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![Graduating class at Burnaby South High School; Betty Warburton is third from the right in the front row, [1942 or 1943]. Item no. BV004.82.5. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/2000/200400820005.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Betty Blair by Eric Damer October 17, 2012 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory300
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1970
- Length
- 0:09:04
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair's teaching of parenting effectiveness training and the role of the Parent-Teacher Association. She discusses her love for libraries and secondhand books and how she passed that on to her own children. Betty tells a story o…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair's teaching of parenting effectiveness training and the role of the Parent-Teacher Association. She discusses her love for libraries and secondhand books and how she passed that on to her own children. Betty tells a story of her early political life, and of her and her mother's respect for Ernie and Harold Winch.
- Date Range
- 1930-1970
- Photo Info
- Graduating class at Burnaby South High School; Betty Warburton is third from the right in the front row, [1942 or 1943]. Item no. BV004.82.5.
- Length
- 0:09:04
- Subjects
- Education
- Political Theories
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 17, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 17, 2012. Major theme discussed: life in Burnaby during the war years.
- Biographical Notes
- Betty Warburton (later Atkinson) (later Blair) was born in 1926 and grew up at three different locations on Frederick Avenue in Burnaby. She went to school in Burnaby; first at Kingsway West for two years, then Nelson Avenue and then Burnaby South High School where she completed senior matriculation. After graduation, Betty worked for a few years in Vancouver before marrying her first husband Don Atkinson and raising their children in Burnaby. Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair has participated in a range of activities from hiking and Girl Guides to volunteer arthritis care. By the nineteen-sixties she had began to learn pottery and take lessons at Mather House in Burnaby.
- Total Tracks
- 6
- Total Length
- 0:59:03
- Interviewee Name
- Blair, Betty Warburton Atkinson
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
![Graduating class at Burnaby South High School; Betty Warburton is third from the right in the front row, [1942 or 1943]. Item no. BV004.82.5. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/2000/200400820005.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track five of recording of interview with Betty Blair
Track five of recording of interview with Betty Blair
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-003/MSS171-003_Track_5.mp3
Interview with Sev Morin by Rod Fowler April 4, 1990 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory543
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:07:36
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s involvement in the federal Liberal Party and in municipal politics with Alan Emmott; his mother Anne Marie Morin’s CCF work in Alberta and his brother Rudy Morin’s union activities and affiliation with Harvey Murphy; the political events held at “S…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s involvement in the federal Liberal Party and in municipal politics with Alan Emmott; his mother Anne Marie Morin’s CCF work in Alberta and his brother Rudy Morin’s union activities and affiliation with Harvey Murphy; the political events held at “Severin’s”; and Sev Morin’s centrist political views
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- 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
- 00:07:36
- Names
- Liberal Party
- Emmott, Alan H
- 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
- 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 seven of interview with Sev Morin
Track seven of interview with Sev Morin
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-021/MSS187-021_Track%207.mp3
Open meeting with William Pritchard and Norman Penner July / August 1973 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory83
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1919-1973
- Length
- 0:07:14
- Summary
- This portion of the meeting pertains to Pritchard's thoughts on whether socialism is stronger now or then. The two men discuss the One Big Union (OBU) movement.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the meeting pertains to Pritchard's thoughts on whether socialism is stronger now or then. The two men discuss the One Big Union (OBU) movement.
- Date Range
- 1919-1973
- Photo Info
- William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016
- Length
- 0:07:14
- Subjects
- Political Theories
- Organizations - Unions
- Interview Date
- July / August 1973
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of a open meeting with William Pritchard and writer Norman Penner. Norman Penner is the editor of the book "Winnipeg 1919" about the strike from the striker's perspective. William Pritchard wrote the speech that was included in the book. Audience members were invited to ask Pritchard questions. Major theme discussed is: The Winnipeg General Strike. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- William "Bill" Arthur Pritchard was born on April 3, 1888 in Salford, England, the son of a miner and factory worker. In May 1911, Bill moved to British Columbia and within a week of arriving became an active member of the Socialist Party of Canada. From 1914 to 1917, he served as editor of the Western Clarion – the SPC newspaper. He became such a well-known socialist figure that when he travelled to Winnipeg to participate in the General Strike in 1919, he was one of only seven people arrested and imprisoned for his participation in the event despite the fact that he was in no way directly involved in its planning nor development. In 1922, Bill and his family settled in North Burnaby in the Capitol Hill District. Almost immediately after his arrival, Bill began to advocate for change and a planned development scheme for the municipality. Pritchard ran successfully for the position of Reeve and held the post until the end of 1932. One of Reeve Pritchard’s highest priorities while in office was to attempt to provide work for as many unemployed as possible all the while trying to elicit more support from the provincial and federal governments. Bill was a strong advocate of the belief that relief work should be focused on projects that would see a comprehensive development scheme for Burnaby – including planned sewers, roads and water supply. Despite Bill's best efforts, however, Burnaby was forced into receivership and at the end of 1932, a Provincial Commission stepped in to take over the governance of the city. Reeve Pritchard, having done all he could as a champion of the unemployed, stepped down as Reeve but left behind an undeniable legacy of courage and determination. He was rewarded for his enormous contributions to the city in 1975 when he was chosen to be made a Freeman of Burnaby. William Pritchard died on October 23, 1981. Norman Penner was born in Winnipeg in 1921 to Rose and Jacob Penner and brother to Roland, Ruth and Walter. Their father Jacob was a leading member of the Communist Party and popular Winnipeg Alderman. Norman graduated from high school in 1937 but did not begin university until much later, preferring to begin his adult life from 1938 to 1941 as a full-time officer of the Winnipeg branch of the Communist Party of Canada. From 1941 to 1946 he served with the Canadian Army which included two-and-a-half years of overseas combat duty. On his return to Canada in 1947 he again returned to his duties as a full-time officer with the communist Labour-Progressive Party (formed in 1941 after the Canadian Communist Party was officially banned). After the abortive Hungarian revolution in 1956, Norman Penner resigned from the party and instead worked as a self-employed manufacturer’s sales representative until 1971. In 1964 he decided to go back to school part time and graduated with a BA from the University of Toronto in 1969. He took an MA in 1971 and a PhD in 1975 from the same institution. Penner was hired as a lecturer at York University's Glendon College in 1972 and soon became a professor, continuing to teach until 1995. He wrote extensively on the Canadian left. Penner edited and introduced "Winnipeg 1919: The Strikers' Own History of the Winnipeg General Strike" in 1973, published "The Canadian Left: A Critical Analysis" in 1977 and contributed three chapters to as well as editing "Keeping Canada Together Means Changing Our Thinking" in 1978. He published "Canadian Communism: The Stalin Years and Beyond" in 1988 and "From Protest to Power: Social Democracy in Canada 1900 to Present" in 1992 as well as numerous articles, reviews and book chapters. Norman Penner was married to Norma Lipes for sixty-seven years. The couple had four children: Steve (Mary Ellen Marus); Joyce (Herman Parsons); Gary (Marlene Kadar); and Bob (Shaena Lambert). Norman Penner died April 16, 2009 at the age of eighty-eight.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:03:00
- Interviewee Name
- Pritchard, William A.
- Penner, Norman
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track six of open meeting with William Pritchard and Norman Penner
Track six of open meeting with William Pritchard and Norman Penner
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-02-2/100-13-02-2_Track_6.mp3