The Club History | 1909 - 1948

Introduction

An important part of the cultural and educational life of any community is the free association of groups to carry on literary, artistic or kindred pursuits. Such groups have a far-reaching influence, first of all on the lives of the members, and on the communities as well.

A great statesman and literary figure, Lord Tweedsmuir, hadn't much to say in his autobiography about what he learned in the lecture halls at Oxford, but he did pay striking tribute to the influence exerted upon him by the clubs to which he belonged while attending that famous university. Toronto has had a good many such clubs. Along about the turn of the century there seems to have been an awakened interest in this form of organization. In that atmosphere our Tuesday Literary Club had its birth.

Beginnings

During the early years of the century, a group of boys were accustomed to meet on Sunday afternoons in a gallery room in the Sunday School of St. Paul's Methodist (now United) Church on Avenue Road. There was young Henry Roxborough, young Johnny Kirk, and about eighteen others, and the report comes down on good authority that they weren't easy to handle. They met under the leadership of a young man who was just making a start in the business world, and who was also a very successful teacher, Harry Fairhead. If those boys and teacher are like the rest of us, they could probably recall few if any of the lessons that were taught on those Sunday afternoons, but the associations formed have lasted a lifetime. Such is perhaps one of the chief contributions which this Sunday School as an institution has made - not so much in scientific pedagogy, as in the molding of character through friendships and associations in a religious setting and a Christian atmosphere.

The Superintendent of the School at that time was another man of noble character and with a deep interest in boys, Mr. W. K. Doherty, who for years was the Honorary President of the Club. St. Paul's Sunday School and Church in those years seem to have been blessed with a corps of men of sterling character, and this Club owes much to them. There was James Fairhead, father of our third Honorary President, Mr. T. G. Rogers and Mr. E. Bedford, uncle of Mr. Fairhead. These men gave generously of their time and ability in helping with the Club programmes and in giving counsel and encouragement in those early days. One is tempted to comment that if there were more men of this type today, there would probably also be fewer delinquent boys. The original members of the Club, and those of us who though joining later have shared this heritage, pay grateful tribute to the institution and its leaders which gave our Club birth.

In 1909, Mr. Fairhead, in the interest of keeping his class together, persuaded them to meet at his home on Tuesday evenings as a literary club, as well as a class on Sundays; and on a Tuesday evening in October of that year, at 80 Yorkville Avenue, the first meeting of the Club was held. There were twelve charter members: J. C. Kirk, H. H. Roxborough, W. Spearman, Newman Fairhead, Norman Fairhead, W. Dynes, H. Gould, F. Reed, E. Spence, H. McCallum, H. Wiles, R. Bodkin.

Early Club Activities

At the outset, the constitution of an older club, the Chattan Club, was used, but the members of that organization wouldn't recognize it now. It wasn't long until amendments began to be made, and they recurred with frequency for several years afterward.

The hospitality of Mrs. Fairhead, and her success in making the boys feel at home when they came, did a great deal to keep the Club together in those early years, as it continued to do for more than forty years. Some idea of the special ambiance the Fairhead hospitality lent to the Club meetings can be gained from a letter by the Fairheads' son, Reverend Bob Fairhead.

The early programmes consisted mainly of essays, debates, guest speakers, occasional book reviews, and editor's papers alternating with impromptu speeches. For young men inexperienced in preparing programmes of this type, the work was not easy, and interesting stories are told of the struggles they had. It was particularly difficult to get members to take part in debates. On one of the scheduled debates a member chosen found it impossible to take his part. The time being short, the president decided to substitute for him. The evening before the meeting the president called on one of the debaters on the opposite side to see how he was getting along, and found that he had done nothing. The two went to work and compiled some arguments for him and the next night the debate was held without the other members being aware of the difficulties encountered. Then it seems that a new member, Jimmie Green, was in trouble, and one of the more experienced debaters, Mr. Roxborough, went to his assistance, and together they prepared an excellent speech. But when he began to deliver it they discovered that he was debating on the wrong side. However, these young men learned rapidly, and it wasn't long before they were dealing with subjects which most of us today would hesitate to attempt. Here are two examples: "Resolved that more progress was made during the nineteenth than during the eighteenth century", and in 1921 "Resolved that the good effects accruing from the late war outweigh the evil effects". Many of their subjects have a timeliness even today, and indicate how history repeats itself; "Resolved that trade unions are a menace" (won by the affirmative), and "Resolved that Labor is more responsible for the present high prices than is Capital".

Inter-club activities were more common then than now. There are frequent references in the minutes, to meetings with other groups, particularly, the O.R.B. Club in the Central Methodist Church and the Sherbourne Street Church Young Men's Parliament. Contests too within the Club were common, mainly essay and oratorical contests, which seem to have been annual events, on subjects that we have got away from. The programme on March 6, 1913, consisted of an oratorical contest with four speakers: Mr. Nixon - Patriotism; Mr. Kirk - Temperance; Mr. Reed - Temperance; Mr. Worthington - Patriotism and Temperance. At this time the Temperance Federation was sponsoring oratorical contests as part of its programme. Preliminary contests were held in young peoples' clubs and societies of various kinds. The winners were given diplomas and bronze medals. then a second round was conducted among these winners, the rewards being gold and silver medals. The final round was held in Massey Hall, the winner receiving a diamond encrusted medal. A member of the Tuesday Literary Club, Herbert Jones, won one of these diamond medals. Henry Roxborough, and other members won gold and silver medals.

Whether or not the type of subject was responsible, the Club was growing rapidly by this time, and on October sixteenth of that year (1913) a motion was passed limiting the membership to twenty-five. Apparently there was a scramble to get in under the limit, or to get a preferred place on the waiting list. At the meeting a month later five new candidates for membership were proposed. Later, after the Club's meeting place had moved to 124 Forest Hill Road, the constitutional limit was increased to thirty. The primary reason for this was the practical limit imposed by the size of the Club's meeting room. In 1919, Harry Fairhead, a Mason, became the Master of his lodge. His lodge met on Tuesday, and in deference to him, the Club changed the day of the meeting from Tuesday to Thursday. This change, however, was deemed not to require a change in the name of the Club.

Social activities were a more prominent feature of the Club's activities in the early days than now. There was an annual sleighing party, an annual picnic at Centre Island, and the annual dinner, usually it seems at the Tea Pot Inn on Adelaide Street. Another annual event was the "At Home", the first being held in the 1915 - 16 season. These continued into the early 1940's.

Many episodes have happened, a few of which deserve mention here. At an early date the tradition grew up of initiating the president at the first meeting of the new year, when for the first time he presided over a meeting of the Club. The initiation took the form of putting him in as many difficult and embarrassing situations as possible, to see how well he knew the constitution, how he could stand the criticism of the members, and how he could control the meeting. One president found this experience so harrowing that he refused to act further, and forthwith resigned.

During the course of the years the Tuesday Literary Club has had one healthy offspring. One of the members, Mr. Birks, was inspired by his experience in our Club to form a similar organization, called the Boswell Club.

The Hall Of Fame

Spanning the years to 1928, at the annual dinner held at the Annie Laurie Tea Rooms on May 4, an unusual ceremony took place when the Club celebrated Mr. Fairhead's feat in scoring a hole in one at the Scarborough Golf Club. Many gifts were showered on the hero of the evening, each suggestive of the theme of the celebration. Our poet laureate, Roy Bainard wrote this poem for the occasion.

A Hole In One

A rose in June is a wondrous thing With its beauty and fragrance rare And even the flowers of early spring With its sweetness can scarcely compare Of many great things do poets sing In many a sunny clime But of all the praises which they ring There's none since beginning of time

Quite like the thrill of a golfing fan When out on the Scarborough links He swings at the ball as hard as he can And into the hole it sinks

For many a less important gain Have battles been fought and won; Our "Harry" has entered the Hall of Fame By making a hole in one.

When with the onward march of time We record the fame of the great, There'll be written many and many a line Recording the place and the date.

And men will hear, though they be deaf, Of the fame that has been won By the man we know as "Harry F" When he made a hole in one!

A New Clubroom

The chief episode of the twenties was the laying of the cornerstone of 124 Forest Hill Road and the moving of the Club rooms to that address. On July 13, 1922, a service was conducted by Rev. Newton Powell, the minister of St. Paul's United Church. Mrs. Fairhead laid the cornerstone with a silver trowel provided by the Club and suitably engraved for the occasion. Several articles were deposited in the stone, including a copy of the constitution, a copy of the year's programme, current newspapers and coins and a copy of a poem written by Ray Birks and dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Fairhead.

"Fondly dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Fairhead on behalf of the Tuesday Literary Club, on the occasion of the laying of the cornerstone of their new residence."

We come to lay this carven sign To bear these walls set line on line And with fond hopes we pledge this poem To those who'll call this house their home.

And while the stranger passing by May only see these walls so high; With eyes of love we'll pierce the stone And find the friends we're proud to own.

But as we lay these walls of clay We know they needs must pass away For what are brick or stones or lime Before the crumbling hand of time?

For things we see must pass away But things unseen remain to stay And while the countless ages roll Alone survives the human soul.

Let then, these stones, fall to the dust As needs some day they surely must, For I have planted in my heart Fond thoughts, that never can depart.

Of happy hours that I have spent In friendship glad and sweet content, With those that in this house shall dwell, With those kind friends I love so well.

And when the clarion trumpets sound, And these proud stones crash to the ground, Above their dust shall rise sublime The friends I'll cherish for all time.

On through the 'thirties and into the 'forties the Club continued with little radical change. There was a major revision of the constitution; some variations were made in the type of programme; we opened the annual dinner to our lady friends; Mrs. Fairhead was acknowledged as an active member in the printed programme.

Some changes came in personnel, particularly in 1941 when the Six-Twenty Club merged with ours. All the while we have tried to carry on the tradition of the years, which, in the words of another, has been:

"to cultivate among our members a love of history and literature and general ideas, a consciousness of our common life, the effort of the race, its achievements and aspirations, and its enduring possessions - Plato, Shakespeare, Burke"

The Club History | 1949 - 1964

Continuity Amid Change: The Club Lives On

This period of the Club's life was marked by an underlying continuity amid changes, some superficial, others of a very major nature.

The tradition of meeting every second week from early in October until about the end of March continues to the present day. The literary slant given to our programmes was still a marked feature, although at times not as prominent as in earlier days. Debates lost much of their appeal in this period, and the 'Battle-of-Wits', once a highlight of the year, has rarely been used. At the same time, book reviews showed a decided gain in popularity as the members tried to keep abreast of current literature. During the season of 1940 - 41 there were two book reviews on the programme, whereas for the 1965 - 66 season the number increased to five.

With the increasing popularity of 35 millimeter colour photography, it is not surprising that travelogues illustrated with colour transparencies became incorporated into the Club programmes.

Personnel changes were numerous in the period under review.

Death of Mrs. Fairhead

The Club was deeply saddened in August, 1954, by the untimely passing of Mrs. Fairhead who had been held in high esteem by the members. By her gracious and generous hospitality, and her keen personal interest in the members, she had endeared herself to all. Each member felt her passing to be a personal loss.

In loving memory of Mrs. Fairhead, a set of silver offering plates was presented by the Club to the Anglican Church of the Redeemer located at the corner of Bloor Street and Avenue Road, Toronto. Mrs. Fairhead had been a member of this church at the time of her death.

On Sunday, November 21, 1954 at the morning service in the Church of the Redeemer, the plates were formally dedicated, the Tuesday Literary Club members being present in a body. The Church calendar on that occasion contained the following statement:

"The six collection plates which are dedicated at this morning's service are presented in memory of Mrs. H. J. (Lena) Fairhead who was a very active and respected member of this Church for many years. The plates are the gift of the Tuesday Literary Club, which was formed by the members of Mr. Fairhead's Bible Class, and has operated continuously for at least forty-five years, meeting in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fairhead."

