guidelines.

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2006

ED-33 - Elections Canada DRO Temporarily rented office space, second floor, 5172 Kingsway.

The DRO (Deputy Returning Officer) is the person who gives you your ballot when you go to vote.

I was given a two hour course on Wed. evening (Jan. 18), for which I was paid, and then asked to stand by on the morning of Mon. Jan. 23 in case one of the DRO s failed to show up at the polls.

I waited from 4 AM TO 11 AM but no one called.

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2007 - 2008

ED-34 - Vanderhoof, B. C.

A friend of mine is making money at home doing part time bookkeeping. As I am good with math I thought I would give it a whirl, so, I enrolled in a bookkeeping course (Correspondence).

Sept. The school suggested I take; Communications 12, Accounting 11, and CAPPA 12.

After completing theses course in Jan. the school suggested I take; Accounting 12, Entrepreneurship 12, and English 12.

Upon completion of those courses I would have qualified for my grade 12.

To this point I had only completed grade 9, though I had been in grade 12 when I quit school.

In June I completed my last exercise with such high marks I didn't need to write the final exams.

After 43 years, I graduated grade 12.

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