Bruce Campbell Bolin was born in 1946 in Detroit Michigan. He grew up in Dearborn Michigan with his mother, father and older brother. He studied physics at Kalamazoo College where he met his wife Janet. At that time he was deferred from the Vietnam War draft because he was in school, however he would no longer be exempted once he graduated. He and Janet both decided to immigrate to Canada upon graduation. They came over the Port Huron-Sarnia border settling in Toronto. Bruce worked at the University of Toronto in the physics lab for six years. Afterwards he pursued jobs with the Ontario government and several brokerage firms. He later returned to the United States for a job in New York City, working for 9 years at various positions in the financial sector until retiring and returning to his cottage in Port Burwell, Canada with his wife.
Cathy (Crabtree) Wirick was born in Pennsylvania in 1945 and grew up in State College, Pennsylvania. Cathy attended the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio earning a degree in Spanish. While at the College of Wooster, Cathy took a year abroad at La Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. Cathy married Ron Wirick who got a draft notice for the Vietnam War. To avoid the draft, he went to Yale University for a degree in economics, and Cathy went with him to teach Spanish in the public schools in New Haven. On July 1, 1969, the Wiricks immigrated into Canada in order to avoid Ron’s final draft notice. Cathy taught school in Ottawa, London, Istanbul, and Dresden. Cathy has four daughters and several grandchildren.
Christopher (Kit) Rigg came to Canada in January of 1970 from the United States. Kit was a member of the United States Military but left the organization and his country due to his opposition to the Vietnam War. Kit initially settled in Hull (Gatineau), Quebec and found employment at an H&R Block branch across the river in Ottawa. After five months, Kit relocated to Vancouver in order to be closer to friends in Washington State. Kit lived in Vancouver from 1970 to 1980, during which time he obtained his Canadian citizenship (1975), finished his law degree and started practicing law. In April of 1996, Kit and his wife moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia after he was offered employment with the Nova Scotia Barrister Society to run their bar admission course.
Diane Kristensen was born in Indiana in 1948. She studied industrial design at the University of Cincinnati and was involved with a number of anti-war protests during the Vietnam War. Her dissatisfaction with American politics motivated her to pursue her graduate degree outside of the United States, and in 1971 she moved to the University of Waterloo. After marrying her husband, Diane decided to settle permanently in Canada. She pursued a career as a graphic designer and later worked as an educator, which took her around southern Ontario. She ultimately settled in London with her husband and two daughters, and received her Canadian citizenship in 2012.
Frank Scarfino Jr. was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. In 1969, he graduated with a B.A. in History from the University of Pittsburgh. Within a year, Frank crossed the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge and immigrated into Canada as he feared being inducted into the U.S. military. Shortly after, he received notice that he had been drafted into the U.S. military and was ordered to report for induction, which he never did. In Canada, Frank found employment near Huntsville, Ontario, working in a residential treatment centre for children. A few years later, he received a letter from the United States government stating that the federal warrant for his arrest and his “delinquency” status were removed. Although he was once again allowed to enter the United States, Frank made Canada his permanent home. Today, Frank enjoys his retirement from teaching with his wife in Waterloo, Ontario.
Len Sirois was born in Brunswick, Maine in 1942 and later moved with his family to Rumford, Maine. Len attended St. Dunstan's University (later the University of Prince Edward Island) in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI) and graduated with an education degree in 1965. At St. Dunstan’s, Len starred on the school basketball team. Len was attracted to universities in the Maritimes by the low cost of tuition. He did not initially plan on staying in PEI, but was offered a teaching position in Charlottetown upon graduation. His wife Judy was also from PEI and they chose to live in the province after their marriage in 1967. Len worked as a teacher, guidance counsellor and basketball coach at Birchwood Junior High for 33 years. Len helped found the minor basketball program in Charlottetown, as well as the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Len and his wife have three children and four grandchildren.
Peter Seixas was born in New York City in 1947 and grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Peter attended Swarthmore College near Philadelphia, graduating with a degree in history with minors in political science and philosophy. Peter taught for a year at a North Philadelphia school since teachers were deferred from the Vietnam draft. In the summer of 1970, Peter took a cross-country road trip with a college friend and ended up in Powell River, British Columbia where a group of Swarthmore graduates were starting a farming commune. Peter stayed for three years, later moving to Vancouver to begin teaching. He obtained his Masters of Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC). In December 1979, Peter married Susan, a fellow Swarthmore grad who had also lived on the commune. The couple has two daughters. Peter went on to complete his PhD and obtained a position in UBC's Faculty of Education.
Richard (John Galones) Allon was born in 1943 in Cleveland, Ohio. After finishing high school, Richard joined the U.S. Navy but was medically discharged after two years due to a knee injury. Richard attended Marquette University in Milwaukee while in the Navy, but transferred to Case Western Reserve in Cleveland after his discharge. In 1970, he graduated with a PhD in psychology. Unable to find work in the United States, Richard moved to Toronto where he had found a job as a researcher with the clinical investigation unit at the Clarke Institute. Richard eventually left the Clarke Institute, but remained active in the field of psychology, maintaining a private practice and serving as a consultant for the corporate and health care sectors. In 2004, Richard moved from Toronto to Halifax, seeking a different pace of life. He served as the Director of the Centre for Leadership Excellence at the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, and was also a part-time faculty member in the Department of Psychology. Richard passed away in Guelph, Ontario on 25 June 2011.
Robert (Allen) Porter was born in 1947 in Staten Island, New York, but grew up in Albany, New York, and attended university at Hudson Valley College in New York to earn an engineering transfer degree. During the Vietnam War, Bob was involved in the student anti-war movement on campus, and possessed deferment status, a status given to students who performed well academically. Despite maintaining good academic standing, Bob was given 1A status by the United States government, making Bob eligible to be drafted. Bob decided the only real option was to immigrate to Canada to dodge the draft. In 1968, Bob immigrated into Canada at the Niagara Falls border crossing with his wife. With the help of an employment agency, Bob was able to work for an electrical engineering firm called Magneto Electric. After a long career and a new marriage, Bob is now living in London, Ontario.
Tom Corcoran was born in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1948 as the eldest of six children. After graduating from high school in 1968, Tom attended university at Saint Dunstan's in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI) where he played for the school football team. It was common at that time for young men from the New England states to attend university in the Maritimes and play for sports teams. Tom took a leave from his studies after his first year and was subsequently drafted into the American military. He spent time in Fort Dix, New Jersey, San Antonio, Texas and Fort Bragg, North Carolina but ultimately avoided being sent to Vietnam. After being discharged in 1971/1972, Tom returned to Charlottetown to complete university. By that time, Saint Dunstan's had become the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI). Tom graduated from university in 1976 and got married that same year to a fellow student from Charlottetown. He initially worked as a guidance counsellor in elementary schools and then spent time working for the PEI Department of Education. He is currently employed at Holland College as a senior counsellor. His wife works as a dental assistant. The couple has two sons, Sean and Liam. Liam is a member of the band Two Hours Traffic.