Because of Their Courage
Air Date: June 1, 2020
Episode Notes
#10 Because of Their Courage
June 1, 2020
0:00 Interview with Nancy Lambert, Former Senior Administrative Officer
11:01 Interview with Gary Warrick, Professor, Indigenous Studies and History
22:48 Interview with Elaine Francombe, Former Academic Development Coordinator
Learn more about our host, Associate Professor Bruce Gillespie, program coordinator of Digital Media and Journalism
One Market is created and produced by Bruce Gillespie and Tarah Brookfield. Music by Scott Holmes. Graphics by Melissa Weaver. Thanks to Nicole Morgan for campus promotion.
Transcript
Bruce Gillespie 0:00
Welcome to One Market. Keeping the Laurier Brantford community connected. I’m Bruce Gillespie. This is episode 10, how’s that possible? This is a special episode, as we talk with three longtime members of our community who are retiring. We don’t have a lot of retirements around here given the age of our campus, so it feels like a big deal. We hear from our retirees about how they got started on campus, some of their favorite memories and what they have planned for the future. Plus, they share lots of great history about Laurier Brantford, perfect for an O-Week trivia game. All that and more coming up on this episode of One Market.
Our first guest is Nancy Lambert. Nancy is a Brantford resident who began her career at Laurier in 2005. She started out as an admin assistant to the Criminology and Contemporary Studies programs, and within a few years became the manager of the Dean’s office, back when Brantford was just one faculty. When she retired this fall, she was the office manager for the Dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences. I started by asking Nancy about what she’ll remember most about her time here.
Nancy Lambert 1:16
Program development has been so huge for Brantford and that’s one of the things I think was really exciting about being at the Brantford campus, was the fact that, I mean, it was a little bit scary at times- the growth, but on the other hand, it was such a great opportunity and so exciting to be a part of. Going from eight programs to almost 20 programs.
Bruce Gillespie 1:40
And I think it’s still such a unique experience, right? Because so many universities are single campuses that are you know, very, very old. Whereas, you know, the opportunity to be in on a university campus from the ground up, especially as you say building brand new programs is still really rare across Canada.
Nancy Lambert 1:56
A few of us administrative assistants went down to a conference years ago, a NACADA conference, and what we were hearing from the huge universities across the United States was how envious they were of us in our position at Laurier Brantford. How we weren’t bound by the historical processes and policies of a university, that we were at a point in our time at Laurier Brantford where we could start writing, and start building the foundation of what Laurier Brantford really was going to look like one day. It was actually such an encouraging conference, we went into it feeling very small, and you know, it wasn’t, we weren’t looked at, like, by that. The other administrators there and the workshop leaders were all saying the same thing is that we were at at the most opportune time in the life of our campus.
Bruce Gillespie 2:59
That’s amazing, and amazing to have other people, sort of, recognize that. And I think you’re right, it takes outsiders to remind you of that fact because I think, you know, for all the program creation development we’ve done at this campus, sometimes it’s exhausting. Then you sort of sit back and think, where else would you have a chance to grow these kinds of programs or traditions from the ground up? I mean, it doesn’t, it just doesn’t happen in most places, or it happened 100 years ago.
Nancy Lambert 3:22
Yes, exactly.
Bruce Gillespie 3:25
What are your, what are some of your favorite memories from working at Laurier Brantford?
Nancy Lambert 3:30
Oh, I have a lot of really happy memories of my time at Laurier. One thing is working with the incredible staff I’ve had the privilege of working alongside over the years, and they were there to support our faculty and the students and the programs. And I just feel like the staff at Laurier Brantford just have that really in their hearts to do that. One of the things we did was we always had lots of fun at Laurier Brantford. In the early days, we would host potlucks over in the Student Center basement, and pretty well everybody on campus would come, faculty and staff from all over campus would come, and we would get together for these fun times. And one of them, in more recent years since the Research and Academic Center was built, we started hosting the Santa Claus parade. And these were just things that kind of we collaborated on between other departments. I mean, we had well over 100 people, staff members and their families that would come out and watch the parade with us. We would have activities for the children, like, so those are some of my highlights in terms of the staff.