The plates bear the following inscription:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD IN LOVING MEMORY OF LENA FAIRHEAD

Fiftieth Anniversary

The 50th anniversary of The Tuesday Literary Club was fittingly observed in 1959. The chairman of the anniversary committee was H. H. Roxborough who, apart from the founder, was the only one of the original members still an active member during the 1958 - 59 season. In a letter sent on December 9th, 1958, to all active and associate members, and to former members whose addresses were known, it was explained that the following had been decided:

To honour the memory of the late Mrs. Fairhead by placing a floral remembrance in the Church in which she worshiped and by placing a wreath on her grave;
To invite all then and former members to a dinner at the Toronto Hunt Club;
To honour H. J. Fairhead, our founder and patron by:
1. Asking all members past and present to write a letter addressed to Mr. Fairhead expressing what the Club had meant to the writer.
2. Establishing a fund or scholarship at the Ontario College of Art in the name of H. J. Fairhead.

These objectives were all achieved. The floral tributes were duly placed, the letters written by members were bound in a decoratively inscribed book. The sum of $2,500 was collected and presented to the Ontario College of Art and designated the 'H. J. Fairhead Library Fund'. It was used to purchase art books for the College library and each book was identified as having been acquired by the H. J. Fairhead Library Fund.

A dinner was held at the Toronto Hunt Club on February 12th, 1959, which was attended by all of the regular members, most of the associate members and over 50 former members, who came from such places as Montreal, Peterborough, various other parts of Ontario, and from New Jersey. Following Grace and the Toast to the Queen, there were two principal addresses, the first by H. H. Roxborough, who spoke of 'The First 25 Years', and the other by Clifford E. Kitchen, Q.C., who dealt with 'The Second 25 Years'. Ray T. Birks, Q.C., read the poem composed by him and delivered at the time of the laying of the cornerstone at 124 Forest Hill Road in the early summer of 1922. The season's programme bears a note that the stone contained documents relating to the Club and that it was duly laid by Mrs. Fairhead with an inscribed silver trowel.

Arnold Banfield, with a fondly remembered sense of wit, brought a message from the former members. A formal presentation of the monies collected for the Library Fund was made by C. G. McMehen, while K. D. Williams presented the book of letters written by past and present members.

Robert Fairhead then asked for permission to speak, and donated to the Club from the children of the founders a gavel with a silver shield bearing the following inscription:

PRESENTED TO THE TUESDAY LITERARY CLUB ON ITS GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY BY ROBERT FAIRHEAD, ALLEN FAIRHEAD AND FRANCES MORTON IN MEMORY OF THEIR MOTHER

H. J. Fairhead then replied and in his usual pleasant manner thanked the members for their presence and recalled many happy memories of the Club and its members through the first half century of its existence.

Some idea of the esteem in which the founder and his gracious wife were held is indicated in the following words taken from the 1958 - 59 programme following a brief sketch of the founding of the Club:

Through half a century the lasting fabric has received its greatest strength from the threads of patient guidance woven therein by the founder and Mrs. Fairhead.

Their words and deeds, their noble example, and their gracious hospitality have ever been and will continue to be an abiding inspiration to those who have been proud to call themselves members of The Tuesday Literary Club.

The H. J. Fairhead Library Fund

With reference to the Library Fund established in honour of Mr. Fairhead, the Fund chairman, Mr. B. T. Holmes, wrote to the Committee on Club History on February 3, 1965, as follows:

"The Ontario College of Art advises me that the amount of the gift which was made in May, 1959, was $2,500. At their suggestion it was designated for the 'H. J. Fairhead Library Fund'. It has been used to purchase art books for the College library and each book has an inscription to the effect that it has been purchased for the College by the H. J. Fairhead Library Fund. Mr. Tidy, the Business Administrator of the O.C.A., tells me that the Fund has now been fully expended for this purpose, the last purchase being made during 1964."

The Club Moved to New Quarters

In 1960 the Club learned that the premises known as 124 Forest Hill Road where the meetings had been held for many years had been sold, and that Mr. Fairhead would be moving to a new home. The last meeting to be held at 124 Forest Hill Road took place on March 31, 1960.

When the new season opened in the fall, the first meeting was held at the home of Mr. Fairhead's son, Robert. By the date of the second meeting, October 20, 1960, Mr. Fairhead was settled in his new home, at 484 Avenue Road, Suite 304. The Club meetings were held at this address until 1966.

The Recovery of the Cornerstone

Although the Club had moved its meetingplace to new quarters, many of the members were still emotionally involved with the premises at 124 Forest Hill Road, which had been the Club's meeting place for 35 years. It was thus a matter of concern when rumours began to circulate that the house in which the meetings were held for so long was about to be demolished. Besides, there were some material possessions in the cornerstone belonging to the Club, and there was some anxiety felt about the disposition of them.

Accordingly, a Surveillance Committee was appointed with instructions to keep the said premises under adequate observation, with a view to safeguarding the interests of the Club. In due course, Mr. J. Ragnar Johnson, the Chairman, presented the Committee's report, as follows:

About the 1st day of July, 1961, it was revealed that certain lands and premises in the Village of Forest Hill consisting of Lot 33 and the southerly ten feet of Lot 32 according to registered Plan 1963 which had been purchased from H. J. Fairhead by one Norman M. Johnston had been resold by the said Norman M. Johnston to a Mr. and Mrs. Rapp. This interesting news was accompanied by the even more fascinating intelligence that the building or structure on the said lands would be demolished and replaced by a new residence. The thought immediately occurred to the undersigned that, if demolition of the building were effected, it would be desirable, if possible, to recover the foundation stone laid in July, 1922, with a silver trowel by Mrs. Fairhead. This was reported to the Club on the 16th of August,1961.

On the 16th of October, 1961, the new owners through their architect applied to the Works Department of the Village of Forest Hill for a building permit and submitted plans for a new residence. The same were not deemed suitable by the Works Commissioner and an appeal from his decision was taken to the Council which in turn referred the matter to the Board of Architects. This resulted in certain delays. In the meantime, and having regard to the special relationship between the Village of Forest Hill and the undersigned, it was felt advisable that others be requested to make any required direct approach and to communicate with the owners or their architect. The willing assistance of C. E. Kitchen, Q.C., and C. Gordon McMehen was obtained. Between early October, 1961 and late November, 1962 Mr. McMehen carried on a lively but discrete correspondence with Mrs. Rapp.

About thirteen months after the first submission of plans a building permit was issued on the 14th of November, 1962. A permit to demolish was also issued and, on or about the 23rd of November, 1962, S. Tepperman & Sons Limited appeared on the scene and wrecking commenced. The undersigned frequently visited the premises, and, on the first of such occasions, made himself acquainted with Jack Tasker. He wore a steel helmet with the sign 'JACK-Foreman' displayed in yellow letters. He was sitting comfortably, smoking a cigar in the living room, with a roaring fire blazing in the fireplace, and was surrounded by bathtubs and radiators. Jack seemed genuinely interested in the desire to obtain the foundation stone and explained that he had great respect for tradition as his father had been an Orthodox Jew.

About the middle of December most of the building had been removed and it was ascertained that the stone would be taken to the Office of Tepperman & Sons at 2478 Eglinton Avenue West. On Monday, the 17th of December, Mr. McMehen and the undersigned had a brief conversation and it was planned that a joint visit would be made to Teppermans' following the return of Mr. McMehen from a business trip to New York City, about December 20th. When the undersigned read in a morning newspaper on December 20th that Mr. McMehen had passed away in New York City the day before, he forthwith attended at Teppermans' alone, picked up the stone and contents and brought the same to his home.

The foundation stone is an ashlar, 18 inches long by 8 1/2 inches wide and 5/8 of an inch thick. It is attached to a piece of masonry having the same measurements respecting length and width and being about 8 and 5/8 inches thick with a hollow interior 5 inches wide, 10 and 3/8 inches long and 3 and 7/8 inches deep. The total weight is 94 pounds, 6 and 3/4 ounces, and on the ashlar appear cut figures '1922' which are about 4 inches high and cover an area of approximately 4 inches by 12 and 3/4 inches.

The contents were found in a one quart preserving glass jar and consisted of annual and dinner programmes for several years up to 1922, a list of names of Club members at the time, and a poem composed by R. T. Birks, Q.C."

The Club History | 1965 - 1985

A Time of Change

The later decades of the twentieth century have been a time of great change at an ever accelerating pace. Rapid transit and jet travel have become commonplace; we speak of the 'global village'. Computer technology has rapidly moved into most if not all aspects of our daily lives. Even the TLC 75th Anniversary Year Book was produced using some of the members' home computers. Many people have computers in their homes more powerful than those only the largest corporations owned in the 1960's. Women are increasingly successful in commanding a full partnership in the forward progress of Society. In the political arena, international relations are as volatile as they have ever been. The superpowers with their nuclear arsenals are now capable of destroying the planet several times over. Fanaticism and terrorism have spread rapidly. Almost no country of the world is untouched by these modern evils. Increased population and industrialization have made pollution a global concern. In sum, Charles Dickens' phrase to describe pre-revolutionary France seems equally applicable to our own time:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

During these years, the Tuesday Literary Club similarly has undergone the greatest changes in its history. This period saw the deaths of the Club's founder and the last charter member still associated with the Club. The membership has changed greatly. The Club meeting place changed a number of times before settling into the warm hospitality of the Evans home.

Death of the Founder

All members were saddened to learn of the death on August 31, 1966 of Harry J. Fairhead, the founder of the Tuesday Literary Club. Mr. Fairhead had remained active in the Club and indeed hosted the meetings right up to the end of the fifty-seventh season, just a few months before his death. At the last regular meeting Mr. Fairhead attended, he had been congratulated by Mr. Roxborough on the celebration of his 91st birthday six days earlier on March 11, 1966.

At the Opening Dinner Meeting of the 1966 - 67 season held September 15, the members stood in silence in memory of Mr. Fairhead. The President, Cliff Robins, paid tribute to Mr. Fairhead in his Opening and Closing Addresses for the 58th season. In his Closing Address, Mr. Robins remarked that Mr. Fairhead would remain in our memory "not only because he was our Club's founder but because his interest and encouragement were keen and constant".

While unstinting in his support of the Club and its members, Mr. Fairhead's interests and activities were far from limited to the Tuesday Literary Club. This is clearly demonstrated in the following excerpt from the memorial published in the September 8, 1966 edition of 'Rotary Voice', a publication of the Rotary Club of Toronto. In addition to noting his founding and long involvement in the Tuesday Literary Club, the article said:

"....Harry joined our (Rotary) Club in December, 1921, and has given many years of devoted service. He transferred to Senior Active Membership in 1944.

Boys' work was Harry's main interest in our Club. He was a member of the Youth Service Committee. He was very active in connection with the Bowmanville Boys' School which Rotary has supported for many years. Lately, he served on the Fellowship Committee.

He served on the council of Wycliffe College from 1947 until his death and was also a Director of Bolton Camp.

Other interests of Harry's were the Ontario Motor League, of which he was a Director. He was also a member of Ashlar Masonic Lodge. One of his hobbies was the collecting of Art and he served as Honorary Treasurer of the Ontario College of Art. Stamps, photography and gardening also shared his interest." Also among Mr Fairhead's wide-ranging pursuits was a keen interest in hockey. Even into his later years, he would often walk from his home to Maple Leaf Gardens to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs."

Pursuant to a resolution passed at the first regular meeting, the program for the 1966 - 67 season contained this simply stated and devoted memorial:

"The Tuesday Literary Club was founded in 1909 by Harry J. Fairhead who actively continued as Honorary President until his death on August 31, 1966 at the age of 91 years.

Through these years the kindly founder guided and inspired all those who were privileged to be members of this Club.

His memory is enshrined forever in our hearts and minds."

Mr. H. J. Fairhead

In a letter to the Club, read at the Opening Dinner Meeting of the 1966 - 67 season, Mrs. Frances Morton, daughter of Mr. Fairhead, asked that the Club carry on in his memory. It is a tribute to Mr. Fairhead and the deep devotion to him by Club members that the Club in the several years since his death has lived up to that request aplenty as it has continued to grow and thrive.

Places of Meeting

The passing of Mr. Fairhead brought with it a practical problem the Club had not faced for over 40 years. The Club needed a new meeting place. In this instance, a solution was not long in coming. Russ Gee offered his home for the first few meetings. Ben Holmes also offered his home for the current season and for the next two seasons. At the Opening Dinner, the Club agreed to accept Mr. Gee's offer for the next two meetings pending the deliberations of a Committee appointed to consider the longer term solution offered by Mr. Holmes. Accordingly, the first two regular meetings of the 58th season were held at 495 Oriole Parkway, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gee.

