In Memory of Patrick Melligan, OCULL/OCUCE Secretary 1979-1990
Patrick was the longstanding Secretary of OCULL when it was OCUCE, and passed those duties on in 1990. He was also the Administrative Officer in the Continuing Education Division of Ryerson University until his retirement in 1991.
In writing this, I went back to look at the archival material of OCULL, which includes information about OCUCE and ODESS (Ontario Association of Departments of Extension and Summer Schools). Patrick's oversight didn't go back to the days of ODESS, but he was certainly present through many developments in the growth of OCULL.
Being the Secretary means that one's personality is usually hidden, due to the necessity of recording what others are saying. Patrick had a well-developed sense of humour in person, and was always ready to share a laugh and a story, but I could only find a couple of occasions when his personality appeared in the records he kept.
His first AGM as Secretary was in October 1979. His tenure was continuous through April 1990. He became an honorary life member of OCUCE in 1990. Patrick asked if I would take on the role of Secretary when he stepped down, but he remained as a resource for me until his retirement from Ryerson in 1991. In fact, he had to take the minutes at the May 1990 Executive meeting for me, and he recorded himself as “Secretary Resurrexit.”
In 1985, the AGM was held at Killarney Mountain Lodge, and Patrick organized a bus, “The Wayward Bus” as he named it, to collect and return OCUCE members in London , Kitchener , and Toronto . Then there were the “concomitant notes” he attached to the Executive teleconference meeting of six people in 1989, which opened with one chairperson, then 8 minutes later another person took over the chair and one member left due to a fire alarm, only to return in 5 minutes. Fifteen minutes after that the second chairperson had to leave and the first chairperson reassumed the chair, and so on. There were a series of interruptions and comings and goings for which Patrick had recorded the times, and I could tell that Patrick had fun describing this meeting that just couldn't settle down.
Patrick's more serious side provided a structure to the archives. There is a wealth of information about the early days of continuing education in Ontario that is preserved and well organized thanks to his efforts.
He retired to Port Perry, with his wife Ellen, and lived there until his death on April 3, 2009.
Martha Ireland |
