15 records – page 1 of 1.

Interview with Sev Morin by Rod Fowler April 4, 1990 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory538
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1950-1990
Length
00:06:16
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s description of Burnaby’s growth and business development along Kingsway and Hastings, the Lake City Industrial Park, and the purchase of property in 1958 for the Heritage Park and Art Gallery.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s description of Burnaby’s growth and business development along Kingsway and Hastings, the Lake City Industrial Park, and the purchase of property in 1958 for the Heritage Park and Art Gallery.
Date Range
1950-1990
Photo Info
Sev Morin (left) of Severin's in Burnaby (formerly the Gai Paree) hosting a gala New Year's celebration, 1979. Item no. 480-712
Length
00:06:16
Subjects
Buildings - Commercial
Buildings - Civic
Buildings - Industrial
Buildings - Schools - Universities and Colleges
Historic Neighbourhood
Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Heights Area
Lake City Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Kingsway-Beresford Area
Douglas-Gilpin Area
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 4, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Severin "Sev" Morin, conducted by Rod Fowler. Sev Morin was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Sev Morin’s banquet hall, restaurant and night club business on Kingsway, originally named the “Gai Paree Supper Club” (1947-1976) and later “Severin’s” (1976-1985) and “Diego’s” (1985-1994), its function as a Burnaby landmark, and the entertainment and political people he met through his business. He also describes his many volunteer activities in Burnaby, including member of the SFU Senate, Rotary Club, Variety Club and Telethon, fund raising for Burnaby Hospital, and tourism related groups, and his political work for the federal Liberal party. He talks about his parents’ origins, the lives of his brothers Rudy and Rene, and the family’s involvement in establishing the “Gai Paree”. He also shares his views about the business and cultural development of Burnaby. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Severin “Sev” Rene Morin was born September 21, 1927, in Bonneville, Alberta, to Rene Pierre Morin (1878-1963) and Anne Marie (nee Lachiver) Morin (1886-1956). Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Morin and their son Rene Francois (1905-1954) immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, from France in 1913, where Rene Pierre Morin worked for the C.N.R. and a second son Adolphe “Rudy” Ferdinand (1922-1969) was born, followed by their third son Severin. In 1943, after R.P. Morin retired, the family moved to Burnaby to a house on Sperling Avenue. Sometime earlier the two older Morin brothers found work in Trail at the smelter and developed musical careers. In 1946/47 the Morin family purchased property on Kingsway and built a banquet hall, the “Gai Paree Supper Club”. Sev and Rudy Morin managed the club and Rene F. Morin moved to Burnaby to join them with his band. The supper club, with its live music and dance floor, became a popular meeting place and wedding venue, eventually expanding into a restaurant and nightclub in the 1970s. The “Gai Paree” was renamed “Severin’s” in 1976 and “Diego’s” in 1985, closing finally in 1994. Sev Morin’s business life included three record stores which he owned with his friend Jack Cullen. Through these businesses Sev Morin was well known in the entertainment and hospitality industry. He and his restaurant also hosted political and social events that made the restaurant a community landmark. Sev Morin contributed many volunteer hours to community and charitable organizations, including an appointment to the SFU Senate, fundraising for the Burnaby Hospital, Director of the Variety Club and Rotary Club, and consultant for a variety of tourism related ventures. He also was active in the federal Liberal Party. Sev Morin and his wife Pauline married in 1950 and had three children. Sev Morin died at age 86 on March 28, 2014.
Total Tracks
10
Total Length
00:56:44
Interviewee Name
Morin, Severin "Sev"
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Less detail