At its October 13, 1966 meeting, the Club accepted the above Committee's recommendation that the offer of Mr. Holmes be accepted for the balance of the 58th season. A vote of thanks was given to Mr. and Mrs. Gee for hosting the Club for the first two meetings.

The Club then met at 12 Moorehill Drive, the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Holmes for the balance of the 1966 - 67 season and for the next two seasons. Club members greatly appreciated the warm hospitality extended by the Holmes' during this period.

The Club was aware that new quarters would be required for the 1969 - 70 season as the Holmes' were moving to Port Dover following Ben Holmes' retirement. Various alternatives were considered during the latter half of the 1968 - 69 season. As a result, the first regular meeting of the 1969 - 70 season found the Club at the Toronto Board of Trade where the Club continued to meet for all but one meeting of that season. During the season, the Club continued to consider alternatives. At the 5th regular meeting, Watson Evans offered the use of his home but it would be almost another seven years before the Club would appreciate the wisdom of accepting his kind offer.

At the same meeting at which Watson Evans offered his alternative, Walter Rennie suggested that there were a number of rooms at Deer Park United Church suitable for the Club. It was agreed that the Executive would investigate this possibility. This done, arrangements were made to hold the first meeting of the new year, January 8, 1970, at Deer Park United Church as a trial. The Club members found Deer Park sufficiently agreeable that it was decided to approach Deer Park United Church about meeting there the next season. Walter Rennie secured the agreement of the Church during the second half of the season. For the rest of the 1969 - 70 season, the Club continued to meet at the Board of Trade, fulfilling its agreement with them.

Deer Park United Church became the Club's meeting place for the next six seasons. Each year the Club made a donation to the Church in exchange for the use of its facilities. Club members were very satisfied with this venue for most of this period. President John Neal in his closing address for the 1974 - 75 season expressed satisfaction with the use of the Church and hoped that the same arrangement could be made for the next season.

The Club was indebted to Bill Pearce for providing refreshments throughout much of the time that the Club met at the Church. For the first two seasons at least, Mr. Pearce provided these at his own expense. Sharing of this task was introduced in the third season but in the last season at the Church, Mr. Pearce took over the job again, this time reimbursed by the Club for his expenses. A particularly noteworthy example of his dedication is found in the minutes of the Club's meeting of February 22, 1973. It is recorded that the Critic "commended Mr. Pearce on his versatility as Chairman (substituting for President John Wilkins on this occasion), editor, coffee maker, supplier of donuts and dishwasher".

In the last season at Deer Park United Church, the 1975 - 76 season, it became evident that the Club should consider moving on. At the beginning of the season, Vice-President Watson Evans found it necessary to negotiate with the Church over the amount of contribution, a matter which had not been a point of issue previously. Although the Club's contribution was increased over that made in the previous season, the Church made it clear that the current contribution was well below its normal rental for the room.

Later in the season, the Club arrived for some meetings to find the Church unheated, often with no one available to rectify the situation. Even if the heat did get turned on, the hot water radiators took literally hours to make the meeting room comfortable. Had there been any doubt about the Church's position by now, there could be none at the beginning of the next season when the Church fully booked its rooms on the Club's normal meeting night before giving the Club a chance to renew its arrangements.

In advance of the 1976 - 77 season, Watson Evans repeated the generous offer he had made seven years earlier, that the Club meet in his home. This time the Executive gladly accepted his offer. The Club has met at 14 Valleyanna Drive, the Evans' home, ever since.

The move of the Club to the Evans has been a most happy occurrence. Members have been blessed with the ability to conduct their meetings in that same generous and hospitable atmosphere they had enjoyed when meeting at the Fairheads and the Holmes.

In addition to gracing our evenings with her warmth and sincere interest in the members, Jean Evans has provided excellent and varied refreshments following our meetings. Such has been the generosity of the Evans that they have even extended the use of their home for Club meetings when they have been away on holidays.

In a letter to Watson Evans, one member expressed his appreciation in that whimsical fashion which often adds spice to our proceedings:

"Jean and you deserve all our thanks and more for housing the Club this season. While I naturally deplore the Club's forsaking the spiritual atmosphere of our previous meeting place, I appreciate that the comfort and opulence of Valleyanna far outweigh the monastic benches and haircloth trappings of Deer Park Church. And actually I fail to note any signs of spiritual uplift in our members resulting from that ecclesiastical experience. So perhaps all's for the best."

A Changing Membership

The last twenty years have seen considerable turnover in membership. Of the twenty-six active members during the 1964 - 65 season, only seven remained as active members at the end of the 1984 - 85 season: Messrs. Coward, Dunn, Evans, F. Johnson, Magee, Robins and Shouldice. Two others (Messrs. Holmes and R. Johnson) remained with the Club as Associate Members while another, Mr. Mathews, served the Club as Honorary President, only the fifth Honorary President in the history of the Club.

Over these years, the Club lost many valued, loyal members through death:

1965 A.G. Robertson
1966 H.J. Fairhead
1966 C.E. Kitchen
1968 R.J. Gee
1969 M.W. McCutcheon
1970 H.K. Jackson
1972 L.S. Harron
1975 J.O. Plaxton
1979 H. Roxborough
1980 R.H. Raymer
1983 L.J. Henry
1985 J.R. Johnson
1985 F.G. Magee
1985 C.P. Robins
2004 Laurence Coward

Of particular note was the death of Henry Roxborough, the last remaining charter member still associated with the Club and Honorary President since the death of Mr. Fairhead in 1966. At the Club's meeting of Sept. 27, 1979, Messrs Evans, Magee and Robins each spoke in memory of Mr. Roxborough. Mr. Robins' remarks, preserved as part of the written record of the Club, provide a vivid picture of the vitality and wit of this man. As a sample of the latter, Mr Robins recalled Mr. Roxborough's immediate rejoinder to a member's query about the name given to residents of Cairo - "chiropractors", of course!

In the 1970's, the Club faced a critical situation. Many of the older members were lost because of death or resignation. Other active members asked for Associate Member status because of their inability to attend meetings regularly. A prospective new member invited as a guest was likely to be discouraged by an obvious generation gap between the greying old guard and the all too few younger members. Attendance at the meetings was low, well below the ideal, having declined drastically from an average of about 18 to an average of only 12 in the mid-seventies. Further, the Club's meeting place at Deer Park United Church had become unattractive, as mentioned earlier. The Club was in a serious decline. Some questioned whether it could long survive.

Two things turned the tide and led to a great resurgence in the Club's activities. One was the move to the highly congenial quarters at the Evans' home. The other was the enthusiasm and dedication of a small nucleus of young members who succeeded in bridging the gap and who are now the new generation of veterans. As the newcomers gradually grew in number, the Club gained new vitality and its survival was assured.

Key to the survival of any Club such as the Tuesday Literary Club is the steady influx of new blood. 28 new members joined the Club in this period. Of these, 17 remained as active members at the end of the 1984 - 85 season. The last five years were particularly successful in attracting new members. Ten new members joined during this period. Of these, eight were still active at the end of the 1984 - 85 season.

In the area of new member recruitment, a few individuals are particularly worthy of mention. These individuals form part of what might be referred to as the 'Laurence Coward dynasty'. Of the 23 active members at the end of the 1984 - 85 season, 16 joined the Club either directly or indirectly as the result of the recruiting success of Laurence Coward. Among this group are three others who have followed his splendid example - John Neal, Peter Vincent and Frank McCrea. These four individuals account for at least three additional members each as of the close of the 1984 - 85 season.

The Club History | 1986 - 2009

The TLC's First 100 Years!

Introduction

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." - Alphonse Karr

We arrive at the era in the club's history where we mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Tuesday Literary Club. Some things have changed, others have stayed the same. New members have joined us; others have left us. Such is the way with any organization with as much history as our Club has. The use of technology has been extended considerably in the Club's affairs with the increased use of email communications and the creation of a Club website. We have doubled the segment of the population from which we draw guests and new members; we now admit women as members of the Club. We have also experimented with advertising as a means to attract new members.

However, through all these years, our core values and objectives have remained the same. Our constitution tells us,

"The objects of this Club shall be the mutual improvement of its members in literary knowledge and ability, public speaking and debate."

Members still enthrall us with their creativity and byways of knowledge which they have uncovered in their presentations. The cut and thrust of debate in response to the Editor's Paper is with us today. We continue to cause good-natured trouble in our business sessions. Most of all, we continue to cherish the fellowship among our members.

The vision of our founder, H. J. (Harry) Fairhead with his group of boys from a Bible class at St. Paul's Methodist Church on Avenue Road in Toronto remains fundamentally the same. Did he dare to dream that successive new generations of members would see the Club continue down through the years to the 21st century and beyond to celebrate 100 years of meetings?

What a long way we have come!

Changing Membership

As one would expect, the past 24 years have seen several changes in membership. Former members leave the club for a variety of reasons, but then the club is renewed with several new members. Of the 28 members (active, associate, and honorary) in the 1984-85 season, nine remained as members in the 2009-10 season. One of the nine, John Wilkins, now serves the Club as its Honorary President.

Of the 33 new members who joined us since the end of the 1984-85 season, 20 remain as members at the end of the 2009-10 season. Thus, at the end of the 2009-10 season, the club stands at a healthy 29 members.

Such change has always been good for the club. The new members bring renewed vigor, new perspectives, and new ideas.

Passages — "Heroes of the Club"

In this period, we have sadly lost a number of devoted members due to death. Let us now spend a few moments to cherish their memories.

Frank Magee died in the Fall of 1985. In his memory, the Club made a donation to the First Sunnybrook Fund. His wife, Lillian, continued to attend our Annual Dinners as a guest of the Club for some years following Frank's death.

Frank met our founder, Harry Fairhead, through his involvement in Sunday School teaching, and subsequently joined the Club in 1925. Thus his membership in the Club spanned a remarkable 60 years, second in length only to that of Henry Roxborough. Frank served on the Club Executive 17 times.

At its meeting on February 11, 1997, John Wilkins, son-in-law of Frank Magee, fondly recollected the memory of Frank in his address to the club, "Heroes of the Club". John recalled that Frank always insisted on high standards for the club, and was known by many as the "Conscience of the Club". Frank always gave his presentations entirely without notes, retaining a standard from the early years of the Club. A great debater, Frank's favorite program format was the "Battle of Wits" which consisted of a round-robin series of impromptu debates. This writer recalls Frank's "rule of 13"; he considered a meeting with an attendance of at least 13 would have a certain spark which gave extra energy to that meeting. Frank is also remembered for his very welcoming approach to new members, his warmth, and his good humour.

Cliff Robins died December 9, 1985 at the age of 82. His funeral at the Church of the Messiah was well attended by Club members. This writer was honored to be one of the pallbearers at his funeral service and at the interment in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery following the service.

Cliff's wife, Phyllis, continued to attend our Annual Dinners as a guest of the Club for some years following Cliff's death.

Cliff was introduced to the Club in 1935 by John Allan and Arnold Booth. He served on the Club Executive 27 times. A graduate Engineer from the University of Toronto, in his retirement years he enjoyed travelling, theatre, and the ballet. This writer particularly remembers his colorful attire at meetings, especially his Argyle socks!

Cliff served many years as our Club Archivist, and indeed it was his diligence and care that made the production of the 75th Anniversary Yearbook (which was dedicated to his memory) and the current centennial volume, "The Tuesday Literary Club, The First 100 years, 1909–2009" possible.

Watson Evans died soon after the 1995 Annual Dinner at the age of 76. Several club members attended the celebration of his life on June 9, 1995 at Deer Park United Church. Peter Vincent gave a eulogy on behalf of the Club. Peter also gave a moving tribute to Watson at the Club's first regular meeting of the following season.

Watson was introduced to the club by Randy Croft in 1960 and he joined shortly thereafter. This writer fondly remembers his sparkling wit, humour, and good nature. Watson and his wife, Jean, kindly rescued the Club from the dubious hospitality of Deer Park United Church during the 1975-76 season, and offered their home at 14 Valleyanna Drive as a new meeting place for the 1976-77 and subsequent seasons. Their kind hospitality was continued by Jean Evans even after Watson's death, through to the end of the Club's 1998-99 season, for a total of 23 seasons.

