From the St. Thomas Times Journal
Saturday, April 6th, 1974
One would expect Alma College, with its atmosphere of old world charm and dignity to have a ghost and true to expectations it does. The story of Alma College's ghost is recounted in a book called, More Canadian Ghosts, by Mrs. Eileen Sonin, published by Pocket Books. Mrs. Sonin, an actress by profession, is a natural medium and a member of the British Society for Psychical Research.
No one knows the origins of Angela, the ghost of Alma College, but one of the retired teachers mentioned that when she was teaching in 1930 Angela was already well established.
When Mrs. Sonin visited Alma, Mrs. Flora Sifton was the principal. Mrs. Sifton raced Mrs. Sonin on a tour of inspection up and down stairs, in and out of halls, gymnasium, swimming pok and theatre leaving her breathless.
Of special interest to Mrs. Sonin were the storage rooms at the south end of the College. These rooms, thought to be where the live-in maids once slept, are reached by what is termed as the "secret Stair". This end of the College has two towers, one at each side. The walls of one are covered with the signatures of generations of school girls, but those of the other are bare. It is this bare tower that Angela claimed for her own.
Angela slammed doors, came down from her turet, and was seen by those brave enough to stay alone in what has been nicknamed the "Ivory Tower." Her footsteps were sometimes heard and varoius objects in the art room were moved around.
Of the many stories about Angela, a persistent one seemed to concern an unpopular music teachre who was locked in a cupboard in the tower by the girls. However, the records which date back to the earliest start of the school in 1881, mention no teacher with the first hname of Angela.
On Hallowe'en, a birthday party is held for Angela. High jinks take place with disguises and fancy costumes, and the Dean's bell is run.
Mrs. Sonin thinks that Angela may now have passed on to another plane, but she undoubtedly once haunted Alma College and perhaps now and again she slips back, just to see how things are going at her old alma mater.
