42 YEARS of Service
For 42 years , Rick Barr , Manager , Facilities , has been pivotal in ensuring that everyone who comes to Crofton House experiences the campus at its best . Rick retired in June ; to recognize his invaluable contributions to school life , we asked him to share some of his CHS experiences and his unique view on the changes he has seen , including the expansion of the student body and the changing role of technology on campus . We wish him all the best in his retirement .
CAN YOU SHARE SOME OF THE SPECIAL CONNECTIONS YOU HAVE WITH THE SCHOOL ?
I have a lot of personal memories here . My wife , Erin O ’ Driscoll ’ 78 went to school here ! The first time I came to Crofton House was around 1977 when she volunteered at the Winter Bazaar . I went with my wife to her graduation in 1978 , and we got married a few years later .
Later , my son , who , at the time , was an engineering student at UBC , also worked for the School when we built the Fine Arts Centre . He also worked as part of the summer support team with the mechanical contractor to install a lot of the piping in the Senior School , so he helped build parts of the School .
When my son got married , he had his wedding reception here . So , yes , I have some pretty special memories of the whole campus .
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AT THE SCHOOL ?
After my wife and I got married , I was looking for work . I saw an ad at the employment office that said , ‘ Looking for a maintenance man for a private school at Point Grey . Impeccable references .’ I told myself , “ That ’ s definitely going to be Crofton House !”
When the lady at the employment desk offered to call the School to arrange an interview , I said no . My wife ’ s father luckily knew the Head of School , so I opted to ask him to give her a call . The ad was placed by accident , but I had the interview with Ms Addison . I got the job and started immediately .
Back then , there was a small building on-site called The Cottage and my wife and I lived there for a couple years . It was eventually taken down to build Manrell Hall .
HOW HAVE THE CHANGES TO THE SCHOOL ’ S SIZE AND BUILDINGS IMPACTED YOUR ROLE AND THE FACILITIES TEAM ?
At the start , I worked on my own for years . The team has grown a lot since then . There were also about half the number of students there are today .
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