JAMES CAMERON CRAIK

Cam's first job was as a waterboy during the construction of Emmanuel Church.. His father was volunteer Superintendent, and most of the labour was volunteer, including most of Cam's. His first 'real' job was as caretaker of the church. He had to sweep floors, light the fires and bank them on Saturday, so the building would be warm on Sunday. It wasn't until he grew up that he realized that his mother was probably paying his salary.

Cam graduated from Bedford Road Collegiate in 1933, then he entered Normal School (Teacher's Training) and graduated from there in 1934. He got his first position in a country school near Elstow, SK. He got it because he could teach "Sunday School" during the last period each Wendnesday. He taught there for 3 years, in the winter travelling on snowshoes from a farm where he lived to school. Once again he had a job where he had to build fires.

In 1937, he went back to Saskatoon to attend The University of Saskatchewan, where he majored in Philosophy and English. In 1940, he came to Maidstone where he taught for 2 years. At the end of that period he was Principal of the 4-room school, Grades 1 - 12. Evelyn Stenmark was the organist at the church were Cam attended. Her brothers and sisters were still in school, and she taught piano. They were married on May 3, 1942.

2 FAMILY STORIES

Before Avenue E in Saskatoon was paved, it was a dirt road, and the summer sun dried it into a dust that was as fine as sand. One day, Gordon was lying on the road, and his friends covered him with dust. A car drove down the street, and the driver avoided the bump by keeping it under the car as he passed. In his rear view mirror he saw the bump disintegrate as a small boy sat up. He was more frightend than Gordon was, and when he took Gordon to the door, Mother was terrified.

Because the YMCA had played such a large part in his life as he was growing up, it was natural that he became a YMCA Supervisor during WWII. His function was to keep up the morale of the servicemen by organizing entertaiment and sports on a regular basis. Overseas, his territory was in England from York to the River Humber, including the seacoast and remote airfields where there were only 1 or 2 Canadians on an RAF base. The YMCA van was loaded with cigarettes, chocolate bars, Canadian magazines, and sports equipment. Cam had a list of the Canadians in hospitals, and hospital visiting was a daily event. Several times he sat beside men who had undergone surgery, and was there when they realized that they had lost limbs. On occasion he sat for hours, speaking only if he was spoken to, being a link to Canada and home to a man who now and again looked to see if he was there, and obviously wanted him to stay. One Christmas day he ate 3 Christmas dinners with patients in different hospitals.

THE HERO

In the June 15, 1954, Canada Weekly, it says in part: "...Craik stripped off his jacket and dived into the river. McIntyre shouted directions to guide Craik to the spot where Beasley had disappeared...Craik was able to grip the bathing suit of the youth who was lying on the mud bottom of the river, and dragged him to the surface. Together the two Supervisors towed..."

CATHY AND DON

Our kitchen table had chrome legs. One day Mom and Dad were sitting there having coffee. Don's head didn't reach as high as the tabletop, and they didn't know he had a screwdriver until he said, "here, Daddy," and handed Cam all the bolts and screws. All that was holding the top to the legs was gravity.

Cathy and Don were bouncing on Mom and Dad's bed. Just as Mom yelled, "stop jumping," Cathy fell off and broke her collar bone. At the hospital, as they were about to X-ray her shoulder, the nurse said, "Now hold very still, we're going to take your picture," and Cathy smiled through her tears for the camera.

There were those cold Saturday evenings when Mom would pack sandwiches, beverages, hard-boiled eggs and dessert and we would drive downtown, park on a busy street and have a picnic-in-the-car. We would also drive to Stanley Park, where we could have a fire, until late in the Fall. In the summer, sometimes, we would be ready to pack the car as soon as Dad got home. We would drive to a nearby beach were we could swim in the sea before we ate. Mom and Dad could watch us, from a blanket on the sand, until the sun was going down.

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