Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter March 2021

Angela Henry: Living Life with Energy, Talent

Creativity and Lots of Love

Angela
photo by Andrea Cross

I recall sitting in the bottom of Camosun’s Young Building in Ed Fougner’s

Recreation office on the first day of my job, August
1978. Ed, who was Director of Student Affairs and
Coordinator of the Recreation Program, offered me a
coffee and proceeded to take down a cup from his
bookshelf. The cup had molding coffee dregs in it and,
with a very characteristic Ed grunt/sigh/laugh, he
poured in fresh coffee, swilled it around, tossed the
fuzzy coffee in the waste basket and poured me a
fresh cup. I seriously wondered what I had gotten
myself into! I was 32 years old and had just been
hired as the Program Leader of the new Aquatic
Specialist Program, a first in Canada to train
Recreation leaders in all aspects of Aquatics.

Ed Fougner
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I had ten days to prepare the

curriculum overviews for the
eighteen courses. I was well-
versed in many aquatic
activities but by no means all
of the activities we were going
to offer. I knew nothing of
sailing, water polo, wind-
surfing, kayaking and pool
chemistry. I quickly scrambled

Angela the Aquatic Specialist (above)

and
with students (right) in 1980s

and hired some excellent, albeit

somewhat rogue, instructors (as was
the character of many extreme sports
hardliners).

I stumbled through that year doing

eighty hour weeks staying just one
week ahead of my students. Thus
began a twenty-nine year relationship
with Camosun.

It was physically and academically

challenging. I remember driving to
Cadboro Bay for a sailing class and
realizing my little green Cortina compact station wagon contained all the
equipment for 7 aquatic sports. There was a sailboard and a kayak on the roof
racks; scuba gear in the back; swim suit in my bag; wetsuits, mask and flippers;
my kayak paddle and canoe oar. It all seemed rather glamorous to some of my
colleagues who would see me strapping canoes onto a trailer in the sunshine
and “going to work”. They didn’t smirk so broadly when it was raining torrentially
and bitterly cold as I tied down those boats and drove the school bus out of the
driveway. I taught all through the cold months at a multitude of outdoor sites.

I fished many a student and, sometimes, a faculty member from the briny deep
on our canoe, kayak or surf ventures as part of my work day. I taught the
principles of compassion and team-building and the skills of listening around
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter March 2021

campfires, on the floors of tents, in A-frame shelters, on river banks, in hotel

rooms and classrooms. I had great teaching colleagues in Stan Anderson, Ron
Kirstein and Lynda Warren. I loved my job.

I remember clearly being summoned by Neil Murphy, Dean of Health and Human
Services, to his office in 1985 where I was met with Neil’s steely blue eyes and a
sharp: “Explain to me why I had to close down a whole campus because of you?”
You see, I and my students were repairing fiberglass canoes at the Carey Road
campus and, when the temperature dropped, the epoxy resin wouldn’t kick so we
moved the boats into the vacant gym little knowing that the air-conditioning
system picked up the fumes making a number of people sick until it was
necessary to evacuate the campus. Oops!

In 1980, because I was teaching the Interpersonal Communications courses for

the Recreation students, I became a member of the Psychology department.
Thus began my dual role at the college. I was frequently chided as teaching
“Recreational Psychology” or “Psychological Recreation”. After completing my
Masters degree in Educational Psychology/Counselling, I began teaching a wide
range of first and second year Psychology courses in Communications and
Counselling culminating in my writing a textbook on Interpersonal
Communications.

Over the years, the Aquatic Specialist Program underwent many curriculum
revisions. It ended its life as the Recreation
Leadership Program before it was dissolved
in 2002 when the curriculum elements
became subsumed under the new Pacific
Institute of Sports Excellence.

I continued to teach in two schools - Arts &

Sciences and Health & Human Services -
until the last year of my employment when I
developed the Sports Psychology courses
for the new Sports & Recreation
Management program at Interurban. In all, I
served under eight deans and a dozen
chairs in two schools.

After retiring, I conducted a number of

Angela with husband, Gil Henry
in Seville, Spain in 2007
workshops in Communications and
Leadership to various groups, including the
Vice-Principals of School District #61, for
several years. I distinctly remember coming
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back to Camosun to offer a management workshop on conflict resolution to

Student Services employees. As always, it was exhilarating, but walking to the
Lansdowne parking lot after it was over, I felt very clearly that, effective as I was
at doing such workshops, I had little interest in doing them anymore. I later joked
that it took twenty minutes to leave it all behind.