In terms of the students, there was one story that sticks out in my mind and he was a student we had been advising and helping with through her time at Laurier, and she had struggled. She had a lot of struggles and things that, just really bad things that happened in her life. And watching her life and the struggles she went through, and the time it took her to complete her degree. I just thought, “You know what, most students would just give up and pack it in”, but not this person. She was just tenacious, she just stuck with it, and the advisor helped her along the way. And I just remember one of the very happy memories I have is, we decided to volunteer at the Fall Convocation because the student wasn’t able to convocate in the spring, so she convocated in the fall. And one of my happiest memories was watching her walk across the stage and accept a degree, it really was very rewarding because I knew it was the faculty and the staff at the Brantford campus that helped her to achieve her goal because they invested in her, they saw her as a person, not just as a student number.
And then, I mean, one more really happy memory. One of the fun things I got to do was to be a part of the hiring process for new faculty. And we had a real growth spurt, the Brantford campus where we hired a lot of new faculty in a short period of time. I think the one year there was actually 16 new faculty hires.
Bruce Gillespie 6:18
Like a merger, right?
Nancy Lambert 6:19
Well, we were quite behind in other faculties in terms of the faculty that we had, so it was a really exciting time. So, this one story was back in 2010. And we were, the committee was interviewing for a position for a faculty member. And part of the process is to have another faculty member shepherd, that person for a meal, give them a campus tour, I don’t know, do you recall that with your experience?
Bruce Gillespie 6:45
I do, yes.
Nancy Lambert 6:46
Okay. So, this particular time, the faculty member, or the person that was being interviewed, the candidate came to my office because she was going to meet with the shepherd. But, for whatever reason, the shepherd was not able to attend that lunch meeting, everybody was gone for lunch, there was no faculty members around for me to talk to or ask for advice. I was actually, literally the only person there at the time. So. I had a lunch date planned with another faculty member who was on maternity leave, she was bringing her little girl and we were going to meet in the park and have lunch together. And I don’t know I just went out on a limb, and I said to this candidate and to a faculty member, “Would you mind having lunch together at the park, I’ll go purchase lunch for you, and I will spend time with the baby, so you two can meet?” And it just went so well. It just, whenever I think back to that story, and that person accepted the position, which was, I mean, like, they weren’t treated with great pomp and ceremony, they went to the park, had a bag lunch on a picnic bench and they still accepted the position. And when I think back about it, that story always reminds me of the uniqueness of Laurier Brantford, and the faculty and the staff here.
Bruce Gillespie 8:13
I completely agree. I think it’s a wonderful, and I think that that’s a story that completely encapsulates who we are right? We’re a small place where people care about each other, and I think there are really strong relationships between staff and faculty that people will step in and do these kinds of things. And I think with that kind of experience, like, who wouldn’t want to come here, right? When people are that, sort of, open? I love that. Now, Nancy, you’ve officially already retired.
Nancy Lambert 8:40
Yes.
Bruce Gillespie 8:40
But, what are your plans for the future? Obviously, you’re staying home these days like everybody else. But, once things get back to normal, what do you, what are you looking forward to doing with more of your time?
Nancy Lambert 8:51
Well, um, well, to start with, I actually had, it was a real treat to be able to come back for a few months. I was asked to come back and help out because there was some new staff were hired, other staff were on mat leave. And there was, like, a position that couldn’t be filled for a few weeks, so they asked me to come back. And I know that these are unprecedented times and it was really gratifying to see Laurier’s response. I feel that Laurier has had nothing but the best interest of the students at heart. So, this few weeks that I was able to work back at Laurier was actually a real treat for me. It was part time and it was, it was really good to be connected with all the friends I’ve made with along the way. But, my contract ended on Friday, and now I’ll be able to spend more time on my three priorities, which are my faith, my family and my friends. And I just, I mean, I love being outside. I enjoy trail hikes, biking, kayaking, cross country skiing in the winter, which I was able to do more of this year. And then, as soon as I can, will start traveling and my first destination will be to see my children and grandchildren in Calgary. I’m very much looking forward to that when we can travel again.
