Photos of grampa Ken

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Tancock ignited Maggie O’Reilly’s love of history and politics

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Hmm, how do I begin to describe Ken Tancock and the impact he had on my life? For starters, I must confess it is still difficult for me to call him Ken. At Laurier, we always called him Mr. Tancock or just Tancock, not out of disrespect but because it had a powerful, decisive ring to it, both of which he was. High school was not an easy time for me. I was self-conscious, an outsider to the Guildwood community and, overall, it was a lonely time for me. I did love to learn, however, so I clung to those who were serious about teaching and cared about their students. Thus I cannot overstate the importance Ken Tancock played in my life. I remember him striding into the classroom, fairly bursting with energy, often sporting a dark turtleneck and desert boots, if I'm not mistaken, both of which I consequently still have a fondness for, whether in style or not. Though not a tall man, his forward momentum made him seem like a giant to me. Tancock would drop his large stack of materials with...
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Margaret Gillespie: Ken was not a typical boss

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I met Ken in the spring of 1978, when he hired me to join the history department of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute in Scarborough. Ken had an MA in history and was well known for his contributions to board-wide events such as the annual history conference. But the interview showed me that he was also a friendly, approachable person who did not need his ego massaged by others. When my answers to his questions showed him that our beliefs about the teaching of history were compatible, he immediately offered me the position. Ken’s style was first among equals, not boss. He did not enjoy the administrative part of his job and he avoided this as much as possible. There were many PA calls into our workroom from one or other of the secretaries asking for some paperwork that was due yesterday. Ken led by example and gave each of us free rein to do things our way. But we were not a collection of lone rangers. There were continual conversations, sometimes heated, often ...
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David Olive: Behind every great person is a great teacher

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  Ken was one of the greatest  teachers who ever lived. That is not an exaggeration. I am a student of history and  as a journalist  I have studied thousands of lives.  Most of us come up short in certain important ways. We are human. So was Ken, who could be impatient with stupidity – that of Napoleon and of a high school principal who had reached his level of incompetence. As we all do if we fail to recognize our limitations. Ken recognized a limitation he had, which is that he vastly preferred teaching to administration. He repeatedly turned down invitations to accept the higher pay and prestige of management. He chose instead to remain in the classroom, spending his entire days with the students who were the future of the country. That was no sacrifice. Ken immediately earned his students’ respect, and drew from many of us our love. We always had the feeling that Ken was having the time of his life in our company. I signed up for Ken’s his...
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