Letter to Mr Goss from Vijay Khurana and OCs:
My dear Mr Goss,
On behalf of my friends, the Old Cottonians, and myself, we wish you every happiness and good health on your 90th birthday. Congratulations.
You were instrumental in affecting the lives of so many of us. You taught us a lot of valuable lessons and those we have not forgotten with gratitude and appreciation. You have our profuse thanks
I have never forgotten your versatility as a teacher. One of the few, perhaps the only one, I know who taught us such diverse subjects as English and Mathematics with admirable ease. You introduced us to Sherlock Holmes with those reading sessions during class hours fostered an interest that led us to reading so many more of the “classics”. You showed us the light and developed the interest in reading.
You encouraged us to conduct debates in the classroom and it led to some of my peers turning out to be wonderful orators whose presence in the law courts is remembered to this day. Rajive Sawhney was one of them.
We trembled at your marking system. It then seemed harsh but it goaded us to do better and this was apparent in the marks that most of us obtained at the Board exams, more than what you ever gave us !! Thank you, again.
On the games field you coached many soccer players and the boys enjoyed the process never to have forgotten the game they played and won against Sanawar.
Thank you, Mr Goss for being the wonderful guide for so many of us.
We wish you well and we wish you every happiness.
With our love and good wishes to Mrs Goss, the family and you.
Very affectionately
The Old Cottonians & Vijay
From: Ronald Goss
Sent: 08 May 2019 23:37
To: Vijay Khurana
Subject: Thank You.Dear Vijay:
My sincere thanks to you and the OCs on whose behalf you have sent me such a beautiful letter. How can I tell you what it means to a 90- year-old retired school teacher whose greatest reward in life lies in the remarkable achievements and successes of his students? It is indeed gratifying to know that so many of you have attained such heights in your careers and brought such honour to your families and to your old school. My congratulations to every one of you.
Thank you so much for your generous birthday wishes. My 90th birthday celebration was an occasion to remember, and Mrs. Goss has my undying love and appreciation for all the hard work she put into planning such a wonderful party. It was held here in our condo party room, and all my family were present, a rare occasion indeed. Also present were many old friends from Vermilion (our home for 41 years), our condo friends, and friends from my church. Yvonne’s brother and his wife came all the way from Australia, and another brother-in-law, who has just been declared cancer-free after his many months of sheer agony, was present much to our relief and delight. It was a grand reunion. Regretfully missing were two Old Cottonians, Dilip Tinani and Inderjit Singh Gill, who were going to drive from Calgary but were deterred by the snow fall that morning. We look forward to their visit in the near furure.
Mrs. Goss and all my family send their regards. Thank you, one and all, for your good wishes (your words were music to my ears) and for remembering me in my old age.
Good health and happiness to you all. “Overcome Evil with Good”.
Ron Goss
BCS 1956-64