Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Media frenzy then and now
There was a good article by Bart in the Free Press on Sunday about the machinations of local media and others 'in the know' when it comes to the potential return of the NHL.
When the Jets were leaving the most humorous media outlet was CJOB. I can remember Vic Grant chewing-out and hanging up on people who dared call into a CJOB 'news' show without sharing his view that losing the Jets was the worst thing to ever happen ! (For more on Winnipeg's media while the Jets were going down check out this 1996 piece in the Ryerson Review of Journalism)
With a potential return of the NHL the media scene is just as interesting to watch. There's the daily grind (for readers) of reporters, and others via Twitter and Facebook, trying to outdo each other to prove who is the real 'insider' in this town. You know, the The One that Gary Bettman or the Chipmans would deem worthy of a whispered late night phone update or knowing glance in an airport terminal.
I'd imagine that the media outlet with the most riding on a new NHL franchise this time around is the Winnipeg Sun. Exclusive content and splashy pictures of 'Jets' on their front cover, (intermixed with their usual bodies-on-stretchers and big-titted-women-in-the-news, of course), may actually allow them to go back to selling their newspapers instead of giving them away in an attempt to compete with their mini-me Metro.
The Sun also gets the most ironic editorial award during this whole "NHL is coming back" period with "We need to sell Winnipeg to the World."
The newspaper that for years has bathed in the glow of sensationally reporting Winnipeg's crime managed to come up with "That perception of our city as being a cold, desolate, crime-ridden wasteland costs Winnipeg and Manitoba millions in tourism dollars every year. It also wounds our city's collective civic pride". Uh huh.
I better get off to bed because I see they're calling for another NHL press conference for later today. It could be a long day !
When the Jets were leaving the most humorous media outlet was CJOB. I can remember Vic Grant chewing-out and hanging up on people who dared call into a CJOB 'news' show without sharing his view that losing the Jets was the worst thing to ever happen ! (For more on Winnipeg's media while the Jets were going down check out this 1996 piece in the Ryerson Review of Journalism)
With a potential return of the NHL the media scene is just as interesting to watch. There's the daily grind (for readers) of reporters, and others via Twitter and Facebook, trying to outdo each other to prove who is the real 'insider' in this town. You know, the The One that Gary Bettman or the Chipmans would deem worthy of a whispered late night phone update or knowing glance in an airport terminal.
The Sun also gets the most ironic editorial award during this whole "NHL is coming back" period with "We need to sell Winnipeg to the World."
The newspaper that for years has bathed in the glow of sensationally reporting Winnipeg's crime managed to come up with "That perception of our city as being a cold, desolate, crime-ridden wasteland costs Winnipeg and Manitoba millions in tourism dollars every year. It also wounds our city's collective civic pride". Uh huh.
I better get off to bed because I see they're calling for another NHL press conference for later today. It could be a long day !
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Images from Doors Open - Day 2 !
I was light on the Doors Open today but I did make it to a couple of places. (Here's day 1)
First was Balmoral Hall School where Aikins House (Aikins donated it to create a girls school) and the original school gym were on display.
I lived half a block from the gates of the place for ten years and all I ever got were condescending looks from parents lined up down Westminster in their Lexi and BMWs as they waited to pick their kids up so it was finally nice to get to see beyond the padlocks.
The house has been completely restored. They also have an archives and archivist located in one of the rooms should you ever need to do research.
From there it was around the corner to visit The Edge (no, not U2's Edge).
A noon doors open site was the Maryland Building of the Misericordia Hospital which is being readied for demolition.
Images from Doors Open 2011 - Day 1 !
A few sights from day one of Doors Open 2011 ! (Here's Day 2)
Yes, an impromptu brass band marching down Burnell Street ?! Brass band today, U2 tomorrow. Lots of open air music in the West End this weekend !
Sticking with the West End, the former Midland Knitwear / National Upholstery building at 618 Arlington was on show. It's being converted into artists studios ! The first floor is already done.
What a great space ! (I have a building history ready to roll - I will post it next week)
The Granite Curling Club was on display including their plans for the redevelopment of their second floor dining / club area.
