• News
    • Business
    • Canada
    • Health
    • International
    • Israel
  • Perspectives
    • Advice
    • Big Ideas
    • CJN Podcast Network
    • Features
    • Opinions
  • Food
  • Culture
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Books & Authors
    • Russian
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Events
    • Contests
    • Montreal – About Town
    • Toronto – What’s New
  • Supplements
    • Spotlights
  • En Français
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Member Centre
  • Log Out
Search
  • Subscribe
  • Member Centre (eCJN)
  • Log Out
  • Newsletter
  • FaceBook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
CJN - Canada’s largest Jewish newspaper
February 26, 2021 - 14 Adar 5781
CJN - Canada’s largest Jewish newspaper
  • News
    • The race to be the leader of the Conservative Party

      Q & A with Ari Greenwald: Responding to a pandemic

      Israel declares complete coronavirus lockdown on eve of Passover

      Gantz says forming a unity government may take more time

      Students learn computer programming RHA FACEBOOK PHOTO

      Online classes up and running in Vancouver

      AllBusinessCanadaHealthInternationalIsrael
  • Perspectives
    • A Long-Awaited Return, feat. Jody Avirgan

      To our readers: Everything has its season. It is time

      Listen: The CJN Podcast Network, Signing Off

      Healthy Aging: Your next doctor appointment will likely be virtual

      Shinewald: Making this awful moment more tolerable

      AllAdviceBig IdeasCJN Podcast NetworkFeaturesOpinions
  • Food
    • Delicious desserts for Passover

      Festive food for small seders

      Passover meals for the whole day

      Passover taco Tuesday

      Family Seder recipes

  • Culture
    • How philosophy and theology can be in dialogue together

      Socalled is trying to make the best of his downtime

      Veteran singer returns with ‘toxic’ single

      Stories explore relationships between family, friends

      Jewish movies you should stream while self-isolating

      AllArts & EntertainmentBooks & AuthorsRussianSportsTravel
  • Events
    • CJN VIP

      How’d you like to be a VIP? Giveaway

      Giveaway: The Song of Names advance screenings contest (CLOSED)

      CJN-Prize-new-Entry Ad 2019

      The CJN Prize 2019 (Closed)

      Come celebrate the launch of the CJN Podcast Network

      Jewish Music Week Contest (Closed)

      AllContestsMontreal – About TownToronto – What’s New
  • Supplements
    • Passover Greetings

      Focus-on-Ed-2020

      Focus on Education

      Celebrations-MS-20

      Celebrations

      Hanukkah Greetings

      Celebrations

      AllSpotlights
  • En Français
    • À la mémoire d’un ardent ambassadeur de la culture sépharade, Solly Levy Z.’L.’

      “La haine des Juifs n’a jamais eu de limite”

      Le dossier du Dr. Marcus Fraenkel: la réponse de la CIVS

      Israéliens et Palestiniens luttent ensemble contre le coronavirus

      La lutte contre le coronavirus au Centre médical Sheba de Ramat Gan

  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Member Centre
  • Log Out
Home News Canada Former club members hold 50th anniversary reunion
  • News
  • Canada

Former club members hold 50th anniversary reunion

By
Cynthia Gasner
-
January 10, 2008
4222
0

TORONTO — Friendship and keeping in touch with old friends are very important, says Ken Heller.

Seen are members of Club Desmond in 1958. From left are: back row, Frank Cohen, Marty Gould, Paul Weinzweig, Mike Adler and Harvey Posner; middle row, unknown, Ken Heller, Sam Rutman, Sheldon Meslin, Joel Machtinger and Bill Laber, the club’s adviser; front row, Harry Fiedler, Mel Horowitz, Alvin Steingold, Marvin Gries and Marvin Scharf. 

