Alumni Profiles
Ritcey family celebrates
five generations
at Acadia By Fred Sgambati (’83)
W
hen Lydia Ritcey (’13) of Kentville obtained her BA in Sociology this May, she joined a rather elite club: she became the fifth generation of her family to graduate from Acadia. Enthusiastic, poised and well-spoken, Lydia describes a wonderful Acadia experience. She enjoyed her classes and professors; worked as a Welcome Week leader; assisted recruitment efforts in the Sociology department; and found great satisfaction volunteering for the Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience (S.M.I.L.E.) program. Lydia says her father David (BSc ’83, BBA ’92) brought her to the Wolfville campus when she was just a year old, and one of her first memories is sliding down Library Hill with her Nanny, Elizabeth (McIsaac) Ritcey (Class of 1960), when she was only three. Acadia was like a beacon to her, and when it came time to move on from Northeast Kings Education Centre in Canning, there was really only one choice. “I didn’t apply anywhere else,” Lydia says. “Even before Grade 12, I was preparing for my arrival at Acadia.”
Love at first sight
Her family history might have had something to do with that. Lydia’s great-great-grandfather, Rev. William Rufus Foote, who was born in 1869 and grew up on a farm in Grafton, Nova Scotia, graduated from Acadia with a BA in 1895 and an MA in 1896. He was an accomplished athlete and dedicated student who was recognized for his eloquence as an orator and debater. Following his ordination in 1898, Foote spent 25 years as a Presbyterian missionary in Korea, but later returned to Wolfville, where he died in 1930. One of Rev. Foote’s daughters, Beatrice, attended his alma mater, but she had to leave in 1931 to allow her brother, Charles, to attend. Although at Acadia only a short time, Beatrice met her husband, James LeRoy McIsaac, here. He obtained a BA in 1930, MA in 1937, became a teacher and was mayor of Bridgetown for 12 years. Elizabeth tells the story of how Lydia’s greatgrandparents met. “In those days, classes were held at
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ACADIA BULLETIN Spring 2013
University Hall. On one occasion, Roy peered through the keyhole of a classroom, where he noticed a beautiful young lady that took his breath away. He insisted to his friend that must meet this lady and the rest, as they say, is history.” It’s a typical and perfectly magical story about campus life at Acadia, and a thread that seems to run through the Ritcey family history. Lydia’s grandfather, John (Jack) Ritcey (’59) and her grandmother met at Acadia. Jack graduated with a BSc and BEd (’60), earning the Birks Gold Medal in the process. Jack and Elizabeth got engaged at Acadia and she left Wolfville in 1961 to do teacher training at Dalhousie and be with her future husband. Jack also became a teacher and was an administrator in the Digby school system. Like her granddaughter, Elizabeth says that Acadia was the only option as far as her mother and father were concerned. “They did a real selling job,” she says, “and they felt it was always Acadia.”
Felt like home
She recalls that the campus was different then, with a sense of intimacy that made it feel like home. “It was small enough then that you knew everybody on campus,” she says. “There was no drinking or you’d be kicked out, and curfews galore. You could only go out certain days of the week and you had to be in at a certain time.” But the dances were fun, even if your father went with you and you had to fill a dance card before you could go out onto the floor. “You made lasting friendships, and it meant a lot. I’ve always been very loyal to Acadia, and I found a husband here, too,” Elizabeth adds with a laugh. “It was a wonderful few years for both of us.” Jack and Elizabeth had three children – David, Susan (’88) and Cathy Lynn (How) (’90) - and all are Acadia graduates. Dave is a wealth advisor in Kentville, Susan is a naturopathic doctor, and Cathy Lynn is a teacher. Dave arrived on campus in 1980 at the age of 17. He fit in quickly, he says, and was very involved with Radio Acadia. He returned to Acadia in 1989 to earn a BBA focused on finance.