From the Beginning -- Stelco R&D

If you wish, a draft copy of my memories of the formation and advancement of the Stelco R&D Department can be downloaded from the link below.

Preface

In a sense this is a draft memoir; it’s unfinished. However, I decided to release it before I go too far down the road to senility, which my grandmothers did when they were in their 80s. I’m 82.

At the Feb 2013 breakfast meeting of R&D Retirees, Rick Grigg asked me where the file on my memories of the early years at Stelco is. I had posted a couple of Chapters about five years ago, but later deleted the pdf file. Now my health has improved (fractured lumbar is slowly mending) and I can again write, adding more memories to my initial effort.

So far, what I have been able to put on paper only covers the period from 1954 to about 1978. However, some of the narrative creeps well into the 80s. But, much of what happened behind the scenes, e.g., at Stelco Head Office, is not covered. ....

–Jock, Feb 2013.
 

Click to download:From the beginning

Please email me at jock.mckay@gmail.com with error and omissions. The memoir is still just a work-in-progess.
Cheers!

Our good wishes go out to Joe Figliola

Hi Jock:
I have been in touch with Joe's wife, Margaret, twice. The first time about 10 days ago and I told her about your son Ken and she passed the news on to joe. He has expressed regrets via Margaret as does she also.
As far as Joe is concerned he had a stroke at the end of May last year which affected his left side. On October 1st he was transferred to Idlewyld and is under their care now. He walks with a walker and as a result of good and bad days some dementia shows through.
Also the "parkinson" does cause concern but he is able to eat all his meals. Margaret takes fruit in to him and is in there twice a day.
Of course Joe wonders when he can go home but Margaret puts him off. She feels that is really not an option. Also she says, and we can believe it, that he is not the Joe that we all knew.
Cheers Garv.

February Breakfast Meeting

Hello all you retirees,

It’s that time again to get together for breakfast and fellowship - same place, same time. The Skyway Diner 1-645 Plains Rd E, Burlington, ON L7T 4J5 905-592-1077

Hope to see you all there on Wednesday, Feb 6th , 2013 at 9:00 AM Next Breakfast after this one is June 5th, 2013. Put is on your calendars.

Take care,
Rick Minion

The Centre & Branches - Jan 1987

Click Centre & Branches readable PDF copy.

Click image to enlarge.

My Son Ken passed away on Dec 24, 2012

Click for: Ken's Obituary page

My Current Facebook Banner

Coilbox, Continuous Casting, and Spiral Pipe Mill

The Centre and Branches - 1986

Click:The Centre and Branches for a readable PDF copy.

And to enlarge the image below, click on it.

November 1985 > The Centre and Branhes

Click here to download 1985 November Issue

Help!!

I came across this article in the The Centre and Branches dated September 1981. Frankly, I have no recollection of this "Academy". Did it exist?? Pls let know

Jock
jock.mckay@gmail.com

Click article to enlarge it.

Bob Taylor

Rick Minion received this email today:

Hello Rick,

I thought that you might like to know that Robert is at the Hamilton General and is scheduled for spine surgery tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Leslie Taylor

Centre & Branches - Oct 1978

More in PDF format (Easer to read and enlarge)

click

Breakfast Meeting

Centre and Branches September 1984

More in PDF format

click

2012 Stelco Reunion

Click image to enlarge.

Annual Group Photo

Click on photo to enlarge it.

Santa Claus?

1 Rick Grigg, 2 Ellen Visser?, 3 Ann Clay,

4 ? Ikeda, 5 Stu McKichnie, 6 David McKay, 7 David George

Stewart McKechnie (Stu)

Stu on a 3-week trip to China April 2012

Stu wrote:

Can't tell you how thrilled I was to find your blog and names and photos from the early days. Our youngest Grandchild needs a little extra help and Arlene was at a therapist with him in Burlington yesterday and asked if Stelco R&D had changed names and where the old CSG building was. Isn't Google a great tool.