Another kindness extended by Watson was the opportunity to use the Rosedale Golf Club as a venue for the Club's Closing Dinners. The Club was privileged to have their Closing Dinners there every year, save one, from 1969 to 1995, inclusive. This was an excellent facility, conveniently located, where we had the entire 2nd floor of the Clubhouse to ourselves. This writer still has visions of the wait staff bringing in, with due ceremony, the Baked Alaska to finish our meals!

Ben Holmes died on December 2, 1996 at the age of 91. He, too, was introduced to the Club by John Allan and Arnold Booth in the early 1930's. He served on the Club Executive 15 times. In the 75th anniversary year book, he commented that he particularly valued about the Club "(1) the freedom as to subjects discussed and views expressed and (2) the variety of background and viewpoint among the members". Especially memorable to this writer was Ben's address to the Club entitled "Roots" in October of 1978, based on his trips to Gambia in Africa. This coincided with the landmark television series of the same name, based on the historical novel by Alex Haley. The series and the book begin in Gambia. Ben was thus able to share personal insights related to both the novel and the TV series.

Ben and his wife hosted the Club for ten of the regular meetings in the 1966-1967 season (the first two were held at the home of Russell Gee) as well as all of the following two seasons at their home at 12 Moorehill Drive. He was the Club's Honorary President from the 1988-1989 season to his death in 1996. Ben succeeded *1 Norman L. Mathews, Q.C., who had been Honorary President from 1979-1980 to 1987-1988.

After his retirement, Ben moved from Toronto to Port Dover on the shores of Lake Erie. For several years thereafter he travelled the 100 or so miles between Toronto and Port Dover to attend TLC meetings.

George Dunn died on Dec.13, 1997. He was introduced to the Club by Bill Fox and joined in 1963. He served on the Club Executive 12 times. He was also elected as Honorary President for the 1997-1998 year.

He found appealing the curious mixture of serious deliberations combined with outrageous events, as well as the general good fellowship among the members. We are indebted to George for maintaining the Club archives after the death of Cliff Robins. Early in the 1996-1997 season, it was determined that George could no longer carry on as custodian of the archives. Accordingly, Eric Burs was appointed the new club Archivist at the club's meeting of October 8, 1996. Eric has continued in that capacity ever since.

Harvey Shouldice died on February 1, 2001 at the age of 88. Many of the Club members attended his Celebration of Life on February 5, 2001 at St. Matthew's Anglican Church in Islington.

His wife of 60 years, Marjorie, was a familiar face at our annual dinners and continued to attend them as a guest of the Club for a number of years following Harvey's death.

Harvey was introduced to the Club in 1957 by long time member, Clifford Kitchen. Harvey served on the Executive seven times. He was also elected to the position of Honorary President starting in the 1998-1999 season and remained so until his death. He credited the excellent program format, the courteous atmosphere and fellowship of the members, and the congenial venue for the meetings, for the success of the Club. He particularly admired the presentations of Laurence Coward and Ben Holmes.

Laurence Coward died on September 11, 2004. Club members were out in force at the Celebration of his Life held at the Granite Club on September 16. Michael Attwood delivered a eulogy on behalf of the Club. Later, at the Club's October 12 meeting, his wife Mollie, son Michael, and daughter Jane (Vining) attended as guests. Jane addressed the Club and in her remarks described the family's discovery of a short story written by Laurence entitled "Hidden Beauty". It is included in chapter 15 of the Club's centennial volume, The First 100 Years, and at the end of this section of the Club's history. Jane also presented the Club with a folded mounted frame with the Story and a recent portrait of Laurence. His son, Michael, subsequently joined the Club on November 23, 2004, and remains a devoted member today.

A member for over 50 years, Laurence was introduced to the Club by Arthur (Art) Robertson and joined the Club in 1951. At the Club's 2001 Annual Dinner on April 25th, Vice-President Margaret Franklin led a tribute to Laurence in honour of his 50th anniversary in the Club, complete with a pictorial slide show. She also announced his election as Honorary President for the coming 2001-2002 season, a post he was to hold for the next three seasons.

As John Wilkins observed in his address honoring Frank Magee, there have been several heroes of the Tuesday Literary Club over the years, and certainly Laurence Coward would rank very high among them. He contributed to the Club in many different ways. He was instrumental in bringing badly needed new, younger members into the club, such as Michael Attwood, John Neal, and John Stikeman. John Neal in turn was also to become an excellent recruiter who introduced two other excellent recruiters to the Club, Peter Vincent and Ken Warren. There are other examples who could be mentioned, but the point is made. In Part III of the Club's history, we referred to this phenomenon as the "Laurence Coward dynasty" and included a chart to demonstrate this. To this day, all current members except two can trace their entry into the Club directly or indirectly to the advocacy of Laurence Coward.

This writer thinks of Laurence Coward as a "renaissance man" because of the diverse interests that he had, as evidenced in his highly informative and entertaining addresses to the Club which ranged over literature, music, science, and history. It was this aspect of his contribution to the Club that motivated the Club to set up the annual Laurence Coward Award, which is described in a later section of this history.

Laurence's love of music and position as violist in a number of musical groups, such as the North York and Cathedral Bluffs Orchestras, and his membership in the Arts & Letters Club, provided him with an abundance of contacts which enabled him to secure many fine musicians to provide entertainment at our Annual Dinners.

Late breaking news: In recognition of Laurence Coward's vast contribution to pension legislation and reform in Canada he has often been referred to in the press as Mr. Pension Canada and in 2013 he is to be inducted into the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute "Hall of Fame" as one of it's first members.

The Tuesday Literary Club Eliminates the Gender Barrier

From time to time in the past, the Club has wrestled with the question of whether it should admit female members.

The first serious overture in this direction came when a motion was put by Larry Kinar, seconded by Allan Ireland, at the Club's Dec. 6, 1988 meeting that, "the Executive review the possibility of bringing a female member into the Club and report on the feasibility of the proposal by the 2nd last meeting of the season". The minutes record that "after some debate, the motion was defeated".

About five years later, in the program section of the Club's Nov. 24, 1993 meeting, the Club mounted a debate: "RESOLVED that the Tuesday Literary Club should encourage female membership." Possibly to exact revenge for his earlier impertinence, Larry Kinar was assigned to debate for the negative. However, this was simply a debate for its own sake and did not bind the Club to any particular action. The Critic that evening deemed that the side for the negative won the debate.

The next serious discussion of the issue came with the Opening Dinner of the 1996-1997 season on September 10, 1996. Michael Attwood raised the possibility of admitting female members. This generated a lot of discussion with virtually all present contributing to the discussion. After much to–ing and fro–ing, no decision was reached one way or the other. The Club opted for a "wait and see" approach.

The Club did not have long to wait and see. At the Club's 2nd regular meeting that season, Irshaad Ahmad introduced his guest Margaret (Marg) Franklin. Ms. Franklin attended again at the Club's meeting on November 5th, this time as the guest of Michael Attwood. After attending twice more as a guest, Ms. Franklin was elected as an active member of the Club at the Club's meeting on February 11, 1997. This was the first time in the history of the club that a woman had joined the Club as a truly active member. She subsequently was elected as one of the Editors for the following season. She then followed the Club tradition of working her way through the various officer roles in the ensuing seasons and was ultimately elected as the Club's President in the 2001–2002 season.

It has to be said that this fundamental change was accomplished with hardly a ripple in the Club's affairs. It was clearly an idea whose time had come. It is instructive that a relatively new (and younger) member, Irshaad Ahmad, with the support of Michael Attwood, showed us the way. Some nay–sayers in the past had raised a concern that admitting women would change the character of the Club. But what have we been about, lo these past 100 years, but constantly changing the character of the Club to meet with the times? If the admission of women into our hallowed ranks has changed the character of the Club, the evidence is in; it has been for the better!

The 1996–1997 year was altogether an excellent year for guests, both male and female. There were 20 guest visits recorded for the first 11 meetings of the year, including 8 by women.

Another first occurred when the Club learned at its December 8, 1998 meeting that the Club's Secretary for that season, none other than Marg Franklin, had given birth to her second child, a daughter Lucy. The minutes record that this was "the first time that an active member had a baby in 60 years of Club history."

More women have joined the Club's ranks in subsequent seasons:

Robyn Graham — elected February 15, 2000, introduced by Irshaad Ahmad.
Temi Grafstein — elected February 27, 2001, introduced by Allan Ireland.
Andrea Vincent — elected December 11, 2001, introduced by her son, Peter Vincent.
Najette Martin — elected January 15, 2002, introduced by Peter Vincent; subsequently resigned one year later.
Tebbie Dedic — elected January 14, 2003, introduced by Muneef Ahmad; subsequently resigned at the end of the 2005-2006 season.
Marg French — elected January 18, 2011, introduced by Michael Coward.

Robyn Graham *2 first served on the Club Executive as an Editor in the 2000–2001 season and progressed through the other offices, ultimately serving the Club as President in the 2004–2005 season, and Critic in the 2005–06 season. She was also awarded the Laurence Coward Award for the best presentation of the season at the Club's 2010 Annual Dinner. She served as Editor again in the 2010–2011 season.

Temi Grafstein has served the Club as Editor, Secretary, and Counsellor. Many of Temi's addresses have been on authors and serious literature. Thus, one might say that Temi helps keep the "Literary" aspect alive in the Tuesday Literary Club.

Andrea Vincent served the Club as Editor. She was also a joint winner of the Critic's Award of Merit, along with her son, Peter, at the Club's 2001 Annual Dinner. Andrea has added a number of creative touches to our meetings, as we will see.

Tebbie Dedic served as an Editor in the 2003–2004 season.

Marg French is currently (2011–2012) serving as Editor, and has been elected Treasurer for the 2012–13 season.

Jean Evans

There is one other woman who has played an important role in this chapter of our history. Jean Evans, with her husband and long–time Club member, Watson, opened their home to the Club for 23 seasons. In the first several seasons, Jean provided all the refreshments, coffee and snacks, for the fellowship period following the meetings. Later on, the members agreed to take on the provision of the snacks on a rotational basis, to ease the burden on Jean. She continued to provide coffee for the meetings. Thus was established the practice we have carried on ever since.

In recognition of her important contribution to the Club, she was awarded the Critic's Award of Merit at the 1988 Annual Dinner. She was also made an Honorary Member of the Club during the 1990–1991 season. When we later started meeting at the home of Michael Attwood and Lynn McKnight, she continued to attend meetings quite regularly, for the next 4 seasons. At her insistence, we converted her membership status from "honorary" to "associate" at the February 29th, 2000 meeting, and she became a dues paying member the following season. At the 2000 Annual Dinner, Peter Vincent led a standing ovation for Jean in appreciation for all her contributions over so many years.

During her time as an Associate Member, she gave one address to the Club, entitled "Misjudgment", which dealt with her concerns about alleged corruption in the judging of international figure skating competitions. This writer was particularly proud of her for giving this address. There were never any expectations on Jean that she need give an address.

By the end of the 2003–2004 season, it became clear that she was no longer up to attending the Club regularly and we voted her an Honorary member once more, which she continues to be at present.

Experiment with Want Ads

Throughout most of the Club's history, new members have been obtained by referral of current members. Such new members would first attend as guests, typically for two or more meetings. Then, if the guest wished, he or she could be nominated and elected as an active member.

At the beginning of the 1998–1999 season, the Club decided to try advertising in the Globe and Mail to encourage members of the public to visit the Club. Ted Higgins placed the ads on behalf of the Club for this season and the next two seasons. Here is the text of the ad placed in September, 1999:

"Share your insights! There is intelligent life in Toronto. Join a small group of interesting individuals for Literary and Current Event discussions. For further information call …"

The ads prompted several contacts to Ted in each year. From among these contacts, three or four guests visited the Club in each of the three years.

One of these guests, Frank Toplin *3, sought membership. At the Club's Nov. 16, 1999 meeting, he was nominated by Ted Higgins, and elected. To the present day, Frank is the only member of the Club who was recruited by means of an ad. Placing of ads was suspended beginning with the 2001–2002 season.

However, the publicity surrounding the Club's centennial later on, was to have an interesting result. This is described later in this chapter of the history.

An Evolving Club

New Meeting Place

Although Jean Evans was kind enough to continue to welcome us into her home after the death of Watson, it was understood that she would want to move into smaller accommodation at some point. The Club realized it would have to begin planning for that day.

