"Burnaby" found 658 records | Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Bill Gruenthal conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on July 31 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:27:01 Bill Gruenthal provides details on his family background, his early life experiences, how he got into the insurance business,…

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (74 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (74 min., 37 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Bill Gruenthal Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 31, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:14:37 Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Bill Gruenthal conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on July 31 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:27:01 Bill Gruenthal provides details on his family background, his early life experiences, how he got into the insurance business, his knowledge and interest in Judaism, places that he and his wife lived before moving to Burnaby, family life in Burnaby and his political involvement in running for the Burnaby school board. 00:27:02 – 00:42:50 Bill Gruenthal talks about the Burquest Jewish Community Association, it’s background and his involvement, experiences of discrimination in his career, a brief history of the Jewish people and some cultural traditions. 00:42:51 – 00:56:04 Bill Gruenthal mentions some of the charities that he supports including Burnaby Hospital, his volunteer work within the community and community organizations including the Nikkei Place Foundation and shares more details on his insurance career. 00:56:05 – 01:14:37 Bill Gruenthal shares information about his Burnaby neighbourhood and Jewish funeral customs and provides his impressions of new development at Brentwood, Burnaby Council and other development projects in Burnaby.

History: Interviewee biography: Bill Gruenthal was born in the British Mandate of Palestine, now Israel, in 1935 after his parents had fled Germany in advance of the then worsening political situation. Bill’s father died in 1942; some years later his mother remarried to an Irish-born senior civil servant in that government. He had a difficult and somewhat dangerous job. Soon after marriage, the family, including Bill’s older brother, Martin, immigrated to Canada in January 1947 on the strength of his step-father’s British Passport. They traveled via New York, where Bill’s uncle and his family resided and who put up the family. Later that month, the parents travelled by CP rail from Montreal to Vancouver, followed by Bill and his brother in March 1947 who travelled from New York to White Rock on an American railroad. While passing through the Fraser Valley Bill’s parents took an interest in Silverdale, a small hamlet west of Mission where the four eventually settled. Bill finished High School in Mission and soon joined the insurance industry. Bill connected with the Jewish Community in Vancouver where he met his soon-to-be wife. Upon marriage they were transferred to Calgary; after five years suffering its cold weather they were transferred back to Vancouver. They settled in Burnaby in 1966 as an affordable neighbourhood with easy access to his office downtown Vancouver. Outside work, Bill helped raise his family of three daughters who all graduated Burnaby High School (Alpha). They joined Temple Sholom in Vancouver, and he volunteered and still volunteers for a number of non-profits, including The Jewish Museum and Archives and Nikkei Place Foundation (Burnaby). He was an early long-term supporter and a past president of Burquest Jewish Community Association, mostly involving persons from Burnaby, New Westminster, and the Tri-Cities area (hence the name). He ran for political office in Burnaby in 1976 but was not elected. He delivers food in Burnaby for the Food Bank and is a donor to many worthy causes including Burnaby General Hospital. Interviewer biography: Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Migration; Persons - Jewish Canadians; Transportation; Transportation - Rail; Religions - Judaism; Cemeteries; Organizations; Elections

Names: Gruenthal, Bill; Gruenthal, Noemi Yadlow; O'Connor, Herta Ingrid Gruenthal; O'Connor, John; Burquest; Jacobson, Max Alec; Temple Shalom; Brentwood Shopping Centre; Brentwood Park School; Alpha Secondary School; Burnaby School Board

Responsibility: Damer, Eric

Accession Code: BV023.16.14

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Planning Study Area: Brentwood Area

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available

Documents

2023_0016_0014_004

Audio Tracks

Interview with Bill Gruenthal, [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0014_003.mp3

Research

Narrow Results By

Documents

Contracts under the Provisions of the Better Housing Act (a) Burnaby and C.W. Fenton (b) Burnaby and Brewer and Lightfoot (c) Burnaby and John Stainsby

Documents

2021 - 2025 Financial Plan, Burnaby Financial Plan Bylaw 2021 and Burnaby Rates Bylaw 2021

Documents

Advance Rent Payment for Burnaby Police Sub-station in North Burnaby

Documents

Agreements Under the Provisions of the Better Housing Act (a) Burnaby and Charles W. Fenton (b) Burnaby and Clifford W. Hales

Documents

Appointment of Arthur G. Moore as Returning Officer for the Purposeof Taking the Vote re Municipality of the Burnaby School Loan Bylaw 1927 and the Burnaby Road Bylaw 1927

Documents

Appointment of Arthur G. Moore as Returning Officer for Vote re Burnaby Waterworks Extension Loan Bylaw 1928 and the Burnaby Road Loan Bylaw 1928

Documents

Approval of Contracts for the Construction of Cement Sidewalks in North Burnaby by Deacon, Boyle and Sandstrum and in South Burnaby by J. McHugh

Documents

Burnaby Fire Station #8 - Burnaby Mountain

Documents

Certificates of Completion (a) Units A, B, D, and F, North Burnaby Sewers (b) Units H and I, North Burnaby Sewers (c) Units C, E, G

Documents

Contribution to the Burnaby Hospital Foundation for the Redevelopment of Burnaby Hospital

Documents

Date of Voting re Burnaby Waterworks Extension Loan Bylaw 1928 and the Burnaby Road Loan Bylaw 1928

Documents

Establishment of Garbage Dumps at East Burnaby and Edmonds-20th Street and North Burnaby -Queens Avenue Ravine

Documents

Grants (a) May Day Committee (b) Canadian Legion No. 83 Memorial Hall (c) Children's Aid Society (d) North East Burnaby Famers' Institute (e) Central Park Agricultural Society (f) North Burnaby Horticultural Society (g) Sundry

Documents

Polling Places for Vote re Burnaby Waterworks Extension Loan Bylaw 1928 and the Burnaby Road Loan Bylaw 1928

Documents

Proposed Burnaby Development Procedures Bylaw and Amendments to Burnaby Planning and Bulding Fees Bylaw to Implement Temporary Use Permits

Documents

REZONING REFERENCE #19-49 Burnaby Lake Aquatic and Arena Facility Burnaby Lake Sports Complex

Documents

Voting Results- Burnaby School Loan Bylaw 1927 and Burnaby Road Bylaw 1927

Documents

Voting Results for the Burnaby School Loan Bylaw, 1921 and the Burnaby Council Bylaw, 1921

Documents

Interview with Bill Gruenthal

Documents

Audio Tracks