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Dr. Damjana Bratuz
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Tributes - "Bratuz Bash" 1993

In a letter received from Bruce Vogt, dated January 18, 1993, there was a rather mysterious

“P.S. Oh, I almost forgot: There is a quiet groundswell of opinion amongst a number of your past students that they would wish you to keep one day in particular free – namely May 15, 1993. More on this later. .

Another mysterious note from my secretary, Mrs. Grace Shewan, appeared on my desk calendar regarding Saturday, May 15th, 1993 :

Please keep this late afternoon evening clear.

Mrs. Shewan had also asked me for the key to my Faculty of Music studio, where she wanted to retrieve some addresses. I began to suspect that I would be receiving letters from former students on the occasion of my upcoming retirement from the University.

When May 15 arrived, Bonnie (Shewan ) Burroughs phoned to say that Arthur Rowe (from Victoria, B.C., who was obviously in town) would pick me up at a certain time. I assumed he would be taking me to Bonnie’s place, where I imagined I would meet with some former students and friends, and where her children would perhaps perform for me… But Arthur’s car turned right on Windermere, before we had reached the road that would have taken us to Bonnie’s house. He stopped at Spencer Hall, the lovely manor built in 1932 in a parkland setting that now serves as a conference center. Through the lobby, and a couple of attractive rooms, Arthur led me towards the terrace…

[PHOTOS – WITH DESCRIPTIVE COMMENTS TO BE ADDED]

I was dazed and overwhelmed by the surprise, by the encounters, and was unable to think clearly enough to make sure that photos were taken at each and every table, and to retrieve all the name tags - which carried the data of everyone’s degrees… I was also dazed, perhaps, by the unfortunate overmedication from which I unknowingly suffered at that period of my life. But I did retrieve from a table at least the following paper: for an old ‘Mitteleuropean’, in spite of the decades spent in North America, such a careful outline still remains a source of amazement - for all the skills it reflects at organizing, at planning, for the attention to detail, skills that have continued to remain somewhat alien to me, and amusing… But what a precious reminder it is:

“DR. B.” TRIBUTE PARTY

Willow Room – Spencer Hall – 5:00pm

Name Tag with years of special contact / study

Sign Guest Book

Put up pictures or other memorabilia

Greeting Damjana (Art [Arthur Rowe] will bring her at 5:30)
corsage / greeting
she will greet everyone Left to Right, latecomers can sign and join at Right

Cash bar with appetizers served.
Dinner – 6:30, Dining Room

- tables organized roughly in years
- Damjana begins at closest table to Buffet
- beginning table - each person tells:

1. where they live
2. latest project and/or what they do

when Damjana gets up to the buffet table next, another table has an opportunity to have her join them by doing the same
- finish all tables before we leave dining room

- tables / individuals may order wine on a cash basis

- Tributes read with coffee?
-
Return to the Willow Room – approx 8:30 – (Bruce)

- gift/s
- other tributes / articles
- anecdotes, etc.

WRITTEN TRIBUTES

 
   
Heather Campbell Rita Attrot
Photographer  
Kieth Mullback Kieth Mullback
1970 Bayfield
   

 

E-mail: dbratuz@uwo.ca
  Damjana Bratu TOP

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