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18 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, March 28, 1989 New school is named for Sam When S.A. (Sam) Cawker have had difficult times at started his teaching careerina home, one-room school more than half But there were lots of head- a century ago, he never aches and frustrations too. He dreamed that one day a new modern school would be name - after him, ; Mr, Cawker, 83, told the Star he was "delighted and hon- oured" when he learned last week. the new elementary school now under construction in Port Perry will be called the S.A.CawkerP.S. That name was the runa- way favourite among the near- ly 500 Scugog residents who took the opportunity so cast their votes for the name of the new school. ~The other names consid- ered were North Port and the Jimmy Frise School. Scugog board of education trustee Bobbie Drew, . who helped tally the phone-in vote, said it always saddened him to 'see students with good poten- tial flounder or drop out. Times were tough in the Depression Years of the "Dirty 80's." His salary was $900 an- fugly (he was glad to have the jo But the Depression was very tough on young children as well. He recalls vividly one youngster whose family had moved east from Saskatche- n. "The boy was so skinny. You could see every rib and the bones in his shoulders sticking out," The boy's father landed steady work in Port Perry, put food: on. the table and within months, that youngster was said S.A. Cawker was favoured healthy and happy again. by "over 80 per cent." But the image has stuck in The decision needs to be Sam's memory ever since. ratified by the Durham Board this week, but Mrs. Drew said she's confident there will be no Sam worked many yearsin Port Perry with the late R.H. (Roy) Cornish, a man he said opposition to the choice for the was not only a colleague in school'sname. teaching and education but a As for Mr. Cawker, whore- close friend aswell. tired from teaching in 1968 and "We did a lot of fishing and now makes his home near Nes- tleton, he was tickled pink at the news, and said he's looking forward to the official ceremo- nies when the school opens on Simcoe Street North this fall. Born and raised in Port portt, Sam attended Toronto Teacher's College and took his first job at the one room school (S.S.7)just south of Caesarea. There were 48 students in his school in grades 1 through eight, and the salary that year was $1,000. . After a couple of years withallthestaffmembers. working with his brothers in While he has many enjoya- ! the hardware business in To- ble memories from a teaching ronto, Sam turned to teaching once again, this time for four yearsin Millbrook. i In 1934, he accepted a teaching position at the ele- mentary school in Port Perry, -and stayed there until 1968 when he retired as vice princi- pal. Looking back on his many years as an educator, he said the most satisfying aspect of the job was seeing a child work hard to "make it through," espe- cially those children who may hunting _to-gether, and for three summers during the war worked as carpenters in war work." "We made better money (on war work as carpenters) than we did teaching," Sam re- calls with a laugh. "I don't know what we would have done with- out it." During school hours, espe- cially in the presence of stu- dents, they were careful to ad- dress each other as "Mr." not by their first names. And the same career that spanned more than four decades, Sam said he's not quite sure if he would want to be starting over again in a one room school at $1,000 per year. But he'd jump at the chance to start a teaching ca- reer in 1989 and says teaching is a great profession these days for any young person to consid- er. And he'll be watching with interest as construction pro- gresses on the new school that will carry his name. 985-9791 |__ SHEPHERD '@ POWELL __| Chartered Accountants -- practicing in -- SMALL BUSINESS, - CORPORATIONS & FARMS INCOME TAX PREPARATION 2850 (Queen Street, Port Perry 985-7031 S. A. (Sam) Cawker stands in front of the new school under construction on Simcoe Street North in Port Perry. The school will be named after him when it opens for classes this September. Close to 500 people in Scugog took the opportunity to vote on the name for the school. The new name will be official when the Durham Board ratifies the decision this week. 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