To be honest it took a few minutes with some of the names but because so many were of the early gang they all came back eventually. Has Nick been able to fight his way back a bit?.
A little update: I left R&D in 1975 to join Michel Hone in Mtl to form a satellite R&D east. We lived in Mont St. Hilaire SE of Mtl. Adrianna was 2 1/2 and Alison was 6 months. During our stay 'til 1986 I had 7 different jobs starting with R&D then through a few mills as Met and QC and production jobs as GF Pipe Mill and GF Steelmaking and ended as Service Met for Jack Presho in the east. Arlene worked at a number of jobs in computer science (including giving courses in French) and eventually was a prof at a Community college. Our son Matthew was born in 1977. All three of our kids went to French Primary school..
We moved to Windsor as Sen Service Met with the Automotive Sales office. Arlene instructed at U of Windsor and quickly became bored and looked around for some new challenge. At age 42 she announced she thought she would like to go to Law school. To a mediocre student at best that sounded ludicrous and I said so.... so she promptly enrolled.
I loved the action in Detroit and the small group working out of the Windsor office. When a headhunter called late in 1988 with an offer to work in an Eastern On Rodmill I happily said " No. I'm very happy where I am thank you" and hung up. I told Arlene and she said that she might benefit from finishing law school in Ottawa with job opportunities etc. So I called back to say I was only kidding when I said to stick your job.
We moved in 1989 and there was lots of low hanging fruit as a service met and QA guy to help Ivaco get away from the nail rod mentality. I became Rodmill Super in 1993 and worked toward a major revamp of the RM in 3 phases from 1995 -99. Then I created a job called Manager of Product Performance that sort of dabbled from Production through QA and Service Met and I quite enjoyed that for a few years.

Ivaco got into financial trouble in 2003 and we were bought by Heico out of Chicago. They decided that I should actually work for pay and I became Manager of Operations. The strike from Sept. 2005 to Jan 2006 was all about DB vs DC pensions and we were asked to run the RM with staff. We did it and produced 72,000 tons of great quality rod and came together as a team like few others. Chicago was so impressed they suggested we move to 2 12hr shifts using outside help. Thank goodness the Union folded just as my crew were going to our first night shift.
Mid 2006 I named one fellow to take over production and another to cover my QA side (yes I know of foxes and chicken coops) and watched them grow into much better managers than I ever was and I retired on my 65th B'day.
While I was dabbling with steel, Arlene graduated and fast tracked to partner (at age 45 or so) in Ottawa then quit when our first gr. child was due and work as in house council and retired with me. She is very involved with a charity that educates girls in Tanzania called Project Tembo and has traveled to Africa 10/11 times over the last 5/6 yrs. In 2008 I was there for a total of 3 months building stuff for the project.
I would love to be part of the R&D conversation.
Stu

32 Years Ago

To enlarge the text, click on the image.

Click here for PDF view of the above page.

Click here for PDF view of the above page

Click here for PDF view of the above page

Amazon Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars
        A fun read for all ages, July 3 2012
     

By 

Anne  - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Lady Sweetly Is Twenty (Paperback)
 

"Old Lady Sweetly Is Twenty" is a fun story of the coming of age of the
sweet,  innocent and lovable Betty.  Each page keeps turning itself as
we cheer Betty on through her naivety, her eye-opening experiences and
finally her resolve. This is a definite read for all ages bringing you
back to a time and place of simplicity yet narrow-mindedness.  An
excellent first book for Denise McKay.

5.0 out of 5 stars
        Very Good!, July 3 2012
     

By 

Sonja  - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Lady Sweetly Is Twenty (Paperback)
     

Reading "Old Lady Sweetly" feels like sharing a cup of tea with a new
friend: a new friend that is a great storyteller. It's hard not to love
and sympathize with Betty, the protagonist - her challenges, while
authentically 1950's, are also timeless and relevant to readers of any
generation. I'm a sucker for a good coming-of-age / overcoming-the-odds
story, and this book doesn't disappoint.

5.0 out of 5 stars
        Old Lady Sweetly is Hilarious!, July 1 2012 
     

By Judith Sylvester
 This review is from: Old Lady Sweetly Is Twenty (Paperback)

This book is the most enjoyable read I have had in a long time. The intrepid "Miz Sweetly" and the eccentric cast of characters she encounters as a teacher in the back woods of Needles, British Columbia are indelibly etched in my heart. Denise McKay vividly captures the naiveté, angst and lustiness of a young woman coming of age in the early 1950s. From avoiding the ramshackle outhouse at her one room schoolhouse, to winning over her unruly class, to staring down a grizzly bear while her would-be lover races away in his skin tight bathing suit, to being accosted by the minister of the Tabernacle Church for being a "whore of Babylon", Betty's many pratfalls are both endearing and hilarious. I highly recommend reading this fun and uplifting story!