During the 1995–1996 season, a number of alternatives were considered. The Club arranged meetings in some of these places:

i) November 7, 1995 Meeting — The Granite Club; Frank McCrea was a member there, which allowed us to meet there.

ii) November 21, 1995 Meeting — Taylor Place; arrangements were made by Laurence Coward who volunteered there.

For the rest of that season, we met at Jean Evans' home at 14 Valleyanna Drive. Jean let us know that she would actually like it if the Club would continue to meet there until she moved.

Early in the New Year, Mr. Attwood reported on two other possible venues:

i) His own church, St. Martin-in-the-Fields

ii) Eric Burs' church, the Wesley-Mimico United Church; the Club had its meeting there on November 18, 1996

A number of Club members also invited us to meet in their homes: Frank McCrea (November 5, 1996), Irshaad Ahmad (November 11 and November 25, 1997), and George Wall (October 13, 1998). For at least some of these dates, these alternate venues were arranged because Jean Evans was away from home at the time of the meetings.

With the above exceptions, the Club was fortunate to be able to continue to hold its meetings at 14 Valleyanna Drive for three more seasons, through to the end of the 1998–1999 season. The inevitable last meeting there came on March 23, 1999. The Club expressed its gratitude and deep appreciation to Jean for opening her home to us, and for her gracious hospitality over the past 23 seasons. Jean Evans was to be further acknowledged at the Annual Dinner at the end of the next season, when Peter Vincent led a standing ovation to Jean in appreciation for all her contributions to the Club.

For the next season, Michael Attwood and Lynn McKnight very kindly agreed to host the meetings in their home at 19 Riverside Trail, and have since renewed that offer every season since to date. The Club has been truly blessed to have been able to continue to enjoy the conviviality of meeting in a private home. As an acknowledgment of their graciousness and hospitality in hosting the meetings over that first season, Michael and Lynn were jointly awarded the Critic's Award of Merit at the Club's Annual Dinner on April 15, 2000. At the time of writing, we have been meeting at their home for 13 seasons. We are so fortunate!

Changes in the Annual Dinner and the Opening Dinner

It was through Watson Evans's membership in the Rosedale Golf Club that the Club had access to the Rosedale for its Annual Dinners. When Watson died, it became necessary to find another venue for the 1996 Annual Dinner.

We settled on the well known Toronto landmark, The Old Mill, for the 1996 Annual Dinner. It served us well, and, with one exception *4, we continued to have the dinners there up to and including the 2004 Annual Dinner. In 2005, we changed the venue once more. Ted Higgins, through an acquaintance who had the requisite membership, was able to secure the Thornhill Golf & Country Club as our venue. We have had our dinners there ever since. After a few years, the Golf Club advised that The Literary Club was established as a valued client and was able to continue having its dinners there without the necessity of a sponsoring member of the Golf Club.*5

Our Annual Dinners have undergone some further evolution besides a change in venue.

i) Introduction of the "Welcome to the Guests"

For many years, up to and including the 1988 Annual Dinner, the Dinner included a "Toast to the Ladies" and a "Response from the Ladies". This practice was becoming increasingly problematic over time. Many of the ladies attending the dinner were reluctant to give the Response; some adamantly refused to do it. It was also becoming an increasingly anachronistic phenomenon. *6 Accordingly, beginning with the 1989 Annual Dinner, the Club decided to change the toast into a simple "Welcome to the Guests" without requiring a response. *7 This "Welcome" has been a feature of the Dinner ever since.

ii) After Dinner Diversion: Game or Entertainment?

We have mentioned above that Laurence Coward's extensive connections in the musical world provided us with many musical talents to provide after dinner entertainment. Over time, outside entertainment has become a featured part of our after-dinner program. This replaced what had been a long run of games as our after-dinner diversion. *8

Unintentionally, the dinner committee for the 1991 Annual Dinner provided a sort of bridge from having games to having outside entertainment. For that dinner we engaged Mr. Bob Terry, a professional Bingo caller, to lead members and their guests in several games of Bingo. It was made entertaining by Mr. Terry's inimitable style and by his introducing us to a number of variants on the game of bingo. *9 Members and guests willingly entered into the spirit of the games and enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

Sometimes, Laurence was able to secure a musician while on the rise in their musical careers, which meant we were able to engage them at a cost the club could afford. A good example of this was when Laurence arranged for the then 13 year-old Catherine Manoukian, a talented violinist, to play for us at our 1995 Annual Dinner. She has since gone on to a successful musical career. *10 This helped make what was to be our final dinner at the Rosedale Golf Club particularly memorable.

Our Opening Dinners have also undergone change. For several years, the Club had its Opening Dinner at the Granite Club. While this was always a very nice affair, with excellent hospitality, Club members began to feel that the expense for members was greater than that warranted for a meeting that was essentially a working meeting, namely to plan the meeting schedule for the ensuing season. At the beginning of the 1997–1998 season, Vice-President Irshaad Ahmad kindly arranged for the Opening Dinner to be held in a boardroom of the William M. Mercer Company. A catered buffet dinner with wine was provided. The venue has varied, but the pattern was established, and one or another of our members has been able to secure a corporate boardroom for the opening dinner ever since. This change has reduced the cost to members by roughly 50 percent.

The Creation of the Laurence Coward Award

Following the death of Laurence Coward, a Committee was struck in the 2004–05 season made up of Michael Attwood and Allan Ireland. The Committee's mandate was to develop initiatives to appropriately recall and honour Laurence's memory. The Committee reviewed several possible initiatives for the Club's consideration. The Committee had, as its primary selection criterion, those initiatives that best reflected the specific nature of Laurence's contributions to the Club.

The Committee's principal recommendation was to create a new annual award, called the Laurence Coward Award, to recognize the person considered to have given the best address in the season. The Committee reasoned that, while Laurence Coward's support and devotion to the Club was manifest in many aspects of the Club's affairs, the Committee considered that the centrepiece of Laurence's contributions to the Club was the excellence of his addresses. His addresses were exemplary in their quality, vitality, and variety. A new award for the best address in the season would suitably honour Laurence and help members recall the excellence of Laurence's addresses while he was a member.

The winner of the new award would be determined using a member-driven procedure, tabulated in confidence by the President and Critic, and be presented at the Annual Dinner. At the Club's Feb. 8, 2005 meeting, Michael Coward announced that, as a meaningful contribution to the Lawrence Coward Award for best address, his mother, Mrs. Mollie Coward, would donate a bust of Mozart, which was much-loved by Laurence. Subsequently, David Kister kindly arranged for this to be mounted on a suitable base at his own expense, as a gift to the Club.

For the first three seasons of the Award's existence, the procedure was to have members, at the end of the season, pick their three top choices for the best presentation during the year, indicating their order of preference, and provide that information to the President and the Critic. First place choices would get a score of 3, 2nd place choices would get a score of 2, and 3rd place choices would get a score of 1. The address garnering the top cumulative score on this basis would be declared the winner. An attendance requirement was imposed to limit the voting to the top two–thirds of our active membership, ranked in order of number of speeches heard.

At the Club's Dec.5, 2006 meeting, President David Kister appointed Allan Ireland to head a Committee (The Laurence Coward Award Review Committee) to review the process and goals of the Laurence Coward award. Subsequently, Michael Coward, Ted Higgins, and Robert Topolnytsky joined the Committee. Later in the season, a motion was passed that the selection procedures for the award for the current season would remain the same as in the previous two seasons.

The Review Committee submitted its report to the club at its March 20, 2007 meeting. In its report, The Committee reported that the current system had served the Club well in that there was general satisfaction with the collective choice of the winners for the first two years. However, it concluded that the selection procedure for choosing the winner could be improved. Concerns cited with the current procedure were the need for members to recall all the addresses for the entire season to pick their top choices, the additional burden placed on an already busy Secretary to support the process, and the disenfranchisement of certain members based on attendance.

The Committee recommended that the initial voting procedure be replaced by a procedure whereby every member present, except the speaker, would rate each address at the end the address. Scoring forms for each presentation would be provided at the meetings and collected by the President at the conclusion of each presentation. At the end of the season, the President and Critic would tally the scores. The winner of the Laurence Coward Award would be the member who received the highest average rating for his/her address during the season. After considerable debate, the members narrowly passed a motion accepting the procedure recommended by the Committee. Deferred to the next season was the question of what to do about ties. This, too, generated considerable discussion and debate. Finally, at its March 4, 2008 meeting, the club passed a motion that, in the event of a tie, the tie would be allowed to stand and joint winners would share the award on a basis mutually agreed by the winners.

For the 99th season, the first season in which the new procedure was to apply, the rating scale used was 1 to 6, ̬ 6 being outstanding, 1 being poor. This was modified at the Opening Dinner of the 100th season to a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being outstanding, by a vote receiving unanimous approval.

Winners of the Award are published on the Club's website and can be found in chapter 13 of the Club's centennial book, The First 100 Years.

The Club Goes Hi-Tech

1) Electronic Communications

The gradual veering away from Club dependence on Canada Post began with our notices of meeting in the 1995–1996 season. At first, both FAX and email were used. However, FAX transmissions proved awkward in some cases where members had shared voice/FAX telephone lines. Secretary Anton Aylward also began experimenting with sending notices by email in that season. Email notices took hold rapidly. Secretary Dave Goff reported at the end of the 1997–1998 season, two years later, that over half of the members were receiving their meeting notices by email, with considerable savings in postage cost. By now, email notices have become the standard for the Club. There is only one member who currently does not receive notices by email.

2) Development of the Club Website

Discussions about a website for the Club began during the 1990's. In his opening address at the first regular meeting of the 1998–1999 season, President Irshaad Ahmad set as a goal to have a Club website by the end of the year. Although that goal was not reached during his term of office, the seed for developing a Club website was firmly planted.

At its February 13 meeting, 2001, an acquaintance of Dave Goff and guest at the meeting, Nargis Bhanji, offered to create a "web-presence" free of charge for the Club, an offer which was accepted. President Dave Goff appointed a committee consisting of himself, Irshaad Ahmad, and Peter Vincent to oversee this work. With input from the Club gathered at a Committee of the Whole discussion at the next meeting, the committee delivered a report at the Club's March 13 meeting capturing the key ideas and concerns from that discussion. Ms. Bhanji wrote to Dave Goff expressing satisfaction with the input she had received on which to base her work. She also reported that she had established the website but it remained to be populated.

Over the following year, there were some hiccups with the website, and the Club needed to change servers. However, things became stable at the beginning of the 2002–2003 season. Eric Burs was officially appointed webmaster at the Club's October 29, 2002 meeting. Eric continued to maintain the Club website for a total of six seasons. He eliminated the bothersome "pop-up" ads which the site initially had.

At the beginning of the 2008–2009 season, it was apparent that Mr. Burs was struggling with the demands of being the Club's webmaster along with other commitments he had. With the Club moving into high gear regarding centennial celebrations and other initiatives, it was more important than ever that needed updates to the website be carried out quickly. By mutual agreement, Mr. Burs relinquished the role to David Kister. At its October 21, 2008 meeting, Peter Vincent thanked Mr. Burs for his work on the website over the last several seasons, noting that Mr. Burs had personally subsidized the development of the Website. For this generous undertaking, Mr. Burs received a warm round of applause.

At the Club's meeting on November 4, 2008, David Kister was officially appointed the Club's webmaster. Mr. Kister indicated he had completed his first web-development course and he felt comfortable maintaining the Club's website. He also outlined a number of ideas he had for updating the site. Subsequent enhancements Mr. Kister added during the remainder of the 2008–2009 season included:

i) A page concerning the Laurence Coward award and the winners to date.

ii) A page with information about the Club's centennial

iii) An FAQ page about the Club

iv) The Club Constitution and Bylaws (within the "History" section)

Mr. Kister continues to provide support and maintenance of the Club's website. He has annually donated the annual fees for licensing of "tuesdayliteraryclub.ca" (domain name) and for the services of the Internet service provider (ISP) where the Club's data resides. The Club is most appreciative of both his technical expertise and financial support for the website.

Evolving Customs and Practices in Club Meetings

Part III of the Club's History incorporated a 1966 Committee report documenting customs and practices of that time. When one reviews this report from today's perspective, what is remarkable to this writer is not so much how things have changed, but how much things have stayed the same!