I also noticed this - the huge sign from the old Grain Exchange Curling Club on Fort Street has been moved over to The Granite. The Grain X, of course, is to be demolished for the Upper Fort Garry project.
Just south of The Granite there is a little park (Mostyn Park) where you can find shards from Winnipeg's former Dominion Post Office that sat at Main near Garry until about 1960 (238 Portage replaced it).
Ralph Connor House was just open for Saturday but The Gates is a great place to wander around regardless of the occasion.
And because you should always include a cute animal pic, here's a trio of dogs from Banning Street !
Click here for Day 2 !
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Smoking ban - I guess that includes Cigarette Week ?!
Just a couple of decades ago it would have been hard to forecast just how quickly public smoking would recede. I recall smoking at university, able to butt out on the ashtray located outside the classroom door. Just a few years earlier the back four rows of classes were reserved for smokers !
When I was a teenager I volunteered at the HSC and smoking was allowed patient lounges and inc cases where patients were bedridden at "The Rehab" (Rehabilitation and Respiratory Hospital), INSIDE their hospital rooms !
July 13, 1944, Winnipeg Free Press
I came across an odd local event from the summer of 1944: Cigarette Week !It was part of the wartime effort to raise money for 'smokes for the boys' that were fighting or imprisoned overseas. Though 1944 was likely the biggest campaign seen in Winnipeg, cigarette drives for were not a new thing in the city.
Eaton's Ad 1944
The St. James Legion held tag days and other fundraisers as early as 1941. Eaton's Winnipeg store collecting pennies at their tills (a program which was soon rolled out across the country). The Kinniciniks Chapter of the Order of Victory Boosters was created in 1941 to raise funds for cigarettes.
Internationally, the Overseas League Tobacco Fund, (part of the Royal Overseas League which still exists today), began as a World War I venture to send manufactured cigarettes and tobacco to troops serving in far flung reaches of the Commonwealth.
That first campaign ran from 1914 to 1918 and Canada was the leading contributor with an astonishing £54,000 in donations. That money, pooled with other countries, was enough to purchase 324,860,000 cigarettes and 4.75m pouches of tobacco. (The Canadian Expeditionary Forces received 59,500,000 smokes and 1,026,000 packets of tobacco from that war chest.)
In World War II the Overseas League were back at it with Canada, again, a leading contributor. At the national level the fund had sent 150 million cigarettes overseas by June 1944. The national chair E. James Bennett said in a press wire story that “Every Canadian who landed in France with the invading armies was given 100 cigarettes which were largely supplied by our fund.”
Sending cigarettes was seen as a patriotic duty and a way to reach out to soldiers.
When you gave your donation you were asked to personalize a 'best wishes' card. The completed cards were inserted into the individual packages before being distributed. Grateful troops often wrote back from the front or their hospital beds.
You just wouldn't see a headline like this today !
Jan 11, 1943 Winnipeg Tribune
Jan 11, 1943 Winnipeg Tribune
In 1944 the Kinniciniks, who surely had the largest ongoing local cigarette drive with hundreds of millions of cigarettes sent so far, and the Canadian Chapter of the Overseas League teamed up for Cigarette Week in Winnipeg on July 10 - 15, 1944.
Collection booths were set up in a number of prominent locations across the city including The Bay Department Store, Peppers Grill at Portage and Main and Gray's Drug store at Main and Higgins.
The chair of the event was volunteer extraordinaire Mrs. Agnes Drummond. Aside from heading up the Kinniciniks she was a driving force for decades on the boards of numerous service, charitable and church groups.
I can't find exactly how much this one week raised except for a passing mention later in the year that the total was nearly $5,000. That's a lot of smokes considering that a quarter bought four packs !
That certainly didn't end the cigarette drives, (as Mrs. Drummond reminded people "Every week is a cigarette week".) The two groups teamed up at Christmas and other special occasions to send even more smokes to the boys.
Mmm...Turf !
July 4, 1940, Winnipeg Tribune
July 4, 1940, Winnipeg Tribune
Monday, May 23, 2011
The return of the NHL and the name game
Source: PostMedia / Reuters
It seems that the NHL will be returning to Winnipeg with details announced Tuesday. The euphoria and smugness of the local media can be cut with a knife so it must really be true this time !