Bruce Gillespie 10:09
No doubt.
Nancy Lambert 10:10
And then, I mean, I love reading, going, like I said, for walks and going for coffee. I’m looking forward to going for coffees on patios again.
Bruce Gillespie 10:20
Yes.
Nancy Lambert 10:20
I know it’s such a simple thing, but I really miss that.
Bruce Gillespie 10:23
It’s all those things we take for granted, right?
Nancy Lambert 10:25
Exactly. And then, I volunteer in my community. I just finished up my training to be a volunteer at the Brantford General Hospital when all of this had hit, and my first scheduled volunteer time, of course, got cancelled because of this, because of the shutdown. But, I’m looking forward to getting started on that as soon as things open up a little bit more.
Bruce Gillespie 10:48
That’s great. And I’m sure anyone, everyone who knows who will not be surprised to hear you’re keeping busy, so thank you so much for talking to us today, Nancy, it’s been wonderful to connect with you.
Nancy Lambert 10:59
Yeah, thank you Bruce. Take care.
Bruce Gillespie 11:02
Our next guest is Gary Warrick, a professor in the Indigenous Studies and History programs. Gary was one of the first two faculty members hired full time at our campus. The second being Peter Farrugia, who we talked to in episode 5. An archaeologist by training, Gary had been teaching part time at another university while working for the Ministry of Transportation, before making the leap to full time teaching when our campus first opened in 1999. I started by asking him what things were like in the early days on our campus.
Gary Warrick 11:33
Well, there really was not a campus first, to be honest. In fact, in August, when I was hired, they asked me to go over to the Carnegie Building that was still under construction, they were still renovating it, right? So, there were guys walking around with construction hats on, and they allowed me to go in without a construction hat down in the basement where the offices are, right? And just select an office. And so, I walked around and the offices were finished, all the doors were locked, of course, and I’m walking through the office, and each one had a little glass window similar to a lot of the offices on campus, right? And I was looking at them, and then I saw one at the end of the hallway that was a corner office. I thought, “Oh, that would be nice.” And I, kind of, peered in as far as I could and looked on the desk and there was a book and I, Peter Farrugia had been hired a couple of weeks before me, and I guess he had done the office pick and they’d actually let him in, and he put he put a book like how a mining claim would put a stake in the ground.
Bruce Gillespie 12:39
Right.
Gary Warrick 12:39
I just thought it was a classic, like, “Oh, somebody got that office before I could.” So, but yeah, it was, and then the classes opened in September. It was strange though, having the students in all of our classes, right? You know, Peter and I, and, of course, we only taught, because we were building the campus and designing curriculum, we only had two courses to teach. And those courses were year long courses as well,
Bruce Gillespie 13:09
Oh, wow.
Gary Warrick 13:09
So, we had taught, you know, the equivalent of a semester course in the fall and one in the winter, right? Because we were designing and building other courses and generally helping with organizing the campus, I mean.
Bruce Gillespie 13:20
Sure.
Gary Warrick 13:20
You know, with, literally, with the custodial stuff and the administrative stuff, and Peter, myself, and they added that first year, was Art Read who was the the equivalent of the vice president or, you know, the chief executive officer for the university at that time, but you could get us all in a small little room to have a meeting, right? And we would, you know, the custodial staff would be in on the meetings too, right? Because that’s how that camp, it was a one room, I call it the one room schoolhouse university, right? In the Carnegie Building. So, all the students were, you got to know every student, of course, by name, and they got, you know, it was different. It was, and they were courageous. I’ve always said that that first group of students, the first graduating class, were very courageous to attend an experimental program, Contemporary Studies, right? And at a campus that was in an old renovated Carnegie Library in downtown Brantford. They were very courageous, and they stuck with it. I think we lost a couple of students from the first, the 39 who attended that first year, but the rest stuck through with it and and now look at us, right? Because of their courage, Bruce, that’s why Laurier Brantford exists.
