I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Smith. My sympathies to his family. Gord Smith was one of my highschool teachers at Bayside SS. We were both there at the beginning. I remember his excitement (which he rarely showed) at the prospects of heading up a brand new athletic program. The physical education staff he headed was second to none and the program was exceptional. He had a cool, tough exterior but certainly a soft spot for those of us in sport. He had very conservative values and I had an uphill battle convincing him that cheerleading could be athletic. But I did and he was even open to listening to my persuasive argument that cheerleaders were a big part of the football experience. In the end, he let us travel on the buses with the players to away games. He respected individuals who were committed and principled . He carried these values in his teaching and into his position of vice principal. I held him in high regard as a teacher and when I returned a few years later and told him I, too, had gone into education that ever present smile came across his face. I think he took some pride in all his students accomplishments. Thank you Mr Smith for being such a great role model to a bunch of 70's students.