Letters from Margaret: The Olympian

read our story about Ian Allison here

When my first story about Walkerville was printed (Moose on the Loose, May/June '99) Agnes Heydon Weaver phoned from Dundas and asked me if I was the lady who wrote the story. We had a great chat and spoke of our early memories of Walkerville and of children we knew. I mentioned Ian Allison and we both said at once, "What a great whistler he was!"

Ian would come to call (he was about 16 at the time) on Ruth Mortimer who lived in my apartment building at 121 Windermere. Mary Ferris, Ruth and her two sisters often sat on the front porch on a summer day and laugh and talk.

Agnes and I said simultaneously, "Do you remember how Ian whistled coming down Chilver Road to cross King Edward School's boy's side of the play ground to call on the girls?"

I was 10 years old or so at the time. Now 75 yrs later I see his picture and mine on the Walkerville Times front page at the same time! 

Beside Danny Duck Pepper's house on Devonshire at Cataraqui, someone built a cream or yellow brick house. Danny and I used to walk together to Walkerville Collegiate. Jean Reid came to live in the new house with her aunt and uncle to go to high school in around 1930 or 1931. She was a very fair, quiet, slender, tall girl and eventually married Ian Allison. I believe she played basketball for Walkerville Collegiate. Ian did quite a lot of basketball refereeing there for a while, probably in the early 1940s.

It was great to read what a successful happy life he had. I'm so sorry my family is gone. This would have been a great memory to share. There must be more people than I see writing to you still alive. Can't have all passed away so young ­ or have I lived too long.

Until next time, Margaret Myers Stokes

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