It's not an issue that I was ever that hot and bothered about. I figured (like most hockey fans) that the NHL would eventually be back to small market Canadian cities once the southern U.S. experiment imploded. I have to admit some surprise at how long that "new NHL" has been able to drag itself along despite being on life support in some markets.
1976 Winnipeg Jets (Source: U of M Library, Tribune Collection)
A new team is good news for the city but for Bettman's NHL "move team to Winnipeg" is likely near the bottom of his "favourable resolutions for a failing southern U.S. team" list, just above number 43: Have staff and players of failing franchise assassinated.
Getting a team through 'default' in a league that doesn't really support or recognize the importance of small market Canadian cities is a double-edged sword. Perhaps a Winnipeg move could be the thin edge of the wedge for bringing the NHL back to its senses.
But, hey, that's getting awful close to naysayer talk. I will put my faith with the boosters who know 'Peggers will line up to buy almost 14,000 tickets a game for the foreseeable future. Remember, "We're one of the strongest hockey markets in the world !" Heck, we're even in for a "dramatic increase' in housing sales." How can every single Winnipegger not be stoked with rah-rah like that !
1920 Manitoba Falcons (Source: Archives of Manitoba)
One issue that should be an aside but, no doubt, will end up reaching shit-storm proportions is the name of this new NHL franchise.
The Jets is the frontrunner but ... really ? The Jets franchise left and is still (barely) alive and (un) well in Arizona. This isn't the 'return of the Jets' any more than it is a return of the Winnipeg Vics, Winnipeg Falcons, Winnipeg Maroons etc.
Each of these teams was a great and storied part of Winnipeg's history but surely we can stretch our minds beyond having to recycle the name of one of them for a new pro hockey team ?
Let the shit-storm commence.
1894 Winnipeg Victorias (Source: Library and Archives Canada)
Early Manitoba Hockey Archives of ManitobaWinnipeg Jets Relics Bryan Scott
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The end of the world ? Again ?
Sometime later today the end of the world could be upon us, though for many Canadians it started May 8 when the Tories got their majority government ;)
It's not the end-end, things won't truly melt down until October 21st. Still, it would set off an awkward "lame-duck earth'' period lasting almost as long as an NHL playoff season.
It's not the first time the "End of the World" has been predicted. Looking back in local newspapers American predictions of the Apocalypse have had a lot of play. The earliest reference I could find was in the Daily Nor'Wester in 1895 predicting that the dominoes would begin falling January 1, 1895 with the final one on April 1, 1901. How's THAT for drawn out !
The Manitoba Free Press reported on April 1, 1896:
The Brandon Sun had front page stories about endings in 1907 (see above) and in 1910.
Of course there were times when it may have seemed that the world was coming to an end. Wartime was brought doomsday-sayers out of the woodwork and into the newspapers, pulpits and theatre halls, as did The Depression.
On August 1, 1934 a somewhat exasperated "Tempora" from Neepawa noted in a letter to the Free Press editor:
Of course, most people and media make light of these claims but they can have serious consequences such as in Winnipeg in January 1952.
Gavin and Lillian McCullough moved to the 100 block of Carman Street, Elmwood around 1940. They were a typical, quiet family, liked by their neighbours. Gavin was an accountant, Lillian raised their teenage son and was involved in numerous activities at the local United Church. In 1945 the couple adopted a baby daughter named Martha Louise.
In the late 1940s the couple began dabbling in more extreme religions. Neighbours said they were still quiet but if the topic of religion came up "...she (Mrs. McCullough) could talk the hind leg off a donkey." Lillian became increasingly vocal about her beliefs, including one that the end of the world was coming very soon.
The McCullough's suddenly dropped out of the United Church and became devout followers of evangelist and faith healer A.C. Valdez Jr.. He was a preacher from the San Fransisco area, son of a well known urban missionary and preacher named Adolpho C. Valdez.
Valdez Jr. came to Winnipeg at least once before 1951, a guest of Calvary Temple. In 1951 - 52 he went 'big time' with a North America wide preaching and faith healing tour that packed in thousands of people a night from Los Angeles to Calgary. One of his stops was Winnipeg and his devout followers the McCulloughs would be there.
