Introduction

Welcome to the Brail Tone College Club website. On this site, you will learn about our club, how it got started, and how we got to where we're at today.

How The Club Was Started

Back in 1990, the Brail Tone College Club was started by a fellow named Ron Pitmen. He approached the Edmonton Dinner Optimist Club and Keivin Wallace, 1 of the club members, went to a meeting at Renfrew on White Avenue. That's how the Brail Tone College Club got off the ground. It was, and still is, sponsored by the

Edmonton Dinner Optimist Club which is the second oldest Optimist club in Canada, chartered in 1925. When the Brail Tone College Club was first started, most of the members weren’t adults. So we became a junior optimist club. We called ourselves The Octagon Group.

Public Speaking

When the Octagon Group first started, it consisted of a public speaking program. Our meetings were held on Saturday morning. The goal of the program was to learn how to speak in public, make new friends, and have a little fun, all at the same time. The goal was achieved. Ron Pitmen didn't run the public speaking program alone. Other facilitators were Keivin Wallace, Wyn Mcara, and Emma Collins. Keivin Wallace and Wyn Mcara are still a big part of the public speaking program today. At a meeting, 3 members of the group would speak and each one would be evaluated after his or her speech. Next, we would have impromptu. We tried 2 different methods for impromptu. We tried having 1 on 1 conversations, and then, we had 1 person ask the other members of the group questions. The questions were usually hard and you had to think about your answers. We enjoyed this method of impromptu more so we stuck with it. The question/answer format of impromptu is still a big part of our meetings at the present time. You also have the option of asking a question, and giving everyone a chance to answer. The person doing the impromptu can also answer the question if he or she chooses.

The Brail Tone Choir

After several years, Ron Pitmen felt that the Octagon Group should consist of more than just a public speaking program. So he decided to start a choir. With the help of 2 other gentlemen, Bill Owen and Ron Sales, this was accomplished. It too, would be sponsored by the Edmonton Dinner Optimist Club. However, in order for the choir to be a success, a good director had to be found. It took awhile, But Ron Pitmen finally found Scott Leithead. Scott Leithead directed several other choirs as well. Under his direction. the choir got off the ground. The choir was named, the Brail Tone Choir and we still have the same name today. Over the years, the Brail Tone Choir has had 3 directors. Scott Leithead, Carmen So, and Kathleen Skinner. Our current director is Carmen So. All 3 are excellent directors. We've also had a number of section leaders and they too, have been great. The fees for the director, the section leaders, and a lot of the supplies are payed for by the Brail Tone Music Society of Canada. Thanks to the directors and the section leaders, the Brail Tone Choir has come a long way. We've learned a variety of songs, and we've performed at churches, seniors complexes, choral fest, and 1 weekend, we even went to Saskatoon and performed.

Name Change

As the years went by, the members of the Octagon Group became adults. Suddenly, the day came where the name Octagon Group wasn't good anymore. We could no longer be a junior Optimist club. So a deal was made with

Optimist International that we become a college club. In December of 2005,we became the Brail Tone College Club, and that's what we are today.

The Optimist Creed
Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
Written by Christian D. Larson

This website was created on Monday, July 27th, 2009

Updated on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010