More from '48

December 1, 1948. That day the T. Eaton Co. took over nine B.C. stores of the David Spencer chain. John David Eaton, the president of the company, visited from Toronto. Eaton said the purchase of the Spencer stores wouldn't change Eaton's plans to demolish the old Hotel Vancouver and build a modern, new store at the corner of Granville and Georgia Streets. (It didn't either. Eatons was at the location for years, until they went out of business.)

The papers were considerate and held back the news of the sale. Spencer wanted to inform his staff of the sale himself. The Spencer chain began in 1873 in Victoria and included stores in Vancouver, Victoria, New Westminster, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Duncan, Chilliwack and Mission. The Vancouver store opened in 1906 on Hastings street between Seymour and Richards. Eventually the store expanded to take up the entire block.

1948 is the year the airport was officially named The Vancouver International Airport.

Architect, Ron Thom, graduated from the Vancouver School of Art in 1948.

Edward Desjardins, a founding director of the G.F. Strong Centre, became its first manager in 1948. He held that position until 1979 and guided the centre's development into an outstanding rehabilitation institution. Four years earlier, as a result of a training accident at the Sandhurst Military College in England, Desjardins was confined to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic,

As Chairman of the Architectural Committee for the Social Planning and Review Council of British Columbia, Desjardins prepared and presented a comprehensive set of design standards for people with disabilities. This plan was adopted by the City of Vancouver in its building by-law. His plans were also important in the incorporation of design standards for accessibility into British Columbia provincial building codes.

In 1975, Edward Desjardins was appointed to the Order of Canada. In 1996, Vancouver mayor Phillip Owen said,

“Ed Desjardins' contribution to the health care community and the public is immeasurable. His years of leadership, teaching and support have changed the way we look at people with disabilities. That work is literally set in stone all around this city. His pioneering work on design standards for people with disabilities is part of the Vancouver Building By-law and the B.C. Building Code. Ed Desjardins has given us a legacy that will continue for generations.”

Walking along Hastings Street one day, I heard the rumble of big trucks. They were making a noisy protest.

The book, The Unknown Mountain, was published by North Vancouver mountaineer, Don Munday. He and his wife, Pat, climbed many B.C. mountains and this book recounted some of their adventures. 

The Munday's reached the northwest summt of Mount Waddington in 1928. Waddington is the highest mountain totally within B.C. - 13,177 feet or 4,016 metres. 

Television newsman, Tony Parsons, came to Canada in 1948. He was born in London, England on June 29, 1939. Parsons spent several years in radio and TV in Ontario before taking a posting in Vancouver as a west coast correspondent. He was offered the six o'clock anchor spot at BCTV where he stayed for over 30 years. He also worked with CBC news in more recent years.

Parsons retired in 2013 and I am going to have to write on him one day.

Thanks to The History of Metropolitan Vancouver website for the above information.

Have a great weekend and I hope you find the beauty around you.

Qua-Hail-Ta and Chief Thunder Voice

On August 10, 1948, Gassy Jack's widow died on the North Vancouver Indian reserve. Qua-Hail-Ta, her native name, was 90 years old. Madeline, as she was known, was 12 years old when Jack Deighton married her. Madeline was the niece of Jack's first wife and the mother of his only child, a son named Richard who died at the age of five. Six months after his father died. Madeline spoke fondly of Gassy Jack until her death.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on August 13 to celebrate the opening of the Oakridge Transit Centre on West 41st, just east of Oak Street. Dignitaries, civic and other, took inaugural rides on the city's new T-44 trolley buses. B.C.  Electric offered the public free rides on the 15th and on August 16, 30 of these new buses started making money for the city.

The first passengers received a route map and an explanation of how the trolleys worked.

On September 1, 1948, Mayor Charles Jones died in office. He had replaced Mayor Gerry McGeer who had also died in office. Jones was replaced by Alderman George Miller. Miller was a former mayor of Vancouver - 1937-38 - and covered the mayoral duties until the end of the year.

September 10, 1948 was the day Margaret Sinclair was born. 18 years later, Margaret was in Tahiti when she met the Minister of Justice, Pierre Trudeau. Trudeau became prime minister in 1968 and married Margaret in 1971.