There wasn't local media coverage of his visit but a CP story from February 26, 1952 while in Toronto quotes him as preaching:
January 23, 1952 was the last time neighbours spoke to Mrs. McCullough. She was shopping along Kelvin Road (now Henderson Highway) and was noticeable for her her lack of eye glasses and a bad cold. When asked about either she replied that the end was coming and wouldn't need glasses and needn't bother staying in bed and treating a cold.
Two days later neighbours called the police when they saw the couple 'acting strangely' on their front lawn at noon dressed in their bed clothes. When police arrived they escorted the couple back inside in and made a horrific discovery.
Gavin McCullough was put on trial for murder and on May 21, 1952 a jury took only 16 minutes to return an "...acquittal due to insanity at the time of the act." (WFP May 22, 1952).
Lillian was initially declared too insane to stand trial and was sent to the Selkirk Asylum then to the psych ward at General Hospital. After almost five months recuperating she, too, had her day in court and was acquitted on the grounds of insanity. She was sent back to Selkirk for an indefinite period.
As for Valdez Jr., he was implicated in the case for fueling the impressionable and unstable McCulloughs. He strongly denied ever having directly communicated with the couple and said that he wasn't at fault if two of his followers "jumped off the deep end." Besides, the McCulloughs misconstrued his prophecy about the coming of Christ. It did not mean the 'end of the world' but, as scripture said, signaled the coming of 1,000 years of peace.
The media coverage dogged him as he was starting a two week long series of shows in Toronto. The stay ended up losing money due to smaller than expected crowds and donations. In December 1952 more bad press for Valdez when an Oklahoma teenager stopped taking her insulin after attending a really claiming that God would heal her. She died shortly after.
After that Valdez seems to disappear (even searching U.S. evangelical sites turns up nothing beyond 1953). This blogger, however, says that he was active until the early 1970s.
What happened to the McCulloughs ? Gavin McCullough was released back into the community on October 20, 1955. I cannot find any further mention of him.
The last mention of Mrs McCullough was in a September 1961 Free Press story on another topic but mentioned in passing that she was still in Selkirk Hospital. I found, though, in May 1961 a 'Mrs. Gavin McCullough' of Colony Street was a Jumble winner ! Hmmm...
There is a sad aside to this story. In 1961 another shocking murder took place on Carmen Avenue - in the house right next door to the former McCullough house. A man murdered his wife with a knife then killed himself.
Let's hope that the world doesn't end and that even the followers of this U.S. preacher don't take him too seriously, either.
Now get back to your Victoria Day weekend barbeques - but eat fast, just in case !
It's not the end-end, things won't truly melt down until October 21st. Still, it would set off an awkward "lame-duck earth'' period lasting almost as long as an NHL playoff season.
May 4, 1907 (source)
It's not the first time the "End of the World" has been predicted. Looking back in local newspapers American predictions of the Apocalypse have had a lot of play. The earliest reference I could find was in the Daily Nor'Wester in 1895 predicting that the dominoes would begin falling January 1, 1895 with the final one on April 1, 1901. How's THAT for drawn out !
The Manitoba Free Press reported on April 1, 1896:
This is the day set for the end of the world, by the Adventists. Up to the hour of going to press, there are not any serious indications of the prophesied dissolution of Mother Earth. But we felt serious all day about it.
The Brandon Sun had front page stories about endings in 1907 (see above) and in 1910.
April 6, 1918, Winnipeg Free Press
Of course there were times when it may have seemed that the world was coming to an end. Wartime was brought doomsday-sayers out of the woodwork and into the newspapers, pulpits and theatre halls, as did The Depression.
On August 1, 1934 a somewhat exasperated "Tempora" from Neepawa noted in a letter to the Free Press editor:
Editor,—Is it not a fact that, extending over many years now, we see again and again prophecies that the end of the world, etc. will arrive shortly? Did Christ Himself not tell us that even He did not know; only the Father knew ?
The McColloughs, Jan 26, 1952, Winnipeg Free Press
Of course, most people and media make light of these claims but they can have serious consequences such as in Winnipeg in January 1952.
