Remembering Prof. Wooley

While reading the autumn 2007 edition, I was saddened to learn of the death of Prof. Ted Wooley. As a young undergraduate student in the Department of History between 1987 and 1991, I had the pleasure of attending three courses taught by Dr. Wooley: an introduction to US history, which he co-taught with Prof. Brian Dippie (and for which I still have the textbook), his advanced US history class, and his renowned course about the Vietnam War.

In spite of the passage of some 20 years, I still have fond memories of Prof. Wooley’s impressive and inspirational teaching style. He had a true gift for conveying knowledge to others. On a more personal level, he always struck me as someone who was completely without pretension and who genuinely cared about his students. He was, simply put, one the finest educators I have ever met.

Dr. Wooley was a credit to the Department of History and to the University of Victoria as a whole. I offer my sympathies to his family and colleagues.

Ernie Froess, LLB ’94
Vancouver

Lansdowne Years

I read the notice about (the forthcoming book) The Lansdowne Era. I attended Victoria College 1952-53. One of my good friends at that time was Alan Pratt. He must have been one of the first students to attend Vic College in a wheelchair. Perhaps the building had ramps available to him from the days when it was a hospital/rehab centre at the time of the Second World War.

My father often drove along Lansdowne Road, past the centre, on Sunday family drives. I remember seeing a long row of servicemen and perhaps women, who had been wheeled outdoors to the front lawns likely “to take the sunshine.” They were lying semi-recumbent in wicker wheelchairs that looked about eight feet long. They were wrapped up in blankets and shawls and were fascinating to the eyes of a child. So much so, I skip only to delightful memories of 1952-53.

Patricia Jones, Victoria College ’52
Saanichton