by
      his
      side
      first
      as
      a
      student,
      then
      as
      his
      collegue.
     
     
      He
      has
      always
      been
      a
      calm,
      stable
      person.
      He
      has
     
     
      a
      very
      commanding
      presence.
      Professor
      O’
      Grady
     
     
      was
      probably
      the
      reason
      why
      I
      eventually
      took
      up
     
     
      English.
      The
      other
      professor
      who
      has
      a_
      big
     
     
      influence
      on
      him
      was
      his
      biology
      teacher.
      "He
      was
     
     
      extremely
      intelligent
      and
      he
      was
      also
      knowledgeble
     
     
      about
      what
      goes
      on
      between
      biology
      and
      life,
     
     
      therefore
      he
      made
      a
      great
      deal
      of
      sense
      to
      me.
      I
     
     
      took
      a
      course
      with
      him
      and
      I
      loved
      every
      minute
      of
     
     
      it!
      I
      can
      still
      remember
      almost
      every
      single
      word
      he
     
     
      said."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Professor
      Ledwell
      wanted
      to
      teach
      for
      as
      long
      as
      he
     
     
      can
      remember.
      "When
      I
      was
      14,
      I
      was
      a
      red-cross
     
     
      swimming
      instructor.
      It
      involved
      a
      lot
      of
      teaching,
     
     
      and
      I
      like
      teaching.
      At
      the
      age
      of
      16,
      I
      taught
     
     
      grade
      school.
      It
      was
      a
      one-room
      school
      in
      P.E.I.
     
     
      with
      43
      students.
      I
      also
      taught
      in
      high
      school
      and
     
     
      college,
      then
      I
      started
      teaching
      English.
      This
      is
      my
     
     
      37th
      year
      of
      my
      teaching.
      I
      have
      been
      happy
      as
      a
     
     
      teacher.
      It’s
      been
      a
      great
      career,
      and
      I
      still
      have
      the
     
     
      greatest
      of
      enthusiam
      for
      it.
      I
      love
      my
      students."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      During
      his
      career
      as
      a
      professor,
      the
      funniest
      thing
     
     
      that
      ever
      happened
      to
      him
      was
      when
      he
      was
      leaving
     
     
      his
      home
      to
      teach
      at
      night
      one
      time,
      when
      a
      young
     
     
      German
      Shepherd
      dog
      started
      to
      follow
      his
      car.
      "I
     
     
      didn’t
      have
      time
      to
      take
      him
      home,
      he
      was
      my
     
     
      neighbour’s
      dog,"
      Professor
      Ledwell
      said;
      "I
      took
     
     
      him
      with
      me
      to
     
    

    
     
      class.
      This
      was
      a
      class
      of
      85
      people,
      from
      7pm
      till
     
     
      10pm.
      The
      dog
      was
      O.K.
      for
      a
      while,
      then
      he
      got
     
     
      bored.
      First,
      he
      started
      yaping
      and
      yawning,
      then
     
     
      he
      got
      restless
      and
      he
      started
      pacing
      up
      and
      down
     
     
      the
      aisle.
      Finally
      I
      noticed
      the
      people
      from
      the
     
     
      back
      of
      the
      class
      gradually
      moving
      up
      front
      and
      I
     
     
      wondered
      what
      the
      problem
      was
      and
      I
      asked.
      They
     
     
      Said
      that
      the
      dog
      had
      crapped,
      and
      the
      smell
      was
     
     
      driving
      them
      out.
      So,
      we
      cancelled
      the
      rest
      of
      the
     
     
      Class,
      cleaned
      up
      the
     
    

    
     
      mess
      and
      took
      the
      dog
      home."
      Through
      this
      rare
     
     
      experience,
      Professor
      Ledwell
      wrote
      a
      poem
      called
     
     
      "Ever
      To
      Confess
      If
      You
      Are
      Bored."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      is
      hard
      to
      conjure
      an
      image
      of
      Professor
      Ledwell
     
     
      as
      a
      Priest,
      but
      he
      was
      indeed
      a
      priest
      for
      14
      years!
     