Ten days later, Bing Crosby brought his highly popular Philco to Vancouver to record a program on the 22nd. The location for this recording, which aired on October 13, was the Sunset Memorial Centre on East 51st Avenue. Performers who joined Bing on this broadcast were jazz violinist Joe Venuti and actors Marilyn Maxwell, William Gargan and Ray Milland.

This was a benefit for the Centre and it was unique because it was the only show in the Philco series transcribed outside the US.

Before the show, the Squamish tribe made Crosby a full-blooded Indian "Chief". Bing became an honorary member with the name "Chief Thunder Voice".

Hallelujah Point in Stanley Park was named on October 3, 1948, to commemorate the work of the Salvation Army for over 60 years, 1887-1947.

On October 18, a small bust of Mayor Gerry McGeer was unveiled at the north side of city hall.

Olympic athlete, Marion Lay, was born November 26, 1948. She became known as "Ms. Everything in Sport" and was involved in the advancement in women in sports.

On November 28, at a home in West Vancouver's British Properties, a ghostly image of a basketball game in Seattle appeared on a four-by-five-inch screen. Radio-shop proprietor, E.A. Mullins, built the primitive set from a kit the cost $238. The signal came from Seattle TV station, KRSC - later KING-TV.

Thanks to The History of Metropolitan Vancouver website.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Great in '48

On May 24, 1948, things weren't so great. The Fraser River began to flood. Before it was over in early June, the waters wreaked havoc. Ten people died, 16,000 people lost their homes, rail service was disrupted for two weeks, more than 80 bridges were washed away and 20 million dollars in damage was done. That is in 1948 dollars by the way.

Greater Vancouver was isolated from the rest of Canada for a few days since both the railways and Trans Canada Highway were cut. Dead cattle floated downstream from Fraser Valley farms.

May to June 1948. Photographer: Roy LeBlanc, Croyton Studios, New Westminster.

May to June, 1948. Croyton Studios, New Westminster.

May to June, 1948. Croyton Studios, New Westminster.

May 27, 1948. The Agassiz School. Croton Studios, New Westminster.

On May 31, Premier Byron Johnson declared a state of emergency. Thousands of citizens joined more than 3,000 troops filling sandbags and dumping gravel - doing whatever they could to hold back the raging waters. 

More than fifty years earlier, there was similar dramatic flooding in the same area -the water was even higher - but in 1894, there wasn't as much to damage.

July 14, 1948 was the day the first "cottage hospital" at Langley Memorial Hospital opened with 35 beds.

On July 31, the following story appeared in the Province newspaper.

“Joy Coghill, one of Vancouver's best known actresses, is going to Chicago in search of her master's degree in directing and producing. Miss Coghill started acting as a child in Scotland where she went to school. When she came to Vancouver in 1940 she entered into dramatics and attended UBC where she graduated with a B.A. degree. Recently, she directed the UBC Players in School for Scandal.”

May 28, 1948. Croton Studios, New Westminster.

The last five photographs are from the New Westminster Library Site.

 
Canadian athleticism ruled the day during the London Olympics with the Canadian basketball team's victory over first Italy and then England on July 31.

“The big, fast Italian team went into an early lead as the Canadians opened their bid for the zone title, but were soon overtaken through the efforts of 21- year-old Pat McGeer of University of British Columbia who led the team with 12 points.”

Also, on July 31, Canadians use of the English language received a compliment. Sort of.

“Canadians,” said Mrs. Florence Aymond, speaking in Victoria, “speak the most consistent English in the world—even if it is consistently wrong.” Mrs. Aymond, described as a well-known examiner in speech arts and drama, added “We tend to flatten our vowels and take the music out of our speech. But on the Coast, in Vancouver and Victoria particularly, vowels in general are very good. We have musical vowel sounds with affectation.” Mrs. Aymond said Canadians tend toward harshness of speech, and blamed it on the tremendous pace of living. Rushing, she said, tends to tighten the muscles, so that we scamp our words and don't take time to articulate.

Thanks goes to The History of Metropolitan Vancouver website for the above information.

The photographs, besides the five from the New Westminster Library, were taken on the 28th floor of 1055 Dunsmuir Street. I was there Thursday for a Toastmasters' meeting.

I hope you find the beauty around you.