Bruce Gillespie 14:34
Absolutely. And I sort of think back, you’re talking about the sense of community because you’re so small, I think one of the one of the the elements of our campus that’s been you been retained because of that, I think is that sense of community. So, obviously, we’re much bigger than 39 students and a handful of faculty, but I still think we have that sense of, that sense of community where people know each other and people from various departments and walks of life come together for meetings or social events, and I think that’s, that’s really unique. But, I think that’s also part of this crazy experiment of a brand new university campus, which is still a really rare thing in Canada.
Gary Warrick 15:09
Yeah, it is, Bruce. And to be fair, I’ve called it, you know, social reproduction as well. We had, and I’m not blowing my own horn, but we had a really good group of people right at the beginning, who really jelled and really got along, you know, and we were all pulling on the oars together, right? Because we all wanted it to be a success, right? And as we hired new faculty, I think, even though you can’t put that on the CV, or you can’t put that on the job ad, right? We were looking for people who had a similar, I guess, enthusiasm, and I don’t know what it is, you use your intuition partly. You know, you tick all the boxes during the job interviews, right? But, there’s that something else that, you know, when you hire someone, that you just click. And I think, because we were brand new and hiring every year, Bruce, I think that we accumulated staff and faculty who were all on the same page, right?
Bruce Gillespie 16:05
Yeah.
Gary Warrick 16:05
And I think you’re right, we’ve continued to do that, I think, right? Because, as you know, I mean, visiting other campuses, we’re unique in terms of how well faculty get along with staff, and you know, it’s quite unique.
Bruce Gillespie 16:19
So, as we head towards your official retirement date later this summer, when you look back at your time here since the very beginning, what are some of the moments that stand out for you?
Gary Warrick 16:30
Hmm, I guess the very first class, Bruce. I taught the very first class at Laurier Brantford, right?
Bruce Gillespie 16:36
Wow.
Gary Warrick 16:36
I think an 8:30.
Bruce Gillespie 16:38
Naturally.
Gary Warrick 16:37
And I was on a U of T schedule. I taught at University of Toronto, Mississauga, they were on an hour schedule at U of T. And I, for some reason, I thought that, you know, our first lecture, I think, was just an hour. I think we were on an hourly, rather than an hour and 20 minutes, now that I’m recalling. Anyway, so, you know, I started it at 8:30 and by nine o’clock, it was like, “Wow,” you know, “where’s that hour gone?” right? You know, and I started putting my lecture notes away, and 39 heads were looking at me, right? In the classroom. And then I looked at the clock in the room in the Carnegie Building, and then I looked at them, I went, “I still have another half hour, don’t I?” And in unison, I’m not kidding, I’m not making this up, Bruce, in unison 39 heads nodded. That was kind of a memorable moment, you know, how to start off, you know, on the right foot, you know, right at the beginning.
Yeah, so, and there were other moments too. There’s a famous story of when Leo Groarke became the Vice Pres of the campus. He was just moving in, and it was in the summer, and I had met Leo and he said, “Gary, I’m really thirsty.” You know, it was a hot day. And he said, “Did you want to go somewhere for a beer?” And I said, “Sure, yeah, there’s these downtown places, Leo, but they’re pretty, you know, pretty sketchy.” And so, he said, “Okay, well, let’s just sit outside,” right? And so, we were sitting outside, he had a black T-shirt on, and I had a T-shirt. I was summertime, right? And he had jeans on, I had jeans on, I think, and we were sitting there and Leo had his scruffy beard that he always, you know, wore, and I had my ponytail and, kind of, a goatee, I guess, right? And we’re sitting there drinking our beer, and this guy comes up to us, downtown Brantford, a little rough around the edges. And he goes, “Are you the guys with the Harley Davidsons over there?” We didn’t have the heart to tell him and we didn’t, Bruce, “No, actually, we’re professors at the local university.” It was literally, that’s the town gown kind of thing of having a downtown campus, right? You know, that the university has just seamlessly fit in, you know, to Brantford, right? Into the downtown.