Nevertheless, there has been some evolution in club practices over time.

1) Club Minutes

Throughout most of the Club's history, it has been considered a virtue to keep the minutes of Club meetings as succinct as possible. Editorializing by the Secretary on meeting conduct was also very much frowned upon.

For most aspects of the minutes, this generally continues to be the standard with the exception of the recording of the Program part of meetings. Beginning in the 1990's, a number of members felt that more detail in the minutes concerning the addresses and the Editors' Papers would be desirable. Up to that time, addresses to the Club were referenced only by their titles. Similarly, for the Editors' Papers, only the captions the Editor chose for his or her topics were recorded. This meant that after very little time had gone by, a member reviewing minutes from the past would often have no idea about what an address or Editor's topic was about. Members through the years, especially with the Editors' Papers, have been ingenious in coming up with cryptic or ironic titles for their topics. Perhaps the most interesting (and entertaining) examples of this arose when two Editors, first Andrea Vincent and subsequently Michael Coward, decided to use song titles to caption their topics!*11 Address titles were often similarly vague or obscure. For example, When Muneef Ahmad presented an address entitled, "Pepperpot" during the 2004–05 season, who would have guessed that it would turn out to be an address on the management and conservation of water resources?

Thus, the practice became established that a précis of each address would be included in the minutes and that has continued to the present. Also, a few lines were included to describe each topic in the Editor's Paper, including the slant adopted by the Editor for each. This practice will make for a more meaningful record in future. The adoption of these changes was facilitated by the increasing use of computer software to compose documents. Addresses and Editors' Papers can be shared electronically with Secretaries to assist them in the preparation of the Minutes.

2) Archivists Reports

Shortly after taking over the management of the Club archives in the 1996–97season, Eric Burs initiated a practice of delivering a précis of the minutes from a meeting in the past, under Reports of Committees. The minutes selected might be from as long as 30 years ago. Generally, he would select the minutes which corresponded to the meeting number of that in which the report was made. His first such report was given on February 11, 1997, based on a meeting 30 years ago. This has proved a popular element in our meetings and Eric has continued to enliven our business sessions with his archivist reports ever since.

It must also be mentioned that the Club is indebted to Eric for his careful management of the archives, since he took over this responsibility. He has taken his custodianship most seriously and has organized the archives in a way that makes it easy for other members to access and review. He has also organized the materials for ease of display on special occasions.

3) SAM Awards

Another innovation initiated by Eric Burs was the creation of the "SAM Award", or "Secretary's Award of Merit". These he created in his term as Secretary in the 1993–94 season. He gave out the first set of awards at the Club"s 12th regular meeting on March 23, 1994. Awards for perfect attendance were presented to Eric Burs, Gerry Graham, and Peter Vincent; awards for excellent (one missed-meeting) attendance awards were presented to Michael Attwood, Laurence Coward, and Allan Ireland.

Subsequent Secretaries have followed Eric's example every season since then.

4) A thorny issue!

There is one aspect of Club meetings in which change has been resisted tooth and nail. A number of times over the past several years, certain rebels have attempted to persuade the club to relax the dress code expected at meetings, and allow "business casual" as many corporations now do. This was not to be tolerated and the members have been highly vocal in resisting this sort of change. Many were the reasons cited by members for maintaining the status quo.

Who knows when this contentious subject might rear its ugly head again?

A Variety of Meeting Programs

In this writer's experience, people hearing of the Club not infrequently conclude that it is a book club, perhaps as a result of word "Literary" in the Club's name. Although many members do reference books to prepare their addresses to the club, far and away most of the addresses, about 80 percent, are on a general or researched topic. A single book might have been the inspiration for the topic, but most often are not book reports per se. That said, many addresses truly are book reports, reviews of a series of books by one author, or overall reviews of the works of a particular author. Thus, the "Literary" aspect does live on to some extent.

In the last 25 years, the Club and its members have developed a number of alternatives to provide variety in Club programs.

1) Works of Fiction:

Some members have been inspired to engage their creativity to present works of fiction as their addresses to the club. This has made a most interesting change of pace for the Club. Such works have included the following. By way of example, those titles highlighted are included elsewhere on this page (you may click on the highlghted name to go to the text; there is a 'Return' to bring you back.)

Bob Green: "How Charlie Smith Went to Africa and Found Salvation", presented November 8, 1988
Peter Vincent: "Boy With A Gun", presented December 5, 1989
Peter Vincent: "Report Card", presented November 12, 1991
Peter Vincent: "Supernova", presented October 22, 1996
David Bruce: A poem; "Ode To An Even Thousand", presented March 11, 1997
Peter Vincent: "Cyberwar", presented September 30, 1997
Robyn Graham: "Dysfunction and Other Delights", presented October 29, 2002
Peter Vincent: "The Great Fire of Toronto", presented January 6, 2009 *
Robyn Graham: "Once Upon A Time", presented December 7, 2010 *

2) Guest Speakers

From time to time the Club has invited guest speakers. These usually occur as a result of some special opportunity brought to the Club's attention by one of the members. Here are a few memorable evenings on which the Club was privileged to hear a guest speaker:

P. T. Vincent, father and guest of Peter. P. Vincent: "Bosnia and the Balkans", October 10, 1995
Andrew Barron, guest of Robert Topolnytsky: "Jews for Jesus", November 16, 1999
Joe Sherren, guest of Gerry Graham: "Vitamin C For A Healthy Workplace", March 12, 2002
Dene Cohen, guest of Robyn Graham: "Art Of Effective Communication In The Business World", March 9, 2004
Karin Ireland, wife and guest of Allan Ireland: "One Man's War", World War II experiences of her father, January 6, 2009

3) Readings:

On a few occasions, members have engaged in readings to the club:

Allan Ireland: "When Satan Goes Home for Christmas", by Robertson Davies, presented December 8, 1998
Andrea Vincent: "With A Song In My Heart", presented October 25, 2005. After a brief introduction about the nature of poetry, Mrs. Vincent recited seventeen of her favorite poems, including her own translation of one of her husband's poems.
Allan Ireland: "Dave Cooks the Turkey", by Stuart McLean, presented December 5, 2006

4) Seasonal Themes:

In Chapter III of the Club's history, the use of themes for an entire season was first described, when the Club adopted "China" as its theme for the 1979–80 season.

This practice has fallen away in recent years, but was employed with good effect during two seasons in the 1990's. As in the past, members were free to follow the theme for their addresses or to speak on a topic unrelated to the theme:

88/89 Season: "Decades": 9 of the addresses related to the theme
91/92 Season: "Freedom": 6 of the addresses related to the theme

The idea of selecting a theme for a whole season was partly motivated by a desire to provide a focus for members and to help them with selecting a topic for their presentations. However, the current generation of members evidently has little or no difficulty finding topics to talk about and so the use of themes has fallen into disuse.

5) Impromptu Evenings

The Club continued to vary its programs during this period by having occasional impromptu evenings. Usually, this would be limited to one evening per season. Sometimes this would come about as a result of the scheduled speakers being unexpectedly absent. On other occasions, such evenings were specifically planned for as a "Vice-President' Surprise".

Frequently, these evenings would consist of impromptu debates, with participants selected by a random method. Members have done battle over such resolutions as:

Prostitution should be legalized
The Monarchy should be abolished
Political correctness has damaged the English language
Cloning of human beings should be made legal
A common North American currency would be beneficial to Canada

On other occasions, lucky members would be selected to speak on impromptu topics. At the Club' February 25, 2003 meeting, for example, the members were invited to speak on whatever message they found inside a fortune cookie. At the Club's December 6, 2005 meeting, Vice-President, David Kister, devised a unique impromptu evening entitled "Pot Pourri", whereby three members were each given a sport, a colour, and a philosophical question, with the instruction to speak on their choice of topic. This led to the following presentations:

"Polo", presented by Ted Higgins
"Green", presented by Alan Matijas
"Lacrosse", presented by Peter Chauvin

6) Short addresses on a set theme

In the early 1990's, the Club tried one other method to vary its programs. This would be to set, in advance, a theme for the evening and to invite members to speak to that theme. Three such evenings and their themes were:

November 13, 1990: "Show and Tell"
December 10, 1991: "Vivid Memories"
December 9, 1992: "Pet Peeves"

Celebrating the Centennial of the Tuesday Literary Club

Discussions about marking the Club's Centennial began some years before the actual centennial. One of the dilemmas that challenged the collective intellect of the Club was when was it appropriate to celebrate the Club centennial? Should it be the 100th season, the 2008–2009 year, or the 101st season, the 2009–2010 year? The literal 100th anniversary of the Club would of course be in October of 2009, which would fall in the 101st season. Ultimately, the special events marking the centennial were planned for the calendar year 2009, thus straddling the two seasons.

The planning to mark the Club's centennial year began in earnest at the outset of the 99th Season. A Centennial Committee was struck consisting of Messrs. Atwood (Chair), Chauvin, Fernandes, and Vincent. The Committee's proposals were presented to the Club in a written report at its meeting on Dec. 4, 2007. Most of their plans came to fruition.

Special Events:

The Closing Dinner on April 30, 2009 included some special elements to mark the centennial:
1. Commemorative lapel pins secured by Jude Fernandes were distributed.An extended Toast to the Club was delivered by John Wilkins which provided a historical review of the past 100 years.
2. The dinner was upgraded to include USDA New York Steak with a classic Béarnaise sauce and a special dessert, "White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Charlotte set on a Fruit Coulis".
3. The entertainment selected was reminiscent of the era in which the Club was born, namely a performance by "Chordial", a Barbershop quartet. Their performance featured such old favorites as: "My Wild Irish Rose (1899)", "Wait 'til the Sun Shines Nellie (1905)", and "Let Me Call you Sweetheart (1910)".
A special garden party to honour the Club's centennial was held outdoors at the Attwood–McKnight residence on July 11th 2009. This catered evening event was blessed with exceptionally fine weather and a good turnout by 20 members and 15 guests.

President Peter Chauvin acted as Master of Ceremonies for the program part of the party, which featured:
1. Memorable remarks delivered by John Wilkins, outlining the history of the Club, richly annotated with his long experience in the Club. He concluded by leading a toast to the club.
2. Personal reminiscences by Mollie Coward, widow of Laurence Coward, both of the Club and of her husband.
3. Archivist Report presented by club archivist, Eric Burs, consisting of excerpts from the oldest set of minutes in the club archives, those of the Club meeting on October 18, 1962.
  
  Following the program, a cake, emblazoned with a large "100" was presented and served. The balance of the evening was spent in convivial conversations over coffee and tea.
The 2nd meeting of the 101st season, on October 13, 2009 was the closest regular meeting date of the season to the actual anniversary of the very first meeting in 1909 (October 19). As such it featured some special touches:
1. Presentation by Peter Vincent: "1909 – 2009: 100 Years of Change". In his address, he described how historical events during the Club's first century of existence unfolded through the eyes of the Tuesday Literary Club, as reflected in the topics presented by its Members.
2. Visit by former member Frank McCrea and his daughter Allison McCrea, as guests of Peter Vincent. A serendipitous moment arose when, quite by chance, the Editor's paper referenced in Eric Burs archivist's report ("this meeting 30 years ago") turned out to have been given by Frank McCrea!
3. Lavish refreshments provided by Peter Vincent with material assistance by his fellow member and mother, Andrea Vincent, and Agi Finna, Peter's partner, complete with a birthday cake to mark the club's 100th birthday.

Other Initiatives

Jude Fernandes undertook to arrange for a permanent memento to mark the Centennial. He selected a specially designed lapel pin featuring the Club Logo. As mentioned, the finished pins were distributed at the 2009 Closing Dinner.
Ted Higgins, serving as publicity coordinator for the celebrations, put together a Media Package, which was distributed to all Toronto media outlets. While this did not generate any media coverage for the Club, it did elicit official congratulatory letters from the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, and David Miller, the Mayor of Toronto. The letter from the Premier has been posted to the Club website. Another benefit arising from the distribution of the media package was contact with another organization, The Toronto Debating Society. This led to members of each organization attending meetings of the other organization's meetings. Two members of the Toronto Debating Society, Michael Cole and David Heppenstall, have since joined the Tuesday Literary Club.
The preparation of the centennial volume, "The Tuesday Literary Club, The First 100 Years, 1909–2009" which includes this section of the history of the Club.

