By Dan Plouffe
If Rick Mellor spotted you walking at the other end of the hallway, be ready for him to yell your name at 100% maximum volume.
Not in a raise-the-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck kind of way, like you might expect from a big man with a big red face. But in a relax-and-forget-all-your-worries kind of way. Because along with that unmistakable booming bellow, you know there’s a fellow guaranteed to greet you with a smile as wide as a barn door.
He wouldn’t call you by your real name of course, because if he met you, he had a nickname for you. Mellor’s national capital high school sports association colleague Angela Dagg was “the Dagger,” for one.
His teaching colleague at Nepean High School, Scot Symes, remembers being quickly anointed with a moniker from Mellor. Symes felt some nervousness – wanting to prove himself and fit it – when he first arrived at Nepean as a young teacher, with a full head of striking blond hair.
“I didn’t know this guy at all. I came in and here was this enthusiastic, high-energy guy, and he’s like, ‘Golden Boy!’” Symes recalls. “We hadn’t known each other for an hour, you know what I mean? And he was so good, and it wasn’t offensive, he’s got a big smile, and right away, I felt instantly comfortable.”
On Saturday afternoon, Nov. 22, the many people who Mellor welcomed with immense warmth will gather at Mountain Creek Golf Course in Arnprior to celebrate the life of a man who radiated all the best parts of it. Mellor passed away on Oct. 26 after a long battle with health issues. He was 66.
Mellor grew up with athleticism in his genes, his grandmother hailing from the Kilrea hockey family. He played rugby and football at Frontenac Secondary School in Kingston and served as an offensive tackle for two years at Queen’s University before injuries cut that pursuit short.
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Mellor became a highly popular teacher and coach at the former Ottawa Tech, Rideau and Laurentian high schools before settling in for his longest stint of nearly 20 years at Nepean.
He coached rugby throughout, as well as basketball, volleyball and alpine skiing. A recipient of the OFSAA Leadership in School Sport Award, Mellor organized numerous high school provincial championships in Ottawa, he was a long-time rugby convenor and referee assignor, and completed his career as coordinator for the national capital association.
But many will remember Mellor just as much for his willingness to dress up and dance at school assemblies and generally clown around whenever possible.
“It was hard to match his energy,” Symes understates. “I say this in the nicest way – he didn’t mind the spotlight at all. He had the confidence, and he also taught kids to have the confidence to fail, because he didn’t mind trying new things himself.
“If it made a kid’s day better, he would give it a shot.”
Mellor was a magician who could connect with any student – cocky or shy, athletic or uncoordinated – and inspire them.
If he was talking to a fiercely competitive boy, he might tell him matter-of-factly that he won’t achieve a given objective, while knowing he’d have the fire to prove him wrong.
“I learned that from him as a professional – the value of creating a relationship with an athlete, with a student, with a colleague, (in order) to better an environment,” Symes indicates. “He was a master.”
Mellor drew many girls onto the rugby team who had never before played a sport, and who likely would have never dreamed of trying if not for his encouragement and the chance to play on a team he coached.
“Sometimes what youth need is they just need confidence, and they need to know that someone believes in what they’re trying to do,” Symes highlights. “High school, and high school sport, that can be a daunting place, right? It takes guts to try something brand new, and if you have a mentor or an adult or coach who isn’t open to failure, then you’re going to feel uncomfortable.
“He was a guy that used his personality and his love for sport to make people feel comfortable. And he would give them belief.”
Mellor left a legacy with the rugby program at Nepean, which continues to thrive. Symes notes that he also helped build a highly cohesive staff, often hosting events at his house or organizing golf trips.
“I have a tons and tons of memories that aren’t colleague memories,” adds Nepean’s current athletic director. “They were just true friend memories.”
Many people will tell similar stories in the community at White Lake where Mellor spent much of his time after retiring from teaching.
Mellor also picked up a seasonal job in semi-retirement playing Santa at Cabela’s in Kanata. There could not have been a more perfect role for the big man with a bigger heart – spreading joy.
“He was very, very good at giving to others,” Symes underlines. “He’s gonna have a really big celebration. With his role at the NC, plus teaching, and just who he was. He was a guy who touched a lot of people.
“Ricky was instant comfort. I loved him for that.”
MELLORISMS
Mellor was a one-of-a-kind man, and he required a one-of-a-kind lexicon. Mellor had a wide variety of catchphrases, sayings or just unique ways of expressing himself in different situations, collectively dubbed “Mellorisms.”
“The best part about Mellorisms is that you could have this conversation with 10 people, and each one of us would remember a different one,” Symes explains.
Here are a few favourites, along with definitions.
Wingnut.
Perhaps a synonym for “idiot”, but with offensiveness stripped. Ex: “They were supposed to put the pinnies away in the equipment room, but those wingnuts just threw them on the floor.”
“Give your head a shake!”
When someone has made, or is about to make, a poor decision, it is important to pause and “Give, your, head, a, shake!”
“I don’t need this!”
Whether someone has created a major headache or minor inconvenience, the Mellor way to express frustration (but also inject humour) is to throw your hands up and yell, “I don’t need this!”
Triple Salchow.
Never used in a figure skating context, but instead employed to describe a spectacular wipeout. Ex: “She was running for the try line, but she stubbed her toe and did a triple Salchow.”
OUT-standing.
Used in opposite fashion as above. A player who makes a dazzling move is simply “OUT-standing.”
Toodles!
When leaving, it’s never time to say goodbye. It’s always a friendly “Toodles!”
What a great article about a great man. He left a dent in the heart of everyone he knew. Thanks for writing this and capturing the big man’s energy, humour and gregarious nature. We should all be so lucky to be memorialized with such fondness.
He was an amazing man and will be remembered by many as someone that was always willing to put in the extra time to make sure you enjoyed the experience. I still remember his laugh and his BRUP>>>>BRUP. Rest in Peace, I’m sure he is still making people laugh upstairs and getting teams together to play another game. Miss you Rick
Dan, thank you for taking the time to write this tribute article for Rick. It was perfect. I could hear Rick’s voice with those Mellorism’s! Rick was one of a kind and will never be forgotten. It was a real privilege being taught by him, coached by him and then coached with him during his time at Nepean. Forever in our hearts Rick. Thank you for showing all of us to Love Life to the fullest.
Incredible job, Dan, in encapsulating a man who was a force of nature. His joy, exuberance and positivity impacted all who crossed his path. His trips to Europe, his Outdoor Ed trips, his effervescence throughout the school, his performances, were all public displays of a man of intuitive genius who knew that the best way to teach how to approach life was to live it fully, energetically, mischievously, wondrously. In addition to his public persona, he was also incredibly generous one-on-one, especially with the vulnerable and injured. Toodles Ricky!