Life after Camosun has allowed me to follow my life-

long love of theatre more fully. My love of theatre
and my passion for acting began at UBC where I
completed a B.Ed with a major in English Literature
and a minor in Physical Education. My first theatre
director was Iona Campagnolla, our former
Lieutenant Governor. In 1972-74, I was living in
Prince Rupert, which is where I met Iona. When we
moved (none too soon for my liking) to Victoria in
1974, I hooked up with Langham Court Theatre and
appeared as Masha in Chekov’s Three Sisters. So
began my long history with Langham that moved me
from acting, to directing, to board work and finally as
Ombudsperson from 2017 – 2020. My last play, Over
the River and Through the Woods by Joe DiPietro,

Angela, the passionate actress

Above right:Toys in the Attic by Lillian Hellman, 1986
Above: Over the River & Into the Woods by Joe DiPietro, 2019
Lower left: Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn, 1981
(All Langham Court productions)
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closed in 2019. All those years on the stage would not have been possible but for
the incredible support of my dear husband, Gil Henry, and the flexibility of our
children, Tasha and Damon. Our kids got dragged to many a rehearsal and were
raised in the clutch of theatre arts.

In Prince Rupert, under the tutelage of Iona, I appeared as Lady Fitzpatrick in

Tom Jones. I was 5 months pregnant with our son Damon by the end of the run.
Gil, bless his heart, was cast as the jailor and had a tiny scene where his only
move was to “leer” at Mrs. Waters as she swished by him. Regardless of intense
coaching from Iona, Gil could only muster a boyish grin and swore after that
experience that his life in the theatre was going to be confined solely to the
backstage. After moving to Victoria, Gil became one of Langham’s most trusted
producers. Similarly, our dear friend, Thelma Midori, upon her retirement as Dean
of Health and Human Services, had the choice of sitting on the board of a long-
term care hospital or joining the theatre with us. It didn’t take long for her to
decide. Thelma was a natural producer using her incredible leadership skills to
shepherd through many shows until her untimely death in 2012.

Angela and friends at the opening of “The drowsy Chaperone” at Langham Court
Theatre (2014)
Left to right: Angela and Gil Henry, Pearl Arden, Sally Crickman and Thelma MidorI

Over the years, I have been involved in many productions at Langham Court
Theatre as well as some at St. Luke’s Players, The Belfry Spark Festival, BEMA
Productions and film.
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Angela and Gil

Above: as newlyweds in 1970
Left: celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary
2020

Below:
Angela with sister, Lynda Raino, in a soon-to-be
released film by Joyce Klline

My retirement has been full of

travel to some wonderful and
exotic sites. The quintessential
travel event for our family was to
be a trip to Italy in March 2020. Gil
and I were going to celebrate our
50th wedding anniversary and one
of our granddaughters was to turn
15 during that month. I had
booked a photographer and a villa
in Sorrento. We planned for
months for Tasha and Damon and their children to meet their Italian relatives
from a small village in Calabria. It was to culminate with Gil and I on a river cruise
ending in Budapest. Unfortunately, the whole elaborate plan came crashing down
with the pandemic.

So, I continue with my love of the Arts and theatre. During the pandemic, I was
cast in two online plays with The Canadian Play Thing managed by Janet
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter March 2021

Munsil. I was also, along with my sister, Lynda Raino, cast in a short indie film in
October 2020 amidst massive COVID protocols. That film, by Joyce Kline, will be
airing sometime in 2021. It’s an odd, funny, and a little dark short about conjoined
twins who are fading (read “well past their due date”) Vaudeville stars. Lynda and
I had to learn to sing, dance, sleep and fight joined at the hip.

As I look ahead, my hope is that the future holds more theatre; more travel; hugs
from my kids, six grandchildren, two cats, four siblings; and, of course, continued
good health.

A Most Unique Family Portrait, 2015

Back Row: daughter-in-law, Erin Renwick, son Damon Henry, friend Frank, daughter Tasha Henry
Middle Row: Angela and Gil
Front Row: grandson Soren Frank, friend Isla, granddaughters Abigail and Cleo Henry, grandson
Lucas Henry

Photo by Gord Kerr, Westcoast Photographic