Murdoch

BARBARA MURDOCH (INGMIRE)

Barbara's father Lionel was a Mechanical Engineer who met and married Elsie Louise Brown. He was employed by the Canadian National Railway (CNR) now (CN), lived, and worked in Verdun. Here is where Barbara, the younger sister to Phyllis was born. When she was seven years of age the Ingmire family moved to St. Lambert taking up residence on Maple Avenue.
According to Phyllis Mackie (Ingmire) Class of 1938, Barbara was considered a very bright and talented child and her mother was encouraged to enroll her in Mrs. Jackson's Kindergarten Class in Verdun at the age of four. She then attended the Woodland Elementary School in Verdun prior to moving to St. Lambert in 1936. Barbara attended St. Lambert Elementary and High Schools from grades 2 thru 11, and became very involved in music, beginning with piano lessons from Miss Margaret Rowat in 1939 and in 1942 earned a Certificate of Pianoforte, Grade 3 from the Board of Royal Schools of Music (London, England).
Throughout all her years attending St. Lambert High, in lieu of paying student tuition fees, Barbara was awarded scholarships and graduated in 1946 with the highest standings in both Latin and French.
Following high school graduation Barbara enrolled in the School for Teachers at Macdonald College, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec from 1947-49 and from 1949-51 joined the Protestant School Board of Montreal (PSBGM) as a kindergarten teacher at the Cote de Neiges School.
In 1951, Barbara who had continued her studies in both education and music obtained a Permanent Diploma from the Board of Education and a Diploma with Honours – Pianoforte from the McGill University Conservatory of Music.
From 1951 thru 1955 Barbara joined the Amherst School in Montreal as the Kindergarten teacher and also taught Remedial Reading, prior to taking a two-year sabbatical and then becoming a supply teacher for Grades 6 & 7 with the Chambly County School Board.
She then went to Victoria Park School as the Kindergarten Teacher for the next two years, and in 1961 Barbara was appointed Principal of Victoria Park School, at the same time continuing graduate studies at both Sir George Williams College, then by correspondence at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Victoria Park School principal was a position she held until 1970, the year of her untimely death at the age of only 41, after a two- year struggle with Hodgkin's Disease. She was held in very high esteem and a memorial plaque, in her honour, was installed at Victoria Park School on November 24, 1970, by the staff and parents, in the children's library that was created in her memory.

The following is an excerpt from the St. Lambert Home and School Association in May 1970 – from the Staff at Victoria Park School:
“Barbara Murdoch, Principal of Victoria Park School died Friday evening in Royal Victoria Hospital. The school became part of her life. She spent a great deal of time there arranging and decorating in order to make it a warm and pleasant place for pupils and teachers. She was a highly organized person and it was this efficiency, which enabled the staff to carry on during the last days of her illness. As one member of the staff said, “if you felt like feeling being careless, Barbara appeared in the corner of your mind and you straightened up.”Barbara Murdoch was a teacher to the last. In addition, perhaps the most important lesson she taught was that of personal courage and dignity. She carried out her duties as principal and continued with her studies until she was hospitalized. She never once alluded to her illness: there was a job to be done and as long as she was able, she did it.”
In 1953 Barbara married her high school sweetheart Donald Murdoch (C-'46), who by then had graduated from McGill University School of Engineering. In 1955 their son Duncan, who still lives in St. Lambert (CCHS C-'73) was born.