Dear Larry (Cimino),
As to my reason for attending St. Mike's...
I am the child of Depression-era parents, William Wellington Archibald (farm boy), and Mildred Mary (Noll) Archibald (carpenter's daughter), whose family cultures inclined them to frugality and thrift from the get-go.
As soon as my parents and I learned that St. Mike's (like UT "at large") provided ALL students with the same government-subsidized tuition as native-born Canadians, my decision to attend was a no-brainer. (What a remarkable thing for the Canadian government to do! I often say that living in Canada taught me the difference between "civilization" and "barbaria.")
I am also a graduate of Aquinas Institute, a Basilian-operated high school in Rochester, New York, whose priests brought St. Mike's to my attention as a very high-quality educational institution, with world-class staff, and a current "U.S. News Best Global Universities" ranking of #16. When I entered Western Year, Marshall McLuhan was the most celebrated professor on campus, although Rev. J. Edgar Bruns (author of "God as Woman, Woman as God" and "The Christian Buddhism of St. John") was my all-time favorite. https://archive.org/details/christianbuddhis0000brun
Since Aquinas Institute is such a remarkable community, I will mention that the Basilian spirit is most evident (to most Americans) through the work of celebrated graduate Robert Wegman, founder of Wegman's Grocery Stores, which (in 2005) was ranked #1 on Fortune magazine's list of "best companies to work for." Robert turned over the reins to Danny Wegman who is still at the helm, with Danny's daughters Colleen and Nicole positioned to take over.
I currently live in central North Carolina where Wegman's has established a rapidly-expanding presence. Whenever I interact with Wegman's exceptionally well-trained, remarkably cheerful, helpful, service-oriented staff at the company's Chapel Hill store, I let them know that their admirable ethos goes back to the education-and-formation of Robert Wegman who graduated AQ in 1937. https://share.google/aimode/odRzhK0ehV4pwpfi8
Wishing you well.
Credo quid quid dixit dei filius.
Alan (Archibald)
Western Year, 1965-'66
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Dear St. MIchael’s Western Alumni,
Making the decision of where to attend university is one of the earliest and most significant life decisions one makes, often affecting many aspects of one’s life henceforth (values, career, fields of study and expertise, domicile, hobbies and interests, life-long friendships, etc.) As you know, we are in the process of reconstructing the history of the Western Year Program. For decades, the Western Year Program was a highly selective program at St. Mike’s that attracted excellent students from provinces outside of Ontario, from the the US, and from many countries around the world. We believe that capturing the stories of how the St. MIke’s Western alumni heard about the program and ultimately made the decision to apply and attend is an important aspect of the history of the Western Year Program and something that we want to capture and preserve in the Archives.
In 1963, Time Magazine ran a story in their Education section about colleges featuring Yale and the University of Toronto with a special emphasis on the Western Year Program at St. Michael’s College. This article had a significant effect on applications to St, MIke’s for several years thereafter. Attached is a copy of that article which you might enjoy reading.
How did you find out about St. MIchael’s College and the Western Year Program, and what were the factors involved in your own decision to attend? Many of you have already shared stories about your arrival at St. MIke’s, your college experience, and the effect it has had on your life. Those stories have all been forwarded to the archives for preservation. Can you reflect briefly on your decision process that brought you to St. Mike’s and the Western Year Program? These stories will also become part of the Archives Western Year Collection to be preserved and curated for posterity.
Capturing the history of the Western Year Program over the several decades of its existence is a monumental task which will be an ongoing project for the foreseeable future. Please feel free to share your memories and artifacts that you believe might enhance the collection.
And plan to attend the upcoming All-Western Reunion on June 19 and 20 in conjunction with the St. MIke’s Spring Reunion. Registration will open soon, so you might wish to contact your old friends and classmates and start making plans to come home to St. MIke’s on this special occasion. For those with a special sense of nostalgia, rooms for both men and women will be available in Loretto College at a very reasonable price that weekend on a first-come-first-serve basis.
With best regards to all,
Larry Cimino
7T3
Alumni Association Board of Directors
Chair, Reunion Committee