Interview with Allan Nixon by Rod Fowler February 21, 1990 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory465
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1936-1990
Length
00:04:08
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Al Nixon describing the location of the North Burnaby Fire Department fire hall and the location of the six fire halls subsequently built for the combined north and south department. He also talks about Fred Blake, Lewis Auvache and Henry Chapman, early member…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Al Nixon describing the location of the North Burnaby Fire Department fire hall and the location of the six fire halls subsequently built for the combined north and south department. He also talks about Fred Blake, Lewis Auvache and Henry Chapman, early members of the department who were also interested in the department's history.
Date Range
1936-1990
Length
00:04:08
Names
Blake, Fred
Auvache, Lewis
Chapman, Henry H.
Subjects
Public Services - Fire Protection
Buildings - Civic
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
February 21, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Al Nixon, conducted by Rod Fowler. Al Nixon was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about the history and operations of the Burnaby Fire Department from its beginning in 1911 to 1990, and Al Nixon’s stories about the various ways photographs, records and artifacts about the department were collected and saved. The interview takes place while looking at photographs, but the information is clear nonetheless (His photographs have been deposited in the Burnaby Archives). Al Nixon also talks about his father's career as a firefighter, and about his Douglas grandparents and their home “The Gables” [Seven Gables] and neighbourhood in Burquitlam. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Al Nixon was born in New Westminster Feb. 8, 1936, the son of Provincial Fire Marshal Basil Nixon (1904-1975) and Agnes Douglas (1909-?). His mother’s family immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1922 and lived in a large ca. 1900 home in Burquitlam at 9957 Sullivan Road called “Seven Gables” (recently demolished). His grandfather Thomas Douglas, a Coquitlam Councillor and Socialist, was murdered in 1934 in his North Road service station. Al Nixon began his career as a firefighter with the Burnaby Fire Department in 1957, eventually becoming Deputy Fire Chief Operations in 1987 and Fire Chief in 1991, before retiring in 1993. In the mid 1980's Al Nixon became interested in the department’s history after finding a photograph scrapbook at one of the firehalls. It was in very bad condition but he recognized its value and began a project to collect and save photographs, artifacts and stories about the Burnaby Fire Department, a 6 month project that turned into years. The photographs and information gathered by Al Nixon became part of Douglas Penn’s book “Follow that Fire: the history of the Burnaby Fire Department”.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
0:43:35
Interviewee Name
Nixon, Al
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Less detail

Interview with Allan Nixon by Rod Fowler February 21, 1990 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory466
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1927-1990
Length
00:04:05
Summary
This portion of the interview is about the equipment used by the fire department over the years, in particular about the pump and ladder trucks, and about Chief Waddell's wise choice of locations for the fire halls.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about the equipment used by the fire department over the years, in particular about the pump and ladder trucks, and about Chief Waddell's wise choice of locations for the fire halls.
Date Range
1927-1990
Length
00:04:05
Names
Waddell, Gordon
Subjects
Public Services - Fire Protection
Buildings - Civic
Transportation - Fire Trucks
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
February 21, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Al Nixon, conducted by Rod Fowler. Al Nixon was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about the history and operations of the Burnaby Fire Department from its beginning in 1911 to 1990, and Al Nixon’s stories about the various ways photographs, records and artifacts about the department were collected and saved. The interview takes place while looking at photographs, but the information is clear nonetheless (His photographs have been deposited in the Burnaby Archives). Al Nixon also talks about his father's career as a firefighter, and about his Douglas grandparents and their home “The Gables” [Seven Gables] and neighbourhood in Burquitlam. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Al Nixon was born in New Westminster Feb. 8, 1936, the son of Provincial Fire Marshal Basil Nixon (1904-1975) and Agnes Douglas (1909-?). His mother’s family immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1922 and lived in a large ca. 1900 home in Burquitlam at 9957 Sullivan Road called “Seven Gables” (recently demolished). His grandfather Thomas Douglas, a Coquitlam Councillor and Socialist, was murdered in 1934 in his North Road service station. Al Nixon began his career as a firefighter with the Burnaby Fire Department in 1957, eventually becoming Deputy Fire Chief Operations in 1987 and Fire Chief in 1991, before retiring in 1993. In the mid 1980's Al Nixon became interested in the department’s history after finding a photograph scrapbook at one of the firehalls. It was in very bad condition but he recognized its value and began a project to collect and save photographs, artifacts and stories about the Burnaby Fire Department, a 6 month project that turned into years. The photographs and information gathered by Al Nixon became part of Douglas Penn’s book “Follow that Fire: the history of the Burnaby Fire Department”.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
0:43:35
Interviewee Name
Nixon, Al
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory491
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1967-1972
Length
00:05:55
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how Eileen Kernaghan became involved with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and, as a representative of this club, a member of the Burnaby Arts Council in Canada’s Centennial Year 1967. She describes how the structure of the Arts Council changed, and its focus on t…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how Eileen Kernaghan became involved with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and, as a representative of this club, a member of the Burnaby Arts Council in Canada’s Centennial Year 1967. She describes how the structure of the Arts Council changed, and its focus on the newly acquired Art Centre buildings at Deer Lake
Date Range
1967-1972
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:05:55
Names
Burnaby Arts Council
Burnaby Writers' Club
Burnaby Arts Centre
Subjects
Arts
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory492
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1967-1972
Length
00:04:48
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how the Arts Council equipped the James Cowan Theatre, with a grand opening in 1971; hired staff, including Directors Byron Johnstad followed by LLoyd Barry, and Coordinators Phyllis Webb followed by Louise Holst; and developed programming and projects such as…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how the Arts Council equipped the James Cowan Theatre, with a grand opening in 1971; hired staff, including Directors Byron Johnstad followed by LLoyd Barry, and Coordinators Phyllis Webb followed by Louise Holst; and developed programming and projects such as the Sculpture Garden
Date Range
1967-1972
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:04:48
Names
Burnaby Arts Council
Burnaby Arts Centre
Subjects
Arts
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track two of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory493
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1971-1990
Length
00:05:54
Summary
This portion of the interview is Eileen Kernaghan’s description of the Arts Council’s development of the Sunday crafts festival in the park, starting in 1971 or ’72 and continuing for about 20 years, with speculations as to why interest decreased.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is Eileen Kernaghan’s description of the Arts Council’s development of the Sunday crafts festival in the park, starting in 1971 or ’72 and continuing for about 20 years, with speculations as to why interest decreased.
Date Range
1971-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:05:54
Names
Burnaby Arts Council
Subjects
Arts
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track three of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory494
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1971-1990
Length
00:04:58
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan taking on the job of Coordinator for the Arts Council from 1979 to 1984, the start of Burnaby Summer Theatre, Playground Theatre, and a newsletter, and the choice to do less risky programming due to the 1980’s recession.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan taking on the job of Coordinator for the Arts Council from 1979 to 1984, the start of Burnaby Summer Theatre, Playground Theatre, and a newsletter, and the choice to do less risky programming due to the 1980’s recession.
Date Range
1971-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:04:58
Names
Burnaby Arts Council
Subjects
Arts
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track four of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 5