Brant Hills Presbyterian Church

After Church Service for Lorne

Dave Pyle, Gil Dunlop, Jock McKay and Klaus Heyer

Lorne Passed Away

MURPHY, Lorne Edward Passed away at his home in Burlington on Thursday, June 28, 2012 at the age of 87. Loving husband of Marjorie (nee Codd) for 48 years. Loving father of Mary Murphy and Bill Murphy (Robyn). Cherished Grandpa of Calvin and Marshall. Lorne retired after 45 years at Stelco. Visitation at SMITH’S FUNERAL HOME, 1167 Guelph Line, (one stoplight north of QEW), BURLINGTON, 905-632-3333 on Sunday, July 1, 2012 from 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. A Funeral Service will be held at Brant Hills Presbyterian Church, 2138 Brant Street on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 2 p.m. Cremation to follow. If desired, donations to Canadian Diabetes Association would be sincerely appreciated by the family. www.smithsfh.com

Please also see: Smith Funeral Home -- Times and Place

Stelco R&D Retirees

Who's the Oldest?

 Garv Kennedy will be 89 this coming September. My guess was 75 give or take two years.

Stelco R&D retirees breakfast

Stelco R&D retirees breakfast, Wed June 6, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Rick mass emailed this message:

Hello all you retirees, I’m glad to say that our breakfast get together will be back at the old Apple Annie’s Restaurant now restored under the same management and now called: The Skyway Diner 1-645 Plains Rd E, Burlington, ON L7T 4J5 905-592-1077 Hope to see you all there on Wednesday, June 6th, 2012 at 9:00 AM I will call them tomorrow to book it for us. Hope to see you there. Rick Minion

Denise McKay: Book signing at Chapters

Book Signing

On May 17th, at Chapters Books, 2215 Fairview Street, (6:00 to 9:00pm) Denise McKay of Burlington will be signing her debut novel, “Old Lady Sweetly is Twenty”.

Book also available at "a different drummer books" on
513 Locust Street, Burlington. 


The novel tells the story of a bewildered nineteen year-old, novice teacher, who, in 1951, has been justifiably banished to a rural one-room school in a remote village located in central British Columbia. The writing style is multilevel humour, both prophetic and nostalgic, taking protagonist Betty Wheatley and her skewed logic to face: fifteen barn-scented empty-headed pupils, amorous advances from both sexes, and betrayals from best friends and lovers.


Denise is a well-known member of the Burlington Art Community. She has just completed 10 years of dancing with the Burlington Footnotes, after a 25-year career as a professional artist, creating artworks in porcelain and on canvas. On May 5th, 2005 she received the City of Burlington’s Civic Award for “Arts Person of the Year” in recognition for her work as set designer for the dance company and as developer of the Footnote’s Dancing Clown Troupe, and for her many years of earlier efforts at the Burlington Art Centre. She was a founding member of the Burlington Potters Guild, becoming its President in 1971-73, a founding member of Arts Burlington, becoming its President in 1979-80, and Chairman and President of the Board of The Burlington Art Centre in 1982. She was Chairman of the BAC's Acquisition Committee for six years, then, for four years, a member of the BAC Foundation.


Denise has had eight solo art shows and numerous group shows throughout the Golden Horseshoe, and as of 1997, has had works in "Fire & Earth", which toured Canada and then traveled to Japan. These works are now permanently on display in the Virtual Museum of Canada.

Denise McKay's Novel

Google this: lady sweetly twenty  

Click on: More

Book is currently available at:

A Different Drummer Books
513 Locust Street, Burlington

Denise's blog

Feb 1, 2012 Stelco R&D Breakfast

Click on photos to enlarge them.

George Montgomery, Olga’s Son-in-Law, Dennis McCutcheon, John Hood, George Chapman, Don George, Rick Minion’s coat (taking the photo) LOL.

Gord Roeder, Klaus Heyer, Bob Taylor, Don Quigley, Rick Delmore, Ralph Bartlett, Olga Delvecchio

B3:
B2:

Memory

Ene and Paul

Paul passed away.

Cam Howey wrote:

Ladies and Gentleman,
Passing on sad news about Paul Readyhough passing away last night. Paul was a true gentleman, and taught many of us about coal, coke, pellets and Excel. I learned a great deal from Paul about all three, and he taught me some tricks in Excel I wished I’d learned earlier. Paul was very active in AIST, McMaster and my community.
Service will be at St Joseph’s Church – Paul was a very active member, helping in many ways. If you need parking – my drive is open at 83 Stanley Ave, space for a few, and we’re less than 1/2 a block from the Church.
Trust all is well with you all, hit me a bit hard, Paul had been sick since January. We lost a neighbor earlier this week – perhaps a reminder to give those you love an extra hug.
Cam

Details of Paul’s visitation and service:
Dermodys.com

August 29, 1946 – January 25, 2012
Died peacefully at home after a long, hard-fought battle with cancer. Beloved husband of Ene. Loving father of Catherine and David, father-in-law of Kaan, and adoring granddad of Ayhan. Dear brother of Stella, Ruth and Peter (deceased), uncle of Michael and Matthew Suffoletta, and brother-in-law of Toivo Maaniit. Visitation at P.X. DERMODY FUNERAL HOME, 796 Upper Gage Ave., on Friday, January 27 from 3pm to 9pm. Prayer Vigil at 3pm. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Locke St. S. at Herkimer, on Saturday, January 28 at 10am. Interment, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery In lieu of flowers, donations to the Juravinski Cancer Centre would be appreciated.