Bruce Gillespie 18:58
So, you’ve been part of a lot of the change and growth of the campus. When you look back, what are some of the, sort of, the legacies, or the proud moments you have of change you’ve been part of at the campus?
Gary Warrick 19:08
Hmmm, legacies? Well, Indigenous Studies first, initially, I was given the task during the Contemporary Studies days of, you know, here’s a white guy that got hired, right? To teach Indigenous Studies because I was an archaeologist and did archaeology in Canada, you’re doing archaeology of Indigenous peoples generally, right? So, because of those connections, that was back in 1999, you know, that was the universities, right? You know, we didn’t have, other than Trent University and a few others in Canada, there weren’t very many Indigenous scholars or, you know, departments of Native Studies or Indigenous Studies, right? So, they asked me to design a course, a full year course on, you know, with Indigenous theme, right? So, I did it, but I always felt strange doing that, but I always thought in the back of my mind, you know, “I shouldn’t be doing this, there should be an Indigenous scholar hired here,” right? And eventually Carola Claire was hired in the early 2000s, you know, to design an Indigenous Studies program, right? And for me that was, you know, I thought, “Yeah, this is this is what I imagined for this campus. This is why I came to Brantford, you know,” because we’re 15-20 minutes away from the largest Indigenous community in Canada, Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit, right? Combined. And I always thought that, you know, students will come from those communities to this campus, right? And it’s happening, we have a long way to go. We’re still not there yet. You know, but still, we’re on the path, right?
Bruce Gillespie 20:48
So, what are your plans for the future now with with retirement on the horizon? What are you looking at doing now that you won’t be getting up for 8:30 classes?
Gary Warrick 20:56
Well, I love Brantford. Everyone’s asked, you know, “Are you staying in Brantford?” And it’s, like, “Yeah, I love Brantford,” right? I was born and raised in Hamilton, and then lived in Toronto for 20 years. And those are big, big, big cities, Bruce, and I’m a small city guy. I really am in my heart, I guess. Even though my whole life has been spent in big cities, except for Branford, right? And when I got to Brantford it was like, “Ah, this is such a nice place.” Like, you know, during the pandemic, I’ve been getting out on the bike trails on a nice day and riding my bicycle and you don’t see another person, right? It’s kind of nice, right? And you have the trail to yourself and you’re out in nature and 10 minutes from your home. And so, Brantford is really nice. So, I’ll be doing that kind of thing, right? But also, I’ll be involved still in research and writing. I’m doing some of that now, tweaking articles. I’m on a research grant, so after I retire for the next three years, I’m a co applicant on a successful SSHRC research grant doing, working with Six Nations of the Grand River doing a historical atlas of the Grand River from a Haudenosaunee Six Nations perspective, which is really exciting.
Bruce Gillespie 22:03
Wow.
Gary Warrick 22:03
So, I’ll continue to do that kind of thing. But, I will miss the students. I’ll be honest with you, I will miss the classroom, and I’ll miss the students. I know that, during my sabbatical years, maybe I don’t tell people that, but I miss the students in the classroom, teaching, right? I will miss that. So, if I’m invited to do a guest lecture in someone’s class, I will, you know, for sure book it and say, “Yes, of course. And when can I be there?” You know?
Bruce Gillespie 22:34
That is great, Gary, happy retirement, and hopefully we’ll hear from you again soon.
Gary Warrick 22:38
Bruce, thanks so much. And again, thank you for inviting me to be part of the next podcast.
Bruce Gillespie 22:43
Our pleasure.
Our final guest is Elaine Francombe. Elaine started out as an admin assistant in 2007, for the Contemporary Studies and Criminology programs. Because the campus was still so small back then, she also did a lot of informal academic advising, which led to her subsequent roles as an official advisor, and then coordinator of Academic Development and Assessment, where she played a big role in helping new programs come to life. That’s where we began our conversation.
