As I finally sit down to write I must first thank Jean Trowbridge who as a speaker at a meeting of St. Mark's Anglican Church Prime Timer's Club showed me that there was some formal local assistance available for under- taking the task. This led last year (1992-93) to attending the ten lectures on the subject given by Jean at the White Rock Senior Citizens Activity Centre during the winter. In starting this task I have no illusions that it will be published or that it will even be widely read by family members or relatives. However, it will serve as a pleasant exercise for myself to set down memories of what has for the most part been a happy and in many ways a fortunate life in this 20th Century of dramatic change. I can of course hope that some family members will enjoy reading them and that down the road they may fall into the hands of one or two descendents who may have the time and inclination to peruse the life and times of a 20th century ancestor.
My timing is also governed by the fact that at 72 years of age my memory could start to fail to the extent where I may, (mindful that my mother fell victim to Alzheimer's in her later years), be unable to carry out the task adequately. Already I am beginning to forget some of the known names while others come up with ease. However, as aids to memory I can look to an extensive clippings file, a teen-age diary, (1936 to 1942) and a good photo collection from age 12 onwards.
In common with many of my generation I feel I've had a varied and interesting life. My memories extend over three quarters of this fabulous century with experiences from the great depression, world war II, university, prosperity, Canada's amazing growth and development, various kinds of work from the toughest forms of farm and manual labor to wartime naval service, engineering, management, and administrative positions, family experience, living and working in seven of Canada's ten provinces "a mare usque mare" so to say, as well as extensive world travel plus railway consulting in India and South America. I have done my best to benefit, learn and grow from these many facets of life experience. While as an Engineer and Administrator much of my writing has been technical and business related I will do my best to draw on my college experience editing the student newspaper The MANITOBAN, learning from Jean Trowbridge's course, and much reading to give you a tale of 20th century life that is both descriptive and entertaining.