     
      He
      enjoyed
      being
      a
      priest,
      but
      it
      wasn’t
      his
      cup
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tea
      as
      he
      discovered;
      "it
      just
      wasn’t
      for
      me."
      If
     
     
      there
      is
      a
      doubt
      of
      missing
      his
      priesthood,
      he
      said;
     
     
      "no,
      never!"
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      is
      known
      that
      Professor
      Ledwell
      is
      a
      fairly
     
     
      successful
      writer.
      However,
      not
      all
      his
      times
      are
     
     
      devoted
      to
      writing.
      "I
      have
      been
      a
      councillor
      for
     
     
      social
      sciences
      for
      research
      council
      of
      Canada.
      In
     
     
      addition
      to
      that,
      I
      garden
      and
      enjoy
      it.
      I
      like
     
     
      painting,
      carpentry,
      I
      love
      fishing
      and
      I
      read
      for
      at
     
     
      least
      a
      couple
      of
      hours
      a
      day.
      I
      enjoy
      music
     
     
      immensely,
      jazz
      in
      particular.
      Dave
      Bluebeck
      has
     
     
      always
      been
      my
      favourite.
      I
      like
      him
      because
      of
      his
     
     
      ability
      to
      improvise.
      I
      love
      improvisation.
      I
      also
     
     
      sang
      with
      choirs,”
      he
      smiled.
      To
      those
      who
      say
      that
     
     
      men
      can’t
      cook,
      Professor
      Ledwell
      will
      have
      the
     
     
      ultimate
     
    

    
     
      pleasure
      of
      proving
      them
      wrong.
      "COOKING!!!
      I
     
     
      have
      always
      been
      a
      big
      cooking
      fan!
      Gourmet
     
     
      cooking
      is
      a
      major
      interest,
      it’s
      a
      really
      MAJOR
     
     
      interest!"
      his
      eyes
      glowed
      happily.
      "My
      mother
      was
     
     
      an
      excellent
      cook,
      my
      wife
      is
      a
      fine
      cook,
      she
      and
     
     
      I
      do
      a
      lot
      of
      things
      together.
      We
      love
      to
     
     
      experiment
      with
      food.
      We
      are
      really
      interested
      in
     
     
      fish
      dishes.
      We
      make
      the
      MEANEST
      fish
      chowder
     
     
      in
      P.E.I.
      I
      used
      to
      make
      it
      out
      of
      cod
      fish
      heads
     
     
      just
      to
      gross
      out
      the
      people.
      Put
      some
      eyes
      on
      top
     
     
      of
      the
      soup
      so
      that
      they
      will
      have
      those
      cod
      fish
     
     
      eyes
      staring
      up
      at
      them.
      We
      do
      this
      just
      for
      the
     
     
      sheer
      fun
      of
      it!"
      If
      you
      are
      ever
      his
      guest
      for
     
     
      supper,
      don’t
      worry
      too
      much
      about
      any
      eye-balls
     
     
      peering
      out
      at
      you.
      He
      is
      truthfully
      an
      excellent
     
     
      cook!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      When
      he
      was
      young,
      he
      had
      a
      very
      good
      friend
     
     
      called
      Carolyn.
      "
      I
      knew
      her
      from
      since
      she
      was
      13
     
     
      or
      14
      years
      old.
      She
      was
      also
      a
      student
      of
      mine
     
     
      too.
      We
      were
      good
      friends
      for
      about
      five
      years
     
     
      before
      we
      were
      lovers,
      then
      we
      decided
      to
      get
     
     
      married.
      I
      do
      think
      it
      is
      primarily
      important
      to
      be
     
     
      good
      friends
      before
      becoming
      lovers.
      It
      makes
      one’s
     
     
      living
      together
      so
      much
      easier,"
      said
      Professor
     
     
      Ledwell
      bashfully!
      They
      have
      now
      been
      married
      for
     
     
      20
      years
      with
      6
      children.
      “Having
      at
      least
      four
     
     
      conversations
      going
      at
      once
      exactly
      characterized
     
     
      our
      house.
      It’s
      that
      way
      all
      the
      time
      except
      from
      10
     
     
      o’clock
      at
      night
      until
      7
      o’clock
      in
      the
      morning.”
      To
     
     
      balance
      their
      lively
      lives
      together,
      they
      live
      on
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      18,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      25