Reminder!

Hi Jock,

Hope things are going well. Just a reminder re the Breakfast on Wed Feb 1 at 9:00 AM.

The location has been changed to the Golden Griddle at 3485 Harvester Road, just west of Walkers line. Apple Annie’s had a fire and is closed for restorations.

If you could post this on your WEB Site, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks and hope to see you there.

Rick

Party Pals

Dave Pyle, Nan Straiton
Gil Dunlop's wife, Gil, ?,? and Nan's husband.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Denise and Jock McKay

R& D Christmas parties

Costume party @ Littlewood's home

Gordon Forward and wife, Ray Meadowcroft and Eleanor

Special Duties Division at Met Lab Hilton Wks

Don George, ? and George Montgomery

?,?, Bob Milborne (backside) and George Ikeda

R&D Party

Frank Pearce, Denise McKay, Joan Pearce and Jock McKay

Nick Daneliak

From: Dan Andrusko [mailto:dandrusko@cogeco.ca]
Sent: October-20-11 8:51 PM
To: rminion@cogeco.ca
Subject: Nick Daneliak

Rick,
Blair indicated that you would like the information on Nick. He suffered a severe stroke on September 9, 2011. Initially, he was taken to the Mississauga Hospital for emergency care. Nick has paralysis on his right side and speech impairment. However, his mind is good! He did recognize me and does communicate. Both Dennis McCutcheon and I visited him yesterday. Currently, he is undergoing rehabilitation and is hospitalized at:

Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital
327 Reynolds Street,
Oakville, L6J 3L7
(905) 845-2571

Room 3327

Breakfast Meeting

Simonne

Michelle Allard has left a new comment on your post "R&D party":

That's my mom in that photo --- Simonne is here with me now enjoying your blog. She says hi!

Michelle Allard

Hey Simonne, have you any photos to share with the gang?
Jock

Breakfast Meeting Oct. 2011

Breakfast get together is this Wednesday, Oct 5th, 2011

Time: 9:00 AM

Date: Wednesday, October 5th , 2011

Location: Apple Annie’s,
645 Plains Rd East (right across from the Lord Nelson Restaurant)


Hope you can attend. Would love to see you all.

Next Breakfast is: Wednesday, Feb 1, 2012

Take care,

Rick Minion

June 1, 2011 Breakfast Meeting

Please click on image to enlarge!

Breakfast Meeting

Next get together is this Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Time: 9:00 AM
Date: Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
Location: Apple Annie’s,
645 Plains Rd East (right across from the Lord Nelson Restaurant)

Hope you can attend. Would love to see you all.
Take care,

Rick Minion

Director of R&D for the day!

Gene Paterson

Gene Paterson

Retirement Bash

Click photo to enlarge!

Dave Pyle, Don George, John Tudhope, ??, Mark Renzetti, Lorne Murphy, John Thompson, Ray Meadowcroft, Andy Kay, Ray Addinall, Henry Paulensu & ??

Rick Grigg, Klaus Heyer, Stan Shiraishi,Armand ?,Don Harris, Mac MacDonald & Bill Krystynski

Feb Breakfast

Hello all you R&D retirees who could not make the Feb 2 breakfast. Sorry about the bad weather.
Attached is a photo of the 3 brave souls who made it. Klaus drove from Dundas, Don drove from Hamilton, and I drove from the Burlington mall area.
Jock, perhaps you could add the attached photo to your WEB site to show those who attended the Feb 2 breakfast.

Next get together is Wed June 1st, 2011
Time: 9:00 AM
Date: Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
Location: Apple Annie’s,
645 Plains Rd East (right across from the Lord Nelson Restaurant)
Hope you can attend.
Take care,
Rick Minion

R&D Retirees' Breakfast: Oct 6th 2010

Hi Jock,
Attached are the photos that I took with my old cell phone of our last get together for your R&D WEB site. Sorry for the poor quality. They were all very dark and I had to lighten them up a bit in order to see the people.
Sorry for the delay and hope and pray you are keeping healthy.
Take care,
Rick
________

________________________________

Dan Andrusko, Hugh Sprague & Klaus Heyer

Don George & Dave Grieve

Jock McKay & Bob Taylor

Rick Grigg, Jock McKay & Roy Littlewood