Part Twenty-Four – Illness and University

          After coming back I considered the idea of going back to university when I found it wouldn’t cost me anything for tuition as a senior. So I went and secured a syllabus and found I could take a second year history course in music providing I had permission of the head of the department. I found out the head was Jeff Stokes so I made an appointment for an interview.

          As luck would have it, before I could see him I took quite ill and was admitted to hospital. I went into the emergency room and don’t remember anything after that until a week later. I learned that I had been in the intensive care unit during that time with tubes all over me. Joan was with me a good deal of the time and when I came to in the recovery room I was transferred to a ward. I found out that Joan had called Dr. Stokes and postponed the interview.

          I came out of hospital after about five days and subsequently went to the school for the interview. It went well and I started in September. I went to the registries office where they were able to obtain my transcripts from high school and the University of Toronto, but they couldn’t give me any credits for those courses I took back then.

          The only reason I can think of for my illness was as a result of the stress and pollution I experienced when we went through Montreal at rush hour.

          I obtained a parking permit for the university and parked the two days a week in the Medway parking lot. The course itself was a lecture, one with tutorials and my tutor was Jeff Stokes. The other professor was Philip Downs. It was a large class of about 75 students, and I was the only one over 25 years of age. I only got to know a couple of kids that first year but they seemed to accept my presence with no difficulty. I had to write three essays that first year, something I hadn’t done for nearly 50 years. Before starting school, I took a two-day course at the public library through Fanshaw College to prepare me, consisting of how to take notes, prepare for exams, etc. and I think it helped. I ended the year with a B average.

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