Gavin and Lillian McCullough moved to the 100 block of Carman Street, Elmwood around 1940. They were a typical, quiet family, liked by their neighbours. Gavin was an accountant, Lillian raised their teenage son and was involved in numerous activities at the local United Church. In 1945 the couple adopted a baby daughter named Martha Louise.
In the late 1940s the couple began dabbling in more extreme religions. Neighbours said they were still quiet but if the topic of religion came up "...she (Mrs. McCullough) could talk the hind leg off a donkey." Lillian became increasingly vocal about her beliefs, including one that the end of the world was coming very soon.
December 1951, Winnipeg Free Press
The McCullough's suddenly dropped out of the United Church and became devout followers of evangelist and faith healer A.C. Valdez Jr.. He was a preacher from the San Fransisco area, son of a well known urban missionary and preacher named Adolpho C. Valdez.
Valdez Jr. came to Winnipeg at least once before 1951, a guest of Calvary Temple. In 1951 - 52 he went 'big time' with a North America wide preaching and faith healing tour that packed in thousands of people a night from Los Angeles to Calgary. One of his stops was Winnipeg and his devout followers the McCulloughs would be there.
There wasn't local media coverage of his visit but a CP story from February 26, 1952 while in Toronto quotes him as preaching:
"God will shake the whole countryside soon. He is going, to make fire come down from heaven. Dead people are going to rise. You-will see things that will almost make your hair stand on end."
January 23, 1952 was the last time neighbours spoke to Mrs. McCullough. She was shopping along Kelvin Road (now Henderson Highway) and was noticeable for her her lack of eye glasses and a bad cold. When asked about either she replied that the end was coming and wouldn't need glasses and needn't bother staying in bed and treating a cold.
Two days later neighbours called the police when they saw the couple 'acting strangely' on their front lawn at noon dressed in their bed clothes. When police arrived they escorted the couple back inside in and made a horrific discovery.
Martha Louise McCollough, Jan 26, 1952, Winnipeg Free Press
Seven year-old Martha had been bludgeoned to death with a medicine bottle then strangled. The McCulloughs told police that she was murdered during an all-night prayer session while trying to 'beat the devil' out of her in preparation for the end of the world the next day. (Their 20 year old son, it appears, was not home).
Lillian was initially declared too insane to stand trial and was sent to the Selkirk Asylum then to the psych ward at General Hospital. After almost five months recuperating she, too, had her day in court and was acquitted on the grounds of insanity. She was sent back to Selkirk for an indefinite period.
Valdez at Winnipeg Auditorium (source)
As for Valdez Jr., he was implicated in the case for fueling the impressionable and unstable McCulloughs. He strongly denied ever having directly communicated with the couple and said that he wasn't at fault if two of his followers "jumped off the deep end." Besides, the McCulloughs misconstrued his prophecy about the coming of Christ. It did not mean the 'end of the world' but, as scripture said, signaled the coming of 1,000 years of peace.
The media coverage dogged him as he was starting a two week long series of shows in Toronto. The stay ended up losing money due to smaller than expected crowds and donations. In December 1952 more bad press for Valdez when an Oklahoma teenager stopped taking her insulin after attending a really claiming that God would heal her. She died shortly after.
After that Valdez seems to disappear (even searching U.S. evangelical sites turns up nothing beyond 1953). This blogger, however, says that he was active until the early 1970s.
May 20, 1952, Winnipeg Free Press
What happened to the McCulloughs ? Gavin McCullough was released back into the community on October 20, 1955. I cannot find any further mention of him.
The last mention of Mrs McCullough was in a September 1961 Free Press story on another topic but mentioned in passing that she was still in Selkirk Hospital. I found, though, in May 1961 a 'Mrs. Gavin McCullough' of Colony Street was a Jumble winner ! Hmmm...
There is a sad aside to this story. In 1961 another shocking murder took place on Carmen Avenue - in the house right next door to the former McCullough house. A man murdered his wife with a knife then killed himself.
Let's hope that the world doesn't end and that even the followers of this U.S. preacher don't take him too seriously, either.
Now get back to your Victoria Day weekend barbeques - but eat fast, just in case !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)