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory495
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1967-1990
Length
00:06:19
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s involvement with the Burnaby Writers’ Society, serving variously as newsletter editor, President and Treasurer. She describes the club’s diverse membership, its role, and how it functions
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s involvement with the Burnaby Writers’ Society, serving variously as newsletter editor, President and Treasurer. She describes the club’s diverse membership, its role, and how it functions
Date Range
1967-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:06:19
Names
Burnaby Writers' Club
Subjects
Arts
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track five of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 8

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory498
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1970-1990
Length
00:04:35
Summary
This portion of the interview is about the arts community in Burnaby, who is involved, and the pros and cons for a central location for the Arts Centre
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about the arts community in Burnaby, who is involved, and the pros and cons for a central location for the Arts Centre
Date Range
1970-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:04:35
Names
Burnaby Arts Centre
Subjects
Arts
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track eight of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 9

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory499
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1970-1990
Length
00:12:18
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s decreased involvement with the Arts Council, and a discussion about the lack of political support for the arts and speculations as to why sports seems to have more funding through the Parks and Recreation Commission. She talks about the cont…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s decreased involvement with the Arts Council, and a discussion about the lack of political support for the arts and speculations as to why sports seems to have more funding through the Parks and Recreation Commission. She talks about the controversy about the proposed Metrotown theatre, the unique characteristics of arts groups in Burnaby, and the difficulty of recruiting volunteers
Date Range
1970-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:12:18
Names
Burnaby Arts Council
Subjects
Arts
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track nine of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 10