Conclusion

To arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time. —T.S. Eliot

As the Club continues on into its second century, it is as strong as ever. We can take pride in the considerable progress we have made. We have welcomed female members. We have created the Laurence Coward Award. The Club has extended considerably the use of technology in its affairs, most notably with the creation of a website. Works of fiction have sprung up to delight us.

The Club is not, however without its challenges. As has happened before in the history of the Club, our membership is aging. As he always does, Father Time will inexorably take members from us. We must strive to entice a new generation of younger members to join us and carry us forward.

In so doing, it will be useful for us to consider what it is about the Tuesday Literary Club that is unique and will attract new members in the future. By answering this question and meeting other challenges, the Club will remain strong and bring honour to its past legacy for another 100 years and more!

norman Mathews

Hidden Beauty 1

Robyn Graham

Frank Toplin

1999 venue

Golf club

Welcome guest 1

Welcome guest 2

Entertainment

Entertainment 2

Entertainment 3

Song titles

Ode to an even thousand

Great fire of toronto

Once upon a time

1909 - 2009

The Club's Centennial Season

2008-2009

Letter from the Premier of Ontario

On the occasion of the Tuesday Literary Club's centennial, the Premier of Ontario, The Honourable Dalton McGuinty, congratulated the Club on its attainment of this significant milestone and wished it success on into the future. You can view the Letter with a simple click of your mouse.

Press Information

A briefing package was assembled to let members of the media know about the Tuesday Literary Club and that 2008-2009 is its centennial season. To view the package contents for the Press you can view it with a click of your mouse.

Creative Writing

(referenced above; from Chapter 15 of the "The First Hundred Years: 1909–2009" Centennial publication of the Club.)

Hidden Beauty by Laurence Coward, Actuary

Our garden, once part of an orchard, contains an apple tree at least forty years old. The trunk is hollow and the top branches are dead where the tree has over reached its strength. Since we do not bother to spray against pests, the apples are useless, but we cherish the tree for its glorious blossoms in spring.

Last year we regretfully had to remove a huge branch that was leaning over our neighbour's house — an evident danger in a storm. We sawed up the wood and left it beside the road to wait for the weekly collection of garden refuse.

I was working in the garden soon afterwards when a young bearded man entered. He announced that he was a sculptor, Andrew Lukachko by name. Would he, I wondered, ask for a donation to some artists' colony or try to sell me one of his works? Instead he merely handed me a newspaper article and invited me to attend an exhibition of his carving. The article praised Lukachko's work and quoted him: "I found the apple wood lying outside a garden on Bayview Avenue."

At the exhibition I saw how a big twisted log from our old tree had been transformed into a fine sculpture. (Incidentally, the price tag was sizeable.) The polished wood was creamy white, except in hollows where darker shades remained. The artist had let the grain guide his hand, obtaining a natural unity that suggestod a mysterious life form. I thought of the hidden beauty in things, the hidden potential in people and how rarely it is fully realised.

(Return)

Ode to an even Thousand by David Bruce, March 11, 1997

What will be the prospect of the first day of our new millennium? Who will write the news of the day? We have heard that history is written by the victors … so who will these scribes be?

Pessimists, predicting dire futures, recommend that we pity those still alive on 01/01/01. Well, living has never been easy …. But while with their chalk the dead have written deep into the crust of this giant mache, or plunged their salt ink into its seas, it is not they who claim victory. No, nor those whose shrill merriment on the eve of this next Gregorian Grand leave sobriety with a brutal grip on the morning after. Nor the raucous many, their dance but a memory on its dew, their chants a hymn recalled by few, and dimly.

Politicians, theologians and academics will put their pens to paper; but they've got the past to answer for! No, history will be left to the rest of us, it seems. It is true, though. None are agreed on the road we have so far traveled, let alone the road ahead (by whichever author).

And of course the supernet will be alive with chronicles wrapping up a kiloyear for our entertainment.

It's a Monday morning. Over breakfast , one asks "Is there a Club meeting tomorrow?"

But is this all there is?
A tribal drumbeat sounds. Poverty eliminated by the end of the century? I think not.

Commingled tears of mothers and children will bathe the first hours of 2001, an earth-bound odyssey. But while tears do write the future, they would not wish such visions stark. Rather, the secret ink of lovers, waking from the fleeting dark to breathe the potentialities of a new day.

Reminisce on things past, soon forgotten, for as time mends, so too it discards.

Of war and its intrusions, race and its illusions.
Of nation-pride and money blindly spent on parades.

Humanity starting a new chapter? If so, I am looking forward to page one!

[Return]

The Great Toronto Fire - April 19, 1904 by Peter Vincent, January 6, 2009

As was my habit, I rose early that fateful morning. The weather was bitterly cold the morning of April 19, 2004. It was well below the freezing mark when it should already have been spring. Imagine, there were even snow flurries and a strong bitter cold wind to boot. I bundled up well for the long walk to the University of Toronto from our home at 124 Forest Hill Road. It was too early for the horse drawn tram down Bathurst or Yonge. Even if it ran that early I would not have taken it. Ever since Father cut off my allowance I avoided spending any money that I did not have to spend. You see, I insisted on continuing my studies to become a medical doctor despite his wishes. He desperately wanted me to rejoin the family ice business but I was stubborn. I had worked for a few years in our family firm, the Lake Simcoe Ice Company, but had loftier ambitions and quit to enter medical school. At my 29 years of age, Dad said that it was time to get on with earning a living. My sweetheart Lena was also making noises that she did not want to become an old maid. At a young 23 I assured her she was in no danger of that.

The ice business was important in those days as it was the only way of keeping food from spoiling when the weather was warmer than it was that day. We hired crews of idle farm boys to work for us every winter chopping big blocks of ice from Lake Simcoe. These were loaded on heavy wagons, each drawn by four horses. The wagons were sent South often along Yonge Street, also known as the corduroy road. It was nicknamed as such because of the logs laid cross wise that were used to pave it crossing the wetlands of the Holland Marsh. Without it the road would have become an impossible mud bath. When the ground was frozen the crews preferred to use the other dirt roads because they were a lot easier on man and beast. The ice was hauled to a parcel of land we owned in the Caledon Hills. My Dad bought it for a song because nobody wanted it. It was undesirable because it had hills and valleys. It also had a large cave right in the side of a hill. This was precisely why we wanted it. The cave was greatly enlarged by pickaxe and lots of back breaking work. A huge set of thick oak barn doors were built to tightly close it in. The enlarged cavern was so huge that several wagons could enter it to be unloaded simultaneously. The ice was packed along the walls and insulated with fresh clean straw. By the Spring break-up the cavern had to be filled to the brim with ice for it had to last all through the summer and the fall until the next winter.

All through the warm weather, every day, a string of our wagons insulated with felt would be filled to capacity in the cavern to bring ice to Toronto. Some went daily to the big hotels and hospitals but the great part went to home ice boxes before the days of refrigerators. The ice was delivered door to door just like milk was. This was our family business. It was lucrative, necessary and thoroughly boring to me.

I really grew to enjoy my early morning walks. It gave me time to think. The fact that it was all downhill from our home also helped. I had arranged that my lectures were almost all in the morning so as to permit me time to work part time at the Evening Telegram newspaper in the afternoons and some evenings. I was a cub reporter there to relate mostly U of T and High School news. It was mostly sports and social events but also included some rare but juicy reports of crimes and scandals.

On this particular day my morning was very busy. We had a new guest lecturer all the way from Vienna, Austria to introduce us to a new branch of medicine. This was Psychiatry as codified by Professor Freud and brought to us by one of his disciples. I found it fascinating how one could alter the direction of the life of troubled people through this new science. Not everyone shared my fascination. I had been a Sunday School Teacher at our church the Church of the Redeemer for many years working with inner city youth. Some of them were misguided and troubled. I could see that this new approach may well be a way to redirect them at an early age to lead more productive lives.

In the afternoon I walked down Bay Street to the corner of Melinda Street where the Evening Telegram's building stood. I worked on several stories that day but my mind kept wandering back to the lecture by the visiting professor. I had to restart the news stories and thus had to stay late at work.

Just after 8 pm I happened to look out a window that looked west across Bay Street. I noticed that there seemed to be more smoke than usual coming from the area of the chimneys of one of the buildings a block and a half from me. Despite the cold I opened the window and could smell the acrid smoke of burning wood and perhaps of wool and other textiles. That was unusual because all heating those days was done with coal. This had a different smell and was a lot thicker than usual. As I pondered this all of a sudden I saw actual flames come licking out of the upper windows and roof of the same building. A few minutes later I heard the sound of galloping hoses and the clanging of the fire bells of the fire reels as they approached along Wellington Street to number 58, the Currie Neckwear factory. Before the firemen could even start, the roof of the building to the east of 58 also caught fire. There was not much that the firemen could do with their puny ladders against 3 and 4 storey buildings.

The roof of number 58 began to collapse and as it dropped the front of the building came down with a terrible crash right into Wellington Street completely blocking it with burning rubble. The firemen hastily retreated east toward me. This is when I realized that this was not a spectacle but that we were all in real danger. I got the press foremen up from the basement where the papers were printed. The huge rolls of newsprint stored there were like kindling waiting to be lit. We organized a crew of workers to get on the roof with fire hoses run up from hydrants, to begin to wet the entire south and west side of the building. Eventually we had water pouring from windows as well as the roof. Within 30 minutes the whole building was soaked and encased in ice.

Once I saw that things were well in hand in our building I grabbed a large first aid box from the press room and started south on Bay Street and tried to go west along Wellington. This first aid kit was a large suitcase made of wood painted white with a large red cross painted on the lid. It was very well stocked and thus very heavy. I got as far as about ½ block along Wellington where a constable in his tall hard hat stopped me from proceeding. When he saw what I was carrying he asked me if I was a doctor. I did not feel like explaining that I was a second year medical student so I just said yes and he let me pass. I only got about ½ block further before the firemen stopped me. Once they saw what I was about they put me to work bandaging cuts and bruises behind one of the fire reels. There was a steady stream of casualties with many suffering from smoke inhalation and eye injuries from flying cinders being blown by the wind. There was little I could do for either affliction using the first aid kit. Those who were more seriously hurt were taken in a steady stream of wagons to St. Michael's Hospital just a few blocks away to the north and east.

As the fire spread in all directions more and more firemen arrived from near and far. Eventually every fireman within 200 miles was fighting the largest fire in Toronto's history. Special express trains were run to bring help from as far as Buffalo and Kingston not to mention Hamilton and London. We slowly and steadily had to retreat to Bay Street just keeping out of the embrace of the flames. The constables were busy with evacuating the buildings before these were engulfed. The sound of the conflagration was terrifying. It did not burn as in a cozy fireplace but rather it roared like a lion. Every few minutes we could hear huge explosions from near and far as gas mains or fuel oil storage drums exploded. The fire crew I became attached to, moved South along with the fire. We eventually ended up near the Union Station but by then it was just a smoking mass of rubble. The firemen kept pouring water on the flames but with little effect at first. Slowly their efforts started to pay off and the spread of the fire was slowed and eventually stopped. It took 9 hours to bring the fire under control. Even two days later small pockets of fire and even more smoke still kept the exhausted firemen busy. The area bounded by the Esplanade on the south, almost as far as Yonge Street on the east, almost as far as what would eventually become University Avenue on the west and Melinda Street on the north was completely gutted. More than 100 large business buildings were totally destroyed. They included numerous warehouses in the south part and office buildings, public buildings, hotels and eating establishments in the north. The loss was calculated at over $10 million 1904 dollars. Most businesses were insured so the big losers were the insurance companies. They began to recoup their losses by raising the premiums by 75% retroactively to the date of the fire. Many businesses simply never recovered and others had to rebuild from scratch. Over 5,000 people lost their jobs that day in a city of only 200,000 at that time. Miraculously not one person lost his life. Many people rendered first aid and there were many serious burns, wounds and broken bones to mend but not one fatality.

Blame for the fire was never fully established but was felt to have started in an overheated space heater perhaps forgotten on after the workers went home that evening. It could also have started in a faulty or overloaded electrical circuit in those early days of use of electricity. As many buildings still used a lot of gas for heating and lighting there were plenty of things to suspect.

