100 Years of The Yellow Door

Courtesy the Yellow Door

Time to tune up for some celebratory strummin'. The Yellow Door, Montreal's hallowed home of folk stars and independent musicians, spoken word artists and established poets, as well as the headquarters of Food for Thought and the Elderly Project outreach programs, has a hundred candles to blow out. While the door on Aylmer Street has been yellow only since the 1960s, the YMCA of McGill University received its provincial charter 100 years ago, when it was founded in 1904 by Lord Strathcona. In 1928, the YMCA's work in Canadian universities was taken over by the Student Christian Movement of Canada, and today the Yellow Door is operated by the McGill Chaplaincy Services.

The community centre has helped a lot of students and Montreal residents over the years, and its famous coffee house, the longest running in Canada, has seen the likes of Margaret Atwood, Reverend Gary Davis, Bruce Cockburn, Rufus Wainwright and many more grace its stage. The coffee house flourished in the late '60s, and served meals to Americans fleeing the draft for the Vietnam War. As a response to the drug culture of the time, the Yellow Door also operated a drop-in psychiatric clinic in the early '70s staffed by volunteer doctors from the Douglas Hospital to counsel young people with drug problems. The Elderly Project, focusing on the other end of the age spectrum, also began in the '70s and has been running ever since on a largely student volunteer base, as well as community volunteers. Approximately 100 of them help elderly Montrealers maintain some independence at home, assist with shopping, and provide much-needed friendship and support to some of the city's most vulnerable and isolated citizens.

In its more recent history, the Yellow Door has offered a food cooperative for students in temporary financial difficulty, a peer support network for disabled students, and fieldwork placement for students in nursing, social work, religious studies, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. And as always, spiritual advice and a friendly face are on hand for students when they need it.

A June alley party with live music and a barbeque was held to recognize the 100th anniversary.

For activities, events and volunteering opportunities, check out the web site: www.yellowdoor.org.

100 Years of Hoop Dreams

The McGill basketball team celebrated its 100th birthday early this year, as well as the anniversary of the first intercollegiate basketball game in Canada. On February 6, 1904, the Redmen took on the Golden Gaels of Queen's University in Kingston and whipped them by a score of 9-7, the deciding basket coming in overtime.

Queen's University Journal printed a short account of the game: "The first of the Canadian Intercollegiate basket-ball matches was played on Saturday between McGill and Queen's. It is to be hoped that this will become a permanent feature, for the more we brush up against our sister Colleges the more we will sympathize with each other."

The first Redman basketball team in 1904.

The Redmen had earlier lost their first ever game 12-11 to East Malone, New York, on January 29, before beating Queen's - and they then rode the momentum to a resounding 23-11 thumping of East Malone on February 10. That was it for the season, as other schools were still figuring out how to field a team. Students at the University of Toronto had not yet learned to play the game.

Basketball was invented in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the YMCA College by James Naismith, BA1887, a football, gymnastics and soccer star in his days as a McGill student, and McGill's first Director of Athletics. The inaugural basketball Redmen were B.H. Higgins, Q.B. Keddy, A. Ross, C.W. Oliver, F. Shenkle and captain Daniel Ross. C.B. Powter was the first coach. Dr. R. Tait McKenzie donated individual trophies to members of the team. "One of these cups is a priceless treasure to a basketball player," said the Old McGill yearbook of the day, "and the winners have a right to be proud of the trophies of the hard-earned victories."

McGill women joined in the game fairly early on as well, with the first Royal Victoria College team out of the women's residence formed in 1909.

The Redmen played Université du Québec à Montréal on the 100th anniversary of the Queen's match, and while they scored considerably more points than did their ancient predecessors - whose scores were kept low by the novelty of the game and rules prohibiting any dribbling and running with the ball - the modern-day Redmen lost 90-80 to the Citadins.

For more information about McGill basketball, see www.athletics.mcgill.ca.