My Town Monday and the Burton Cummings Theatre

Winnipeg has a downtown establishment called The Burton Cummings Theatre. (I got to watch Leonard Cohen there a few years ago.) The venue was originally called the Walker Theatre when it was built back in 1906. Then in 1991 it was re-furbished and re-named after one of our famous sons, Burton Cummings. Burton was the lead singer of the internationally acclaimed band from the seventies known as The Guess Who. Here's a chance to listen to their song, Share the Land.

Archives of Manitoba, Winnipeg-Theatre-Walker, Image 9/N13272.

The reason I'm sharing Burton's theatre now is because he's been in the news lately. You see, Burton was a high school dropout. But this past June, he (and my youngest daughter) both received their high school diplomas - only not at the same school. His school was St. John's High in the North End - which even back in the 70s was notorious for its rough edge.

My question is this. Does someone who has not fulfilled the requirements of a high school diploma, deserve one? Of course, Burton Cummings moved on to become successful without finishing school. But what message is that sending to young people graduating today? I'm not sure.

Whatever the answer is, I still want to send huge CONGRATULATIONS to all the Class of 2010! The world is yours!

And to anyone who's interested, here's a listing of upcoming Burton Cumming's Theatre Events.

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