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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3,1976, PAGE 7 Words fron WestLynce by Norm Mealing Hi! Nice to see you again! As we sit writing our deathless prose, we are reflecting on the weather. Although this past weekend was not as nice as last week, at least it was snow-free. Maybe, just maybe, our winter weather has left us for this year. This item goes under the heading of a "third reminder". Later this month, the membership of the West Lynde Community Association will be electing its 1976-77 Executive. Have you thought of running? If yes, then give one of the election committee a call. If no, think about it. Talk to the election committee. Find out what it's all about. Give Pat Baxter (2501), Sharon Owens (5096), Eric Laycock (6277) or AI Finnegan (4942) a call. In case you nissed, it the separate schools in Durham were closed last week due to a strike of the custodial staff. While I don't personally agree with anyone involved in the educational system having the right to strike, they do, and in this instance, the custodians did. They struck for parity with their public school counterparts and from the reports of the settlement, they achieved their aim. . A couple of interesting things came out of the strike, however. A group of parents in Ajax wanted to go in and - Hiestorical Whitb by iBriap W inter THE LAWLER HOUSE This large brick house at the corner of King and Trent Streets is 100 years old this year. It was built in 1876 at a cost of $3,000 for a man named Green, but in later years it was the residence of Arthur Thomas Lawler, a former mayor of Whitby and chairman of the Board of Education. Arthur Lawler was born in Whitby on June 13, 1866, the son of Thomas Lawler, a pioneer merchant in the commun- ity. After his father's death in 1895, he took over the family business, a grocery store, which was located the first doof south of the old Dominion Bank building on Brock Street. Mr. Lawler was married in 1905 and in that year moved into the former Green home on King Street. He purchased the building from William Tamblyn,, who was principal of the Collegiate Institute (Colborne Street School). Mr. Lawler was active in political life, being a member of the town council in 1902, 1903, and 1905, and mayor of Whitby in 1906. He was a member of the Board of Education for 20 years and was its chairman in 1920 and 1921. He was a member of Al Saints' Anglican Church, and a Master of the local Masonic Lodge. Mr. Lawler died Nov. 24, 1928, at the age of 62, and a half-holiday was observed by the schools of the town in his memory. As a member of the Board of Education, Mr. Lawler, along with the secretary, Dr. Charles McGillivray, welcomed the new pupils and teachers at the opening exercises in the local schools following the summer vacation. The Lawler - family remained in the King Street home until 1934. A history of the Lawler family should also include the story of Arthur Lawler's father, Thomas Lawler, who was born in Montrath, Queen's County, Ireland, March 11, 1828, and emmigrated to Canada in 1851. A short time after his arrival he settled in Whitby, where he became a clerk for James Rowe, who operated a grain exporting business at Whitby Harbor. Mr. Lawler later joined Mr. Rowe as a business partner, and married Mr. Rowe's eldest daughter, Mary Charlotte in 1865. James Rowe was the first mayor of Whitby, and little did Mr. Lawler know that his son Arthur would also be a mayor of the town. After Mr. Rowe's death in 1869, Thomas Lawler clean the schools, and, by doing so, help to keep them open and their children going to school. One of the trustees whose nane escapes me stated that this couldn't be allowed because it was, in his words, strike breaking. Sure it was, but the parents were motivated by a desire to see that their children suffered no interruption in their education. And surely, that is more important than observing the niceties of the strike. A second observation is in order as well. Since most, if not all, the students in the system lost three days of school, will their parents have their ,ducation taxes reduced by a proportionate amount? Seems only fair to pay for services actually rendered. Also, in case you missed it, town council has extended the Charterway bus service in the town and agreed to a transportation study into the feasibility of further bus service for the town. It seems to me that such a study is unnecessary at this point in time. If we can't afford the ice rink associated with the new town centre, and we can't, we sure as hell can't afford public transportation in Whitby. And we don't need a study to tell us we can't afford it. Finally, and we know you missed this, the Warriors lost to Barrie last Thursday night by a score of 6-2. We say you must have missed it because the crowd was disappointing considering Barrie is the class club of the league, and the Warriors are in a life and death struggle for a playoff spot. Tomorrow night, at 8:00 p.m. at Iroquois Park, they host the Orillia Terriers in a must game. Next Thursday, March1 lth, they play Napanee and next Friday, March 12th, they play Lindsay. Mark down all three dates and plan on going. A little fan support will go a long way towards a playoff berth for the'hometown heroes. Well, that's it for yet another week. See you in one week's time for more Words from West Lynde. purchased grain for William Laing and several other prominent Whitby merchants until he became a partner with Richard Francis and opened the "Chequered Store" at Brock and Colborne Streets in the early 1870s. About this time Mr. Lawler becàme stricken by what was believed to be an incurable disease, and he travelled to England with his family to seek the aid of several eminent physicians. He was told he had only a short time to live and advised to settle on the Island of Jersey in the English channel, but this sort of life did not suit him. He found another doctor in London, who was able to cure him and send him back to Canada in good health in a few weeks. On his arrival back in Whitby, Mr. Lawler set up a store on Dundas Street behind the Dominion Bank, but on Oct. 16, 1877, tragedy struck. A delivery man dropped a tray of lighted coal oul lamps in the store and set it and the remainder of the block from Dundas to Colborne Street on fire. In 1878, Mr. Lawler moved into a new store in Watson's block, south of the bank and continued in business there until his death on Jan. 23, 1895, at the age of 67. Mr. Lawler was a good hunter and cricket player, and even at one time was a sheriff's officer, in charge of arresting men wanted for crimes. In-later years his relaxation was less strenous--a friendly game of cards. Like his son he was also a member of the town council and Board of Education. Thomas Lawler lived in a small cottage on Brock Street south, which was moved to the corner of Keith and Bvron in 1938 when lighway 401 was built. Students will get to play councillors for a day Starting March 22, 18 Whitby high school students will be participating ir; the recreation department's youth and civic administration program. The students are paired off with members of the town council and staff and will hold six seminars with their counterparts to learn how the council operaties. On May 3 1, after their training,, they will hold their own mock council meeting. The program, begun in 1973,. is designied to acquaint stu- dents with the workings of municipal government. GRAND OPENING SPECIAL SAVE $30. OSHAWA 710 Wilson Road South OR WIN IT FREE (½mile from Register Here The Holiday Inn; For Grand Opening off Bloor St., E) Drawing 579-4000 $149.95 premier 119.95 PAINT SERVICE Thorough Surface Sanding Chemically Clean Exterior One Full Coat of Primer 3 Depth Coats of MAA.CO Enamel Baked In Temperature Controlled Oven FREE COLLISION ESTIMATES LEXPERT BODY WORK HOURS: MON. THRU FR ,1, 8-6._SAT. 10-2 • • • ONLY MAKE VUR HOME MORE LVABLE WITH A Remodel your kitchen or bathroom cail or visit our showroom free estimate MITCHELL BROTHERS Building Supplies Ltde 'rokin. 655-4991 ~2~~ -.M dt 1