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Interview with Bill Gruenthal
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19636
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (74 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (74 min., 37 sec.)
- 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,…
- 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
Audio Tracks
Interview with Bill Gruenthal, [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023
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.mp3Richard Bolton subseries
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription108
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1912 (date of original)-[1941]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Physical Description
- Textual records and graphic material
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consist of material created by Richard Bolton, who worked for Burnaby from 1911-1951, in many capacities.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1912 (date of original)-[1941]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Richard Bolton subseries
- Physical Description
- Textual records and graphic material
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Accession Number
- BHS1991-03
- BHS1986-09
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consist of material created by Richard Bolton, who worked for Burnaby from 1911-1951, in many capacities.
- History
- Richard Bolton was born in Sunderland, England in the 1880s. He immigrated to Canada on May 26,1911. Later that year he was employed as an accountant by the Corporation of the District of Burnaby. He lived with his brother George in New Westminster before purchasing his own property on North Arm Road (now Marine Drive), building a bungalow that he moved into in the summer of 1916. During World War I, Richard was promoted to Municipal Treasurer, a position he held until he retired. In 1919, he received three months leave of absence to return to Sunderland to marry Mary Gertrude Hern, daughter of Captain and Mrs. John Hern. Richard and Mary had two daughters, Nancy (b.1920) and Mary (b. 1923), that they raised in their family home located at 859 Marine Drive in South Burnaby. Both daughters were born at home, assisted by the Victorian Order of Nurses and the local doctor. The V.O.N. were established in Burnaby in 1912 and Richard Bolton supported and helped the Order every opportunity he had until his death on November 16, 1962. During the heart of the Depression, the family home became the meeting place for friends and relatives who could not find employment. During this time, Richard had discussions with Ernie Winch and others about seniors housing in Burnaby. The first phase was constructed between 1949 and 1956. In 1938, Richard was appointed Justice of the Peace by the Provincial Government but never accepted any remuneration for his duties. During this time period, Burnaby was under commissionship and when Commissioner Hugh M. Fraser became ill, Richard assumed his duties. He filled the position as Acting Commissioner and treasurer, and converted back to treasurer when the Reeve and Councillors of the Corporation of the District of Burnaby were reinstated in 1943. In 1951, Richard retired as treasurer for the City but he continued to chair the Debt Retirement Board until it became redundant in the late 1950s. On June 24, 1959, Reeve Allan Emmott presented the Gold Key to Burnaby to Richard.
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Photograph
- Creator
- Bolton, Richard
- Notes
- PC159, PC249, MSS153
- Title based on creator of subseries