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory500
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1966-1990
Length
00:08:22
Summary
This portion of the interview is Eileen Kernaghan’s observations about the changes on Neville Street, the mix in ethnic and cultural groups, and the nature of multicultural activity in the arts community
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is Eileen Kernaghan’s observations about the changes on Neville Street, the mix in ethnic and cultural groups, and the nature of multicultural activity in the arts community
Date Range
1966-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:08:22
Subjects
Arts
Historic Neighbourhood
Alta-Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Clinton-Glenwood Area
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track ten of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Ron Baker by Kathy Bossort November 27, 2015 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory635
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1963-1965
Length
0:18:05
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker’s stories about the beginnings of Simon Fraser University, how he became involved, and the attraction of being able to try different things with little interference. He talks about SFU Chancellor Gordon Shrum’s ideas for all year quarter system a…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker’s stories about the beginnings of Simon Fraser University, how he became involved, and the attraction of being able to try different things with little interference. He talks about SFU Chancellor Gordon Shrum’s ideas for all year quarter system and for large lecture/small tutorials, and his counter proposal for a trimester system. He also describes his working relationship with Dr. Shrum.
Date Range
1963-1965
Length
0:18:05
Names
Simon Fraser University
Shrum, Gordon M.
Subjects
Education
Occupations - Teachers
Academic Disciplines
Planning
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
November 27, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Dr. Ronald James Baker conducted by Kathy Bossort. Ron Baker was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the founding of Simon Fraser University from the perspective of SFU’s first faculty member and Director of Academic Planning, Ron Baker. Ron Baker talks about John B. Macdonald’s report on higher education in BC (1962) and how it lead to the provincial government’s decision to establish a new university and to put it in the Burnaby area. He tells stories about how the site on Burnaby Mountain was chosen; about the building of the campus; and about the challenges of planning the academic structure of the university. He also talks about the attraction of creating with little interference an institution trying out new ideas and tells stories about his working relationship with Gordon Shrum. He considers the problems created by building universities in out of the way places and the ideas such as UniverCity for dealing with SFU’s isolation.
Biographical Notes
Ron Baker was born in London, England, in 1924, and served in the Royal Air Force during WW2. He emigrated to Canada in 1947 and studied at UBC where he obtained a BA degree (1951) and MA degree (1953) in English Language and Literature. He served on the faculty of the UBC English Department beginning as a lecturer in 1951 and advanced to positions of Assistant Professor (1958-63) and Associate Professor (1963-65). He was a contributor to John B. Macdonald’s 1962 report “Higher Education in British Columbia and a Plan for the Future”, and continued to make significant contributions to the establishment of the community college system in Canada throughout his career. In 1963 the newly established Simon Fraser University hired Ron as its first Director of Academic Planning, serving also as first head of SFU’s English Department. In 1969 Ron left SFU to become the first President of the University of Prince Edward Island, a position he held until 1978. In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to higher education. Ron has contributed to many organizations, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, on Canada Council, and as President of Association of Atlantic Universities and the Association of Canadian University Teachers of English. In 1990 Ron Baker was asked by the government of BC to prepare a preliminary report on the establishment of the future UNBC in Prince George. Now retired Ron Baker lives in the Edmonds area of Burnaby.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
1:33:46
Interviewee Name
Baker, Ronald J. "Ron"
Interview Location
Ron Baker's home in Burnaby
Interviewer Bio
Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with Dr. Ron Baker