At the 50th reunion of Club Desmond are, from left: back row, Harvey Posner, Henry Seidel, Gerald Lipperman, Stan Wagman, Marvin Scharf, Ken Heller, Ron Morris, Allan Kazdan, Mike Adler and Shelly Meslin, who is wearing an original Club Desmond jacket; middle row, Hal Kershen, Harry Fiedler, Marty Gould, Sy Browne, Willie Schnoll and Sam Rutman; front row, Mel Horowitz, club adviser Bill Laber, Alvin Steingold and Marvin Gries.   [Ken Heller photo] 

“Looking back, my teenage years were a wonderful time of life with less stress and a place to go every week to have fun.”

Several months ago, Heller, 66, began planning a 50th anniversary reunion with the former members of Club Desmond, a club for teenage boys that met at the Bloor YM-YWHA some 50 years ago.

He and his longtime friend Ron Morris began to search.

“We couldn’t locate several of them, but 19 former members and our adviser, Bill Laber, met recently for dinner to celebrate at our 50th reunion. One member, Michael Adler, even flew in from Florida.”

Heller, who is in the printing business, describes the event as “phenomenal.” He says that as the former members arrived, many of them who had not seen each other over the years “hugged and kissed each other and the mood was very happy. It was a time for schmoozing, reminiscing, viewing a collage of photos and passing around pictures which the former members brought with them.”

In the 1950s, the Club Desmond met Thursday and Sunday evenings at the Y at Bloor Street and Spadina Avenue, now the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre.

Heller recalls that the dues were 25 cents a week. Their program included floor hockey, basketball, swimming, social dances and fundraising for the United Appeal.

“We were so proud to raise $125 at a dance,” says Heller. “At the reunion, former members laughed, and one said that today, we go out for lunch for that amount.”

The club was formed in 1954, when several friends were sitting around at the Palmerston Avenue home of brothers Abie and Sheldon Lovat and decided to form a new group.

“Sheldon and a couple of guys approached a bunch of guys who went to King Edward Public School and other schools in the area, and hence the new Club Desmond was born.”

Heller has a signed contract with the Seaway Hotel dated in the mid-1950s for a dinner for 40 members and guests of Club Desmond. The price for a five-course meal was $3.75, which included recorded dance music and a coke and ginger ale bar.

In the 1960s, things began to change as some members moved north and others left after they became engaged and married. The club disbanded.

Following their 50th anniversary reunion, Heller received numerous e-mails from those who attended, expressing their appreciation, happiness and thanks for the “wonderful event.”

“It rekindled my youth for a brief moment, bringing back some of my fondest memories,” Stan Wagman wrote, a sentiment echoed by all who attended.

Heller says they are now planning another reunion in Las Vegas in two years.

“We hope that we will be able to hear from the few who we were unable to locate. And we hope that we will continue meeting in the future.”

To contact Heller, call 416-223-1889.

 

Cynthia Gasner

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

A Long-Awaited Return, feat. Jody Avirgan

A message to our readers with an update:

À la mémoire d’un ardent ambassadeur de la culture sépharade, Solly Levy Z.’L.’

Subscribe to the CJNSubscribe
RSS FeedView
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe / Member Centre (eCJN)
  • eCJN Archives
  • Supplements
  • Media Kit
  • Advertising Terms
  • Premiums

PODCAST TRAILER: These Are a Few of My Favourite Jews

75th Anniversary - Liberation of Auschwitz

Ezer Mizion's 2019 Night Shuk

  • Canada
  • Israel
  • International
  • Opinions
  • Food
  • Culture
  • En Français
  • CJN Podcast Network
The award-winning Canadian Jewish News (CJN) is Canada’s largest, weekly Jewish newspaper with an audited circulation of nearly 32,000 and read by more than 100,000 people each week.
© 2021 Canadian Jewish News
  • Comments Policy
  • Community Links
  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
  • Admin
 Tweet
 Share
 WhatsApp
 Copy
 E-mail
 Tweet
 Share
 WhatsApp
 Copy
 E-mail
 Tweet
 Share
 LinkedIn
 WhatsApp
 Copy
 E-mail