The ultimate consequence of the great fire of Toronto was a complete revision of the building code to make industrial and office buildings more fire resistant and safe. The Toronto Fire Brigade was vastly expanded and much better equipped as it became the Toronto Fire Department.

The fire was stopped at Melinda Street in the north. The Evening Telegram was the most southerly building to survive. This was due to the diligent efforts of the employees. The owner, Mr. John Ross Robertson, gave every employee involved a large bonus in gratitude.

At dawn as I made my weary way home I made a big decision. I had worked as a doctor patching up the wounded. It lost its glamour very quickly. I realized that, after all, my Dad was right and that I was not cut out to be a doctor. I dropped out of medical school without finishing and rejoined the family ice business. Eventually I became the President of the firm and spent my entire working life there. Lena and I were soon married and lived happily together for the rest of our lives. We had six children and continued to live in the family home at 124 Forest Hill Road. We had an idyllic life together but that is perhaps another story for another day.

The only part of my medical training that continued to interest me was the practical application of Psychiatry. And that I could study privately without the need for a medical degree. In my spare time I continued to work with troubled young men. Working with other concerned citizens we founded a home for wayward youth. We enjoyed great success with keeping many out of jail. The ice company hired some when they were ready to leave the home after completing their schooling.

Five years after the fire my work with the youth in the Sunday School led to my founding a literary club. Oh yes, if you have not already guessed, my name is Harry Fairhead and that club that I founded in 1909 was and continues to be the Tuesday Literary Club.

You may want to read more about the fire. There is a great deal about it on the internet. I found the website of the City of Toronto Archives most useful for my research. The website is at www.toronto.ca/archives/fire1.htm. I have reproduced some of the information for you here but there is a lot more to read and see. There is even rare footage of the horse drawn fire reels roaring by on Wellington Street from a brief newsreel. Yes silent movies from 1904!

I referenced a history of the Fairhead clan on the internet for details about Harry Fairhead. It can be found at http://www.fairhead.org.uk/histories/fivesonsofjames.pdf .

This is a work of fiction but it is based on facts. Harry Fairhead was a dropout from medical school. He did join and eventually did run the family business, the Lake Simcoe Ice Company. He did work with troubled youth just as I have related. The facts regarding the great fire of Toronto are accurate. The Evening Telegram building did survive just as I have described it. Whether Harry Fairhead played the part I gave him in the fire and in the saving of the Evening Telegram building is something that we may never know. But it could have happened just this way.

[Return]

Once Upon a Time by Robyn Graham December 7, 2010

I would like to dedicate my address this evening to Temi Grafstein, who encouraged me to write a short story this year, and to Michael Coward, who by sharing his father's work, "The Apple Tree" with us, inspired me to share a little tale of my own.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful garden, surrounding our childhood home. It seemed a magical place to me, towering with maples a hundred years old. My brothers, like monkeys, built multistoried tree houses in the canopy — a forbidden world, as I was too small to scale the rope ladder accessing this hidden domain. Instead, I spent hours on a swing suspended from one of the loftiest boughs — twirling and pumping to great heights over the fence to examine the neighbour's fallen apples.

Two tremendous silver birch trees graced our front yard — and almost every winter our family suddenly became famous as the local paper showcased our glistening, icicled wonders following the most recent ice storm.

But the glory of our yard was the lilac tree — a tremendous flowering shrub, increasing each year in diameter — forming an ever-growing centerpiece amidst the garden's other wonders. Syringa vulgaris — the common lilac, is a member of the olive family, which also includes the beloved beauties forsythia and jasmine. It is native to the rocky slopes of the central Balkans in southeastern Europe in mountainous parts of Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia, where it still grows wild today. The lilac found its way from peasant gardens in Romania to the royal courts in Europe and Asia. It was introduced to North America by early settlers and now can be found in gardens all across our continent, including my current garden in Toronto. The lilac's dense shrubbery helped shelter prairie homes from wind and can still be seen thriving near abandoned pioneer homesteads. In the city or the country, the lilac is a favourite place for birds because the dense foliage provides good nesting and hiding habitat. I note that my neighbour's enormous lilac tree once gave shelter to a colony of feral cats until better homes could be found for them. Requiring almost no maintenance and in the worst of soil conditions, the lilac bestows on us every year gorgeous, copious, fragrant bundles — in pink, purple, white, and, of course, most often — in lilac. These blooms burgeon just when they're needed the most — delivering to the spring garden a celebration of life and renewal year after year — and actually blooming best when the winters are long and severe.

As children, my girlfriends and I plucked the tasty little trumpets from their clusters to steal the tiny drop of nectar in each — a treasure hidden for the bumblebee, the hummingbird and the butterfly. We plunged our faces into the blooms to inhale the intoxicating aroma. Many a summer day was spent on the lawn near the shade of its branches. As the years went by, first one, then a second, beloved family pet was buried beneath it.

At the age of 96, my grandmother's eyesight and hearing were failing. No longer mobile, she spent most of her days in her room at the retirement home. Still lucid, she'd tell stories of the grand old days when, once upon a time, she had lived in Scandinavia hosting parties and attending events with my Grandfather. She had lived a fairy tale existence, long ago, in a distant land, far away from me, my maples, my birches and my lilac tree.

In May of 1995, spring came to Toronto with blinding radiance. The air being still a little crisp, I enlisted help to bundle Grandma's tiny little frame into a wheelchair and wrap her in a shawl. I was determined to free her from bondage — for a while at least — so, equipped with heavy sun glasses and a wide brimmed hat we went out to enjoy the day.

We strolled along the beautiful old streets near Grandma's church: avenues she knew by heart and had travelled hundreds of times. The grass was lush, the birds were singing, and — "Oh, Grandma, look!" I exclaimed, "The lilacs are in bloom!" "Bring me near," she replied. Approaching the bush, and trespassing only a little on the lawn, I managed to put Grandma directly under the blooms so that she might see them up close and enjoy their scent. Instead, to my surprise, she reached out and grabbed the entire bough — clutching an armful of blossoms to her bosom and burying her face in them. And in that moment, I saw her — through time, past the shriveled exterior, to the woman whose passion and delight for life ran as deep as my own ever had, and beyond to the girl with a heart as light as my own had ever been.

And I thought — what a wondrous thing is nature to connect the hearts of two girls across the span of a century.

[Return]

1909 — 2009 ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF CHANGE Address to the TLC October 13, 2009 by Peter Vincent

These are the notes in point form that I used. During the actual speech I fleshed out these points extemporaneously.

Because this is a special meeting I would like to take you on a tour of the events that shook the world during the last 100 years. This is not a history lesson because I propose to show you those events through the eyes of the TLC members as reported in their addresses and debates.

This meeting is the closest to the actual 100th birthday of the TLC
Inaugural meeting October 19, 1909 &8212; we shall toast the Club's Birthday with the refreshments
Last season Ted Higgins address entitled 1909
It was a gentler and slower time
Transportation was still mostly by horse and carriage
Members may have come to the meetings at 80 Yorkville Ave on foot or by the Toronto Streetcar Co that still used horse drawn trams
Alexander Graham Bell in Bedec NS and the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk were still perfecting their flying machines
I gave an address a few years ago "Age of Innocence" covering the period up to 1914
A less violent period but not devoid of conflict
US Civil War ended about 50 years before the founding of the TLC — many veterans of that conflict still paraded on Memorial day in 1909
Memories of the US Civil War in 1909 would be just as vivid to our club's founders as our recollections of the Second World War are to us today.
Franco Prussian war 1877 very much recent history in 1909
Boer War ended a scant 6 years before the founding of the TLC
This was the first real international war that Canada as a nation participated in
In 1909 TLC members were young men scarcely out of their teens who likely had fathers, brothers or uncles in the Boer War and may have lost close relatives in that terrible war. But it was not a World War
A perusal of the programs of the first five years shows no evidence that anybody was worried about any foreign wars.
By 1914 those young men who helped to inaugurate the TLC were very much of the perfect age for the armed forces. Program of 1917/18 lists 7 members on active war service including what we can presume was a Fairhead brother or nephew.
For the fledgling TLC it must have been quite a blow to have 7 members on active war duty in what they called the Great War or the War to end all wars.
Many of the items in the programs of that post war era shows the inevitable preoccupation with the war, with socialism vs imperialism, technology winning the war etc.
The current Club crest was first used on the1919/20 program
Black Tuesday in 1929 saw Canada and the World plunged into the worst depression of all recorded history to that date and likely since then as well.
By 1930 the addresses turn toward economic issues and already Fascism and Communism were being debated
In the 1933/34 program we see a debate on the validity of the Nazi party's policies in Germany
1935/36 program shows that growing concern over war with a debate on the validity of the League of Nations
1936/37 program had an address on Glimpses of Germany and the 1936 Olympic Games as well as on the topic of the need for more aggressive Armament for Canada. A book review of "Peace with Honour" was also presented. Mr. Kenneth McCrea (father of our former member Frank) addressed the club on the status of Canadian Aviation. — telephone numbers were included in the program for the first time in 1936/37. They were still only six digit numbers (the first two alphabetic followed by 4 numbers.
By 1937/38 British Foreign Policy was debated. Also Dr. Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai-shek were issues for the club.
The 1938/39 year began with an address on Europe in 1938 and continued later on with an open forum discussion on promoting World Peace. Clearly the members saw the Second World War coming with far more insight than the members in 1913/14 who did not see the First War coming.
1939/40 featured an update on Europe one year later, a discussion of the Jewish Problem, US Neutrality, Hitler, Chamberlain, Stalin, Peace Conference and all that only in the first half of the year!
The 1940/41 program began with an address on Canadian Industry in Wartime and continued with a debate on the merits of a British US forming a federal union.
The 1941/42 program began with Berlin Diary and our new ally Russia. It then went on to approve the Wartime record of the Canadian Government. Later that season the Atlantic Charter (NATO) was debated.
1942/43 included a debate about the Independence of India that was still six years in the future in 1942. Stalin was still a hot topic and already the members were considering options for Post-War Reconstruction and Economy as well as the dangers and implications of mass Propaganda.
The 1943/44 program lists four members on active war service including 3 that I have known from the 1970s when I joined. These are Ben Holmes, Dick Champion and Cliff Robins. All four appear to have sent addresses for the club that season from overseas. In addition Ken McCrea was on War Service in Ottawa. Justice Wilkins recalls that in addition three other members saw war duty in hush-hush jobs. George Dunn was involved in science that he never wanted to get too specific about. Frank Johnson was a senior officer in map making and printing at or near the front. One other member he recalls was involved in war graves. He related that one of the last casualties of the War was buried in his army blanket. He was horrified to relate that the first that this poor man's family knew that he had died was when they received a bill from the Canadian Government for the blanket! The addresses that year included "Towards a New World Order" and "Post-War Employment".
The 1944/45 program continues to cover the war with "Europe's Eastern Frontiers", "State Socialism", "Dumbarton Oaks", UNRRA, Bretton Woods" and "Woodrow Wilson". They also debated "Canada adopting an open door immigration policy for European refugees".
In the 1945/46 program we see that Ben Holmes is back from active war service but the other three were still overseas. Mr. Holmes addressed the club as the first speaker on "Pour la Defense du Canada Seulement". Later they debated the issue of Jewish immigration into Palestine that became a reality only two years later.
In the 1946/47 program they condemned US foreign policy in relation to China. The Club heard about "The Peace Conference" too that year.
The war began to fade from the TLC program in 1947/48 but new issues emerged. Addresses included "Narcotic trafficking", Newfoundland the 10th Province". The War was not forgotten with topics of `International Conditions in Eastern Europe` and `Japan under MacArthur``.
The program of 1948/49 shows an interest in Post-War England and the Extension of the Russian Influence from the American Viewpoint and vice-versa. Later there was an address on "Civilization on Trial".
In 1949/50 the amalgamation of the Metropolitan Toronto Area into the one single municipality we have today was debated. That year advances in colour photography were demonstrated to the members.
With 1950/51 international topics were heard. "The New Israel" and "Western Policy in South-East-Asia but the majority of the topics returned to more standard TLC fare.
In 1951/52 the club heard a retrospective of FDR as well as a treatise on present day problems in the Near East and Post-War Conditions in Italy and in Yugoslavia. "Cracks in the Kremlin Wall" foretold the future accurately that year.