Less detail

Interview with Ron Baker by Kathy Bossort November 27, 2015 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory638
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1963-1970
Length
0:11:00
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker talking about Dr. Shrum’s attraction to the mountain top as site for university and his grand ideas for the university, including scholarships for an athletic program. He also talks about how original SFU faculty was more West Point Grey centered…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker talking about Dr. Shrum’s attraction to the mountain top as site for university and his grand ideas for the university, including scholarships for an athletic program. He also talks about how original SFU faculty was more West Point Grey centered and preferred to commute from the North shore, and how this changed for new faculty who settled in Burnaby and Coquitlam.
Date Range
1963-1970
Length
0:11:00
Names
Simon Fraser University
Shrum, Gordon M.
University of British Columbia
Subjects
Academic Disciplines
Planning
Transportation
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
November 27, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Dr. Ronald James Baker conducted by Kathy Bossort. Ron Baker was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the founding of Simon Fraser University from the perspective of SFU’s first faculty member and Director of Academic Planning, Ron Baker. Ron Baker talks about John B. Macdonald’s report on higher education in BC (1962) and how it lead to the provincial government’s decision to establish a new university and to put it in the Burnaby area. He tells stories about how the site on Burnaby Mountain was chosen; about the building of the campus; and about the challenges of planning the academic structure of the university. He also talks about the attraction of creating with little interference an institution trying out new ideas and tells stories about his working relationship with Gordon Shrum. He considers the problems created by building universities in out of the way places and the ideas such as UniverCity for dealing with SFU’s isolation.
Biographical Notes
Ron Baker was born in London, England, in 1924, and served in the Royal Air Force during WW2. He emigrated to Canada in 1947 and studied at UBC where he obtained a BA degree (1951) and MA degree (1953) in English Language and Literature. He served on the faculty of the UBC English Department beginning as a lecturer in 1951 and advanced to positions of Assistant Professor (1958-63) and Associate Professor (1963-65). He was a contributor to John B. Macdonald’s 1962 report “Higher Education in British Columbia and a Plan for the Future”, and continued to make significant contributions to the establishment of the community college system in Canada throughout his career. In 1963 the newly established Simon Fraser University hired Ron as its first Director of Academic Planning, serving also as first head of SFU’s English Department. In 1969 Ron left SFU to become the first President of the University of Prince Edward Island, a position he held until 1978. In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to higher education. Ron has contributed to many organizations, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, on Canada Council, and as President of Association of Atlantic Universities and the Association of Canadian University Teachers of English. In 1990 Ron Baker was asked by the government of BC to prepare a preliminary report on the establishment of the future UNBC in Prince George. Now retired Ron Baker lives in the Edmonds area of Burnaby.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
1:33:46
Interviewee Name
Baker, Ronald J. "Ron"
Interview Location
Ron Baker's home in Burnaby
Interviewer Bio
Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track four of interview with Dr. Ron Baker

Less detail

Interview with Ron Baker by Kathy Bossort November 27, 2015 - Track 5

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory639
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1963-1968
Length
0:15:36
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker’s description of the attraction SFU had for mature students; the reasons for making courses in languages, etc. non-compulsory; the pressure from the public in Burnaby and elsewhere to offer certain kinds of courses. He talks about the desire expr…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker’s description of the attraction SFU had for mature students; the reasons for making courses in languages, etc. non-compulsory; the pressure from the public in Burnaby and elsewhere to offer certain kinds of courses. He talks about the desire expressed for theological courses and how he responded.
Date Range
1963-1968
Length
0:15:36
Names
Simon Fraser University
Subjects
Academic Disciplines
Planning
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
November 27, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Dr. Ronald James Baker conducted by Kathy Bossort. Ron Baker was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the founding of Simon Fraser University from the perspective of SFU’s first faculty member and Director of Academic Planning, Ron Baker. Ron Baker talks about John B. Macdonald’s report on higher education in BC (1962) and how it lead to the provincial government’s decision to establish a new university and to put it in the Burnaby area. He tells stories about how the site on Burnaby Mountain was chosen; about the building of the campus; and about the challenges of planning the academic structure of the university. He also talks about the attraction of creating with little interference an institution trying out new ideas and tells stories about his working relationship with Gordon Shrum. He considers the problems created by building universities in out of the way places and the ideas such as UniverCity for dealing with SFU’s isolation.
Biographical Notes
Ron Baker was born in London, England, in 1924, and served in the Royal Air Force during WW2. He emigrated to Canada in 1947 and studied at UBC where he obtained a BA degree (1951) and MA degree (1953) in English Language and Literature. He served on the faculty of the UBC English Department beginning as a lecturer in 1951 and advanced to positions of Assistant Professor (1958-63) and Associate Professor (1963-65). He was a contributor to John B. Macdonald’s 1962 report “Higher Education in British Columbia and a Plan for the Future”, and continued to make significant contributions to the establishment of the community college system in Canada throughout his career. In 1963 the newly established Simon Fraser University hired Ron as its first Director of Academic Planning, serving also as first head of SFU’s English Department. In 1969 Ron left SFU to become the first President of the University of Prince Edward Island, a position he held until 1978. In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to higher education. Ron has contributed to many organizations, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, on Canada Council, and as President of Association of Atlantic Universities and the Association of Canadian University Teachers of English. In 1990 Ron Baker was asked by the government of BC to prepare a preliminary report on the establishment of the future UNBC in Prince George. Now retired Ron Baker lives in the Edmonds area of Burnaby.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
1:33:46
Interviewee Name
Baker, Ronald J. "Ron"
Interview Location
Ron Baker's home in Burnaby
Interviewer Bio
Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track five of interview with Dr. Ron Baker

