by Fred Morris
20 April 2026
During the last school year before the Portage Avenue School, the curling rink of Norm Houck, Bruce Kidd, Bill Eggleston, and Ron Cummings won the Tribune trophy at the Manitoba School Boys Christmas Week Bonspiel. Although the Houck team won this trophy, the rink did not get to represent Manitoba at the Nationals. Mr. Houck a school teacher by day went on to win seven Manitoba (Men's and Seniors), three Canadian, and two Car Spiels as a Skip or a Third. Houck is a member of the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame.
During September 1951, the unfinished SJCI on Portage Avenue held its first classes. During the 1870s, the home of Edwin Bourke, the first St. James MLA stood on the site. Many notable guests including Manitoba Premier John Norquay visited the white brick house. The new school soon became a meeting place for a different generation of public figures. On 9 October 1951, Princess Elizabeth (soon to become Queen Elizabeth) and her husband Philip drove by the unfinished school on a Royal Visit. In June 1953, SJCI Vice Principal Christine Carson represented the Canadian Teachers Federation at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. During the rest of the 1950s, former Ontario Premier George Drew, Federal Health Minister, Paul Martin Sr., Duff Roblin, MP Gordon Churchill, Reg Wightman, Dr. Donald Houser, and CJOB Founder Jack Blick, spoke at various meetings at the school.
Between 1925 and 1949, the Bourkevale Park Golf Course was at the corner of Ferry Road and Portage. It seems fitting that three future members of the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame were 1950s SJCI Students. Donna Patton won various Manitoba Junior Championships in 1955, 1957, 1958, and 1959. After moving to British Columbia, Donna continued to win championships and helped administer golf. In 2019, she was inducted into the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame. Jimmy Collins won eight Manitoba PGAs (includes five Seniors). Jim was Head Pro at St. Charles for 37 years. Jim is in the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame as both a player and builder. George Knudson is considered by many to be Canada's greatest golfer. George won the 1954 and 1955 Manitoba Juniors. During his professional career, he won 30 Tournaments. George is a member of at least eight Sports Hall of Fames, and received the Order of Canada.
Billy Dromo became a professional wrestler based in Minneapolis and Atlanta. Vic Grant went on to a career as a writer and broadcaster. Vic is best remembered for being part of the CJOB Broadcasting team during the early days of the WHA Winnipeg Jets.
There is no doubt that the 1952-53 Polio Epidemic was the greatest health crisis of the 1950s. In February 1956, SCJI students raised $60 by lining up dimes on the Hallway flours of the school for the March of Dimes to help the Society for Crippled Children. Later in 1956, the Winnipeg Tribune reported a human interest story with a SJCI connection. After returning in 1953 from a one-year teaching assignment in Iceland, Paul Sigurdson contracted polio. He experienced a long hospital stay including time in an iron lung. After being released from hospital, he returned to teaching. Paul taught English briefly at SJCI before returning to teach in his home town of Morden. Also, he invented the curl away board game, founded the Modern Little Theatre, and wrote plays including one about the Wolseley Elm. Paul was named the 1966 Morden Citizen of the Year.
In 1953, the first Driver Ed program with help from Imperial Oil (Esso) was introduced at SJCI.
In 1954, Roseanne Keyes, a student, designed the school crest. Roseanne went on to long career as a teacher and administrator of St. James schools. In 1980-81, Roseanne was the Vice Principal of SJCCI.
Dave Green, Jackie Briscoe, Gail Oswald ,Dave Fox-Decent, Ken Postgate, Nancy Tucket, and Jackie Welsh were students who reported on student activities to various media outlets including the St. James Leader. Bonnie Davis a 1959 SJCI Grad was a CJAY TV on-air personality during the station's early days.
Christine Carson was a SJCI teacher between 1941-51 and the Vice Principal of SJCI between 1952-59. Christine directed the Glee Club. Her “Boys Ballet Supreme” became a comedy staple at the 1950s SJCI teas. Francis Rowlin played the trumpet in a Rose Bowl Parade.
In 1959, Allan Lewis received a bursary from the Second War Memorial trust Fund of the IODE. Allan became an electrical engineer for Teleglobe. Allan worked on a project that included laying cable across the South Pacific.
The 1950s Governor General Medalists were Ted Strain, Karl Hansen, Allan Shaw, Donna Patton, Valerie Davis, Ken Halsall, Margaret Evans, and Leslee Quinn. Student Presidents were Irma Harder, Karl Hansen, Jim Collins, Allan Shaw, Paul Bouchard, Ken Halsall, Bob Chalmers, and Maurice Hogue.
In May 1958, Francis Armstrong, an Honours Student, member of the Glee Club and the SJCI Foreign Affairs group tragically drowned at the age of 16.
St. James Collegiate dominated 1950s Track and Field. SJCI won the Suburban Track Meets in 1952, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1959. I am still trying to sort through the details of this dominance. I will just mention a few of the stars:
Winnie Johnston, Karl Hansen, Audrey Jansen, Jim Simm, Clive Armstrong, Al Price (later managed Canada's first A&W), George Minaker (later became a politician), Bruce Souter, Marlene Stewart, Terry Shepperd, Anne Sutton, Bill Lyons, Tom Cooper, Peter Kuntz, Merv Campbell, Ian Irvine, Wendy Bartlett, Elisabeth Vidler, Herb Cooper, Willa Yates, Jack Crerar, Tom Chalmers, Janice Halsall, Margaret Evans, Eddie Aston, Ken Halsall, Bob Chalmers, Evelyn Wade, Billy Wray, Pat Parr, Joanne Fry, Bob Butler, and many more.
In 1959, Barry Rosborough (a SJCI teacher), Ron Latourelle (a Silver Heights Collegiate teacher), and Winnipeg businessman George Druxman organized a SJCI tackle football team. The Jimmies lost their first game 22-12 to Gordon Bell, finished second in the Red Feather Tournament, and defeated St. Paul's 12-3 in an exhibition game. The players included Gord Irwin, Howie McMillan, Herb Cooper, and Grant McMillan. Why did the Winnipeg High School Football League not welcome the SJHI team coached by three members of the 1958 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Grey Cup Champions? The difficulty in finding a league to play in continued into the 1960s.
Page revised: 4 July 2026
