Mahone Bay Old School_A Life and Times_Bob Sayer

Chapter Seven:
The 1950s and ‘60s
The ‘50s then settled down to routine business as usual at the school. There wasn’t the
excitement, innovation and bold leadership of the ‘30s and 40’s. The problem, with
a few exceptions, was mostly leadership from administration, staff and school board.
The students helped themselves and it was the age of school parties and socials.
The School is Changed for Ever, 1962 Mahone Bay Consolidated School
Then, in the early ‘60s, the new extension, including a gymnasium-assembly-special
events hall was built.
• The numbers of teaching staff and students more than doubled.
•For the first time, Town students in grades 9-12 were outnumbered by students
living in the Municipality. The age of the school bus arrived in town.
•The amount and variety of school activities expanded enormously.
The 1950s started with a bang. Bill Hirtle, school graduate, researched and published
‘A Study of Mahone Bay.’ It upset a lot of locals. Some even asked for their money
back after buying it. Criticism from a native son can be hard to take. And this native
son was well informed and connected. His father, shopkeeper W.H.G. Hirtle, had
been a town councillor, mayor and was an active school board member and chair for
many years. His mother was an activist in town and school affairs, played the piano at
school functions, and was a founder of Mahone Bay’s Home and School Association.
His brother, Curtis, was to be a very successful insurance businessman, winning
national awards, and sisters Muriel and Beatrice had been successful and popular
students.
The Hirtles at a later anniversary of the parents: Bill, Muriel, Mrs..& Mr. W H.G.,
Beatrice, Curtis
Photo: Courtesy of Muriel Hirtle-Webber
A Study of Mahone Bay, by William W. Hirtle, 1950-51
Bill had graduated during the War and, at age 18, joined the navy. After the War, like
a lot of ex-servicemen, he took advantage of special educational programs and went
to Acadia, getting his business degree, and then, in 1951, his B. Ed. He went on to a
distinguished teaching and coaching career at Bridgetown. He was also a leader in the
Nova Scotia Teachers Union.
The study was dedicated as follows:
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to Dr. M. V.
Marshall, Head of the Department
of Education, Acadia University, in
grateful dedication to his help and
inspiration to me making this work
possible and also as a teacher in my
student days.
Bill’s work was a sociological,
economic and historical survey of the
town. He was critical of the lack of
constructive leadership in the town and
the air of “defeatism” that had come
with the long years of depression and
recession in the town’s economy.
In the context of the newly installed
water system operating at a loss, he
wrote:
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