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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.mp3![Windsor Street School students, [1938] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2005/2005_0035_0009_001.jpg?width=280)
Windsor Street School students
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1922
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1938]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 9.5 x 15 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of students from grades three and four at Windsor Street School sitting and standing in five rows in front of the school building. Sitting in the front row (from left) are; David Penzer (grade three), Clifford Spraule (grade three), Alex Decker, Wilfred Bjorvick (grade three), Mike Kozak…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 9.5 x 15 cm
- Material Details
- Photograph has scalloped edges
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of students from grades three and four at Windsor Street School sitting and standing in five rows in front of the school building. Sitting in the front row (from left) are; David Penzer (grade three), Clifford Spraule (grade three), Alex Decker, Wilfred Bjorvick (grade three), Mike Kozak, Arthur Sellars (grade three) and Charles Farren (grade three). Sitting in the second row are; Sheila Stockley (grade three), Gloria Frezen, Sandra MacKenzie (grade three), Merle Armstrong, Peggy Harrington, Elsie Williamson, Betty Cox (grade three), Dagney Bjorvick, Joyce Langford (grade three), Barbara Bagley (grade three) and Margaret McConnle (grade three). Standing in the third row are; Douglas Jackson (grade three), Charles Homes (grade three), Thelma Renas, Marjorie Bjorvick, Bessie McMurray, Ella Beatty, Rosanne Fraser, Rose Cox (grade three), Jessie Penzer (grade three), Trudie Bapp (grade three) and Betty Perdue. Standing in the fourth row are; Bill McDougal, Ronnie Kirkpatrick (grade three), Raymond Renas, Bill Stinson (grade three), Harley Cash (grade three), John Adams (grade three), Gordon Williams (grade three), Roy Donelly (grade three) and Jack Gray (grade three). Standing in the back row are; George Baker, Gordon Thornhill, Tom Dunbar, Neil McKinnon (grade three) and Maurice Baker (grade three).
- Names
- Windsor Street School
- Penzer, David
- Spraule, Clifford
- Decker, Alex
- Bjorvick, Wilfred
- Kozak, Mike
- Sellars, Arthur
- Farren, Charles
- Stockley, Sheila
- Frezen, Gloria
- MacKenzie, Sandra
- Armstrong, Merle
- Harrington, Peggy
- Williamson, Elsie
- Cox, Betty
- Bjorvick, Dagney
- Langford, Joyce
- Bagley, Barbara
- McConnle, Margaret
- Jackson, Douglas
- Homes, Charles
- Renas, Thelma
- Bjorvick, Marjorie
- McMurray, Bessie
- Beatty, Ella
- Fraser, Rosanne
- Cox, Rose
- Penzer, Jessie
- Bapp, Trudie
- Perdue, Betty
- McDougal, Bill
- Kirkpatrick, Ronnie
- Renas, Raymond
- Stinson, Bill
- Cash, Harley
- Adams, John
- Williams, Gordon
- Donelly, Roy
- Gray, Jack
- Baker, George
- Thornhill, Gordon
- Dunbar, Tom
- McKinnon, Neil
- Baker, Maurice
- Geographic Access
- Imperial Street
- Street Address
- 6166 Imperial Street
- Accession Code
- BV005.35.9
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Date
- [1938]
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Windsor Area
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 11-Jun-09
- Scale
- 100
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note in black ink on recto of photograph reads: "WINDSOR ST. SCHOOL Gr. 3 + 4 1938 ?"
- Numbers written in black ink on recto identify the students
- Note in black ink on verso of photograph reads: "1 David Penzer* 2 Clifford Spraule* 3 Alex Decker 4 Wilfred Bjorvick* 5 Mike Kozak 6 Arthur Sellars* 7 Charles Farren [sic]* 8 Sheila Stockley* 9 Gloria Frezen 10 Sandra MacKenzie* 11 Merle Armstrong 12 Peggy Harrington 13 Elsie Williamson 14 Betty Cox*/15 Dagney Bjorvick / 16 Joyce Langford* 17 Barbra Bagley* 18 Margaret McConnle* 19 Douglas Jackson* 20 Charles Hames* 21 Thelma Renas 22 Marjorie Bjorvick 23 Bessie McMurray 24 Ella Beatty 25 Rosanne Fraser 26 Rose Cox* 27 Jessie Penzer* 28 Trudie Bapp* 29 Betty Perdue 30 Bill McDougal 31 Ronnie Kirkpatrick* 32 Raymond Renas 33 Bill Stinson* 34 Harley Cash* 35 John Adams* 36 Gordon Williams* 37 Roy Donelly* 38 Jack Gray* 39 George Baker 40 Gordon Thornhill/41 Tom Dunbar 42 Neil McKinnon* 43 Maurice Baker* Grade 3 + 4 Grade 3 marked by *"
Images
![Windsor Street School students, [1938] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2005/2005_0035_0009_001.jpg)