Less detail

Interview with Merrill M. Gordon by Rod Fowler March 19, 1990 - Track 9

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory480
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1987-1990
Length
00:07:57
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s work on the Parks Board and involvement in the arts community. He talks about developing an art policy for Burnaby, the conflicting views about building a theatre at Metrotown, and the establishment of the Arts Centre at Deer Lake
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s work on the Parks Board and involvement in the arts community. He talks about developing an art policy for Burnaby, the conflicting views about building a theatre at Metrotown, and the establishment of the Arts Centre at Deer Lake
Date Range
1987-1990
Photo Info
Burnaby Alderman Merrill Gordon (second from right) following a candidates' meeting, 1973. Item no. 480-263
Length
00:07:57
Names
Burnaby Arts Centre
Subjects
Public Services - Municipal Services
Arts
Recreational Activities - Theatre
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
March 19, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Merrill Gordon, conducted by Rod Fowler.Gordon Merrill was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Merrill Gordon’s childhood in the Depression, including his story about the family’s difficult trek to Burnaby from Alberta; his education, teachers and first volunteer activities at Grandview High School; his career at Fleck Brothers and the start of his own company Blaze Industries and later work in India; and his many volunteer activities in Burnaby. He describes how he started the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, the soccer club's subsequent growth and development, some of the people involved, and the founding of the youth soccer exchange. He also describes his work on the Parks Board and in the arts community, including the 1987 arts centre referendum, and involvement with the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society (1988- ), and mentions his work for other groups including the New Vista Society, library board, and Burnaby Mental Health Committee. He also talks about his political career with the Better Burnaby Committee and Burnaby Voters Association, resulting in his 1972 election to Burnaby’s 1973 council. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Merrill M. Gordon was born in Saskatchewan in 1929 to parents farming north of North Battleford. After a fifth year of crop failure the family of four left the farm in 1934 to join relatives living near the corner of Union and Sperling in Burnaby. With little resources the family adapted as well as possible in the Depression years, moving often in the East Vancouver/North Burnaby area in an attempt to better their situation. Merrill’s father obtained work at sawmills including Kapoor’s Sawmill at Barnet, walking to work over Burnaby Mountain. After attending numerous public schools, Merrill Gordon eventually spent three years at Templeton School and then completed his education at Grandview High School of Commerce, majoring in accounting and commercial law. He worked a few years at Canadian Industries Ltd., then joined Fleck Brothers. In 1965 Merrill Gordon and his wife started their own company Blaze Industries of Canada that manufactured wood burning fireplaces, selling the company to AB Electrolux in 1980. After a short retirement, Merrill Gordon went back to work in 1981 for a company manufacturing solar panels, one project taking him and his wife intermittently to India over a four year period. Merrill Gordon helped found the political group Better Burnaby Committee, later the Burnaby Voters Association, with Alan Emmott and Bill Lewarne, ran for Burnaby Municipal Council and served one year as councillor in 1973. Merrill Gordon is well known for his over 40 years of volunteer work in Burnaby, particularly as founder in 1956 and director of the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, one of the largest soccer clubs in BC. He was also the founder of Burnaby Youth Soccer and the first youth soccer exchange with Washington State. His other volunteer work includes library trustee, Parks Commissioner (1987-1992), Director of New Vista Home for Seniors, Chair of campaign raising funds for building Shadbolt Arts Centre, and Chair of the Burnaby Mental Health Committee. In 1988 Merrill Gordon, Betty Gordon, Dean Lamont and several others formed the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which advocated for the return of unused land to Burnaby from SFU and the subsequent creation of Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. Merrill Gordon and Elizabeth Balfour (nee Leitch) (1926-2012) married in 1953 and had two children.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:31:44
Interviewee Name
Gordon, Merrill
Interview Location
unknown
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track nine of interview with Merrill Gordon

Less detail

15 records – page 1 of 1.