BILL STOW
1963 - Lemoyne D'Ibervile

I envy those of you who can write books, build, do woodworking, play instruments and even golf.  My greatest fear of retirement is not having anything to do with my time except fish, and even that eventually becomes boring. Whenever anyone asks when I am going to retire, I tell them maybe when I'm 70.  Accounting is the only thing I know.

After Lemoyne I lived with an older brother in Dartmouth and attended Dartmouth H.S. looking for my senior matric with plans to attend McMaster.  After a brief stay at McMaster (2 weeks) I returned yet again to high school, this time in St.Catharines.  Instead of returning to university as planned I tried articling as an accounting student.  I wouldn't have to work as hard, get paid ($47 a week) and enjoy.  Fortunately I married in 1969 and finally became serious about my future.

When I received my CA designation I joined a firm in Peterborough in 1973, moving my wife and 4 month old away from St.Catharines.  My wife has still not forgiven me for moving her away from her family. The firm is now Stow Brown& McLeod, LLP Chartered Accountants in Peterborough.

Our two daughters are married and provided us with two of the greatest joys in our lives -grandchildren. Jackie(28) has a 3 year old son, Cole and Julie (30) has a 2 year old daughter Kaelin.

In growing up I attended 13 schools and I intentionally settled in one city so the kids could develop lifelong ties.  Something that is hard to do when you are always moving. To quote the lyrics of a song - "Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.  Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young".  Needless to say they moved away when they married.

A few years ago (1985) I became involved with the Canadian Automobile Association as a director of CAA Peterborough.  When I became chair in 1995 I arranged a merger with CAA Kingston, CAA Windsor and CAA Toronto to form CAA Central Ontario.  In May I will be completing my term as chair of CAA Central Ontario, now a club with million members.  If there had been anyone living in Central Ontario the last couple of years and were members of CAA you would have been receiving the Leisureways magazine not recognizing the gray haired guy as a former classmate.

My strongest memory of Lemoyne is running around in my brother's black leather jacket and motorcycle boots, more concerned about riding my motorcycle and drinking beer, usually doing both at the same time, than I was about attending school. When the school bus from St.Hubert dropped us off at Lemoyne I would take another bus into Montreal and eat my lunch watching all day matinees.

I ended up with my own accounting firm.  Go figure.

The song goes on to say "Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't.  Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't.  Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do ,don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's."