Certainly from a program coordinators point of view, the great thing about you having spent so much time there is that when you went to your next job, which was helping sort of develop new curriculum and implement new curriculum across all sorts of programs, your in depth knowledge about how programs work, what the curriculum structure looks like, what those different pathways look like to actually create new programs was so valuable. Because, again, for people on the outside who may not know this, creating new courses, new programs, changing courses and programs is actually a really complicated system to go through. So, having someone like you to be able to call and say, “Elaine, I have these ideas I need to go through and I don’t know how to do it,” is so valuable. So, you really learned about all those things from the inside out.
Elaine Francombe 24:01
Yes. And it was lovely to have the on the ground experience with how the regulations affected students and be able to see, you know, how a change would would impact them, and not just be a great idea that, you know, sounded good on paper. And I really enjoyed that. And I’m so fortunate that I was able to work both with students, and then with faculty and know the faculty a little going into the second job. So that, you know, it just it just seemed like a very natural progression for me.
Bruce Gillespie 24:43
And certainly, I think that’s a huge part of the value you brought to that role was that all those years spent in advising meant that you knew the kinds of concerns and challenges that students faced during, through our curriculum. So, like you said, when faculty come up with ideas that we think are great, you can sort of come back and say, “Actually, for students, this doesn’t make sense, or this would be better for students, or have you thought about doing it this different way instead?” That was really unique and useful experience for us.
Elaine Francombe 25:09
And it was, it was also so rewarding to be with the faculty at a time when, you know, when they were looking at new ideas and just being so overwhelmed with, “Yes, that is a fantastic idea.” Like, it, you know, and once it’s in place, everyone just says, “Oh, yes, that’s, that’s the way the program works.” But,when someone comes up with it, and you just, it’s so great to be around such talented people who come up with these things and and feel so, you know, our faculty is always just so committed to making their programs better. And that was, it was wonderful to be a part of that.
Bruce Gillespie 25:52
And it’s so nice to hear that you felt it was rewarding, because I know a lot of times in our side of felt, like, we have these giant curriculum decisions to figure out, we can just send this stuff to Elaine and she’ll produce all these beautiful documents and think it all through. I’m glad you felt it was rewarding.
Elaine Francombe 26:09
It was, and it was a learning experience for me as well. And, you know, there were things that had to go back and forth because even I at the time was was quite naive about what exactly, you know, was going to be approved. But, those were really good days when, you know, special days to me were when you could breathe a sigh of relief that something was passed. You know, something was going to be put into place, that we’d done everything right. And, you know, those were those were the good days.
Bruce Gillespie 26:42
Yeah, I bet. So, what are some of your fondest memories of being at Laurier? I imagine one of them has to be your book club.
Elaine Francombe 26:51
Yes, my book club. It, well not my book club, the book club, which we named in fun. We named it WILF, for Workers Interested in Literature and Food, because we meet at lunchtime, and it’s very informal. And we just pick a book, we pick a day when we all think we can meet in, you know, 6, 7-8 weeks, you know, and have all attempted to read the book, or at least started the book. And we bring our lunches and we all get together, we book a room and, you know, people come when they can, and different people have, you know, everyone’s welcome to come. But, you know, all faculty and staff have participated. And it’s just been especially nice, because often there were people at the, you know, even though we’re a small campus, when you work in one area, you don’t get to know people well in other areas often. And this was an opportunity for me to do that, and for all of us to do that. So, I have some good friends I’ve made through WILF. And, you know, it was very, it’s just been a lot of fun. And I love to read and I’ve read books that I never would have chosen, if I hadn’t have, you know, been, you know, willing to read them and said, “Yes. Okay, let’s, let’s all go ahead and try this.” And at times, it was like, “Oh, boy,” but then I really liked the book.
Bruce Gillespie 28:24
And I think, like you say, that’s one of the best aspects of the book club is that you’re sort of, forced is not the right word, but forced into reading something that you might not pick up on your own.
Elaine Francombe 28:35
Exactly.
Bruce Gillespie 28:36
Understanding and discovering why someone else would find it interesting. And sometimes you come to that conclusion on your own from reading it. Sometimes that only comes when you hear the person who’s passionate about that book, talk about it, but I think you’re right. If, again, I’ve, it’s a group that I don’t always get to, but I love to drop into when I can. And it’s a great mix of faculty and staff from all sorts of different programs and areas, which is great, because like you said, sometimes that’s the only place to see those folks. So, it’s a really great sort of community building opportunity.
Elaine Francombe 29:04
Mm hmm. And also when when you do your interviews with authors, you know, for the Edna Staebler Award, once a year, and those were also excellent. I must say, I enjoyed them so many times and really look forward to them. It’s an opportunity, an opportunity to hear an author speak is is always really, really interesting.
Bruce Gillespie 29:30
Absolutely. And it’s always so nice to see so many of those WILF folks out in the audience for those receptions and events, especially because I think at a small campus, people might assume we don’t get a lot of authors coming through because, you know, we’re in Brantford as opposed to someplace bigger. But, because people are so interested in writing and literature on our campus we actually have lots of authors coming through on a really regular basis, which is really fun.
Elaine Francombe 29:52
Mm hmm.
Bruce Gillespie 29:54
What are some of your other memorable moments on campus?
Elaine Francombe 29:58
Oh, you know, convocations were always really special days. It was lovely to see students cross the stage that, you know, I knew, you know, and I’d met a number of times, or even if I’d just met them a couple of times, but everyone was always so happy and joyful. And, you know, lovely, lovely receptions and especially after we moved into the Research Academic Center and had the outdoor area there to have the reception in. You know, it’s just a really, really nice fun day to enjoy with faculty and with staff.
Bruce Gillespie 30:41
So, you retired officially earlier this semester. So, you’ve already become retired, but what are your future plans these days? Obviously, these days, you’re probably sitting home a lot, like the rest of us. But, once things go back to normal, what do you, what are your future plans?
Elaine Francombe 30:56
Well, I just am actually enjoying not doing very much.
Bruce Gillespie 31:05
Good for you.
Elaine Francombe 31:06
I just realized with, you know, since I retired and I think COVID has, you know, forced everybody to slow down a little bit and just, it’s just nice not to be rushing about. I miss my family terribly and the main thing I want to do is spend more time with my family. I have four grandchildren and my husband and I, you know, just love being with them. So, that’s been hard, and I really want to spend more time with them. And I think I’d just like to, you know, be with my husband more we, you know, we’d hoped to travel, but that’s okay if that doesn’t happen for a while now. It’s just nice to be, everybody to be together, really. That’s my priority right now. I’ve tried to be a little more active in the kitchen with baking things and I’ve enjoyed that, except for the bread. That was a terrible, terrible day.
Bruce Gillespie 32:10
It typically goes one way or the other, right? Your bread turns out great or it’s a disaster. There’s no middle ground with bread.
Elaine Francombe 32:13
There was no middle ground. They were, well my husband described the two loaves as, “small weapons.” But, anyway, I would like to try again, anyway. But, it’s been wonderful to talk to you, Bruce, thank you.
Bruce Gillespie 32:26
You too, Elaine, thank you so much for joining us today. You are definitely missed on campus, but we look forward to seeing you at future meetings of WILF.
Elaine Francombe 32:32
Thank you, you too. Thank you.
Bruce Gillespie 32:34
We’re saying goodbye to one more retiree this summer, Rob Feagan, a professor in the Society Culture and Environment program. Rob wasn’t available to speak with us right now. But, rest assured we’re hoping to catch up with him later on this summer and feature him in a future episode.
And that’s wrap. Thanks for joining us. We hope it’s helped you feel a little more connected to the Laurier Brantford community. If you liked what you heard, tell your friends and colleagues. You can subscribe on Apple, Google, Stitcher or wherever you find your podcasts. Worried about missing an episode? Sign up for our newsletter. You can find the link on Twitter and Facebook @onemarketlb. We’ll be back with a new episode in about a week. One Market was created and produced by Bruce Gillespie and Tarah Brookfield. Music by Scott Holmes, graphics by Melissa Weaver. Thanks for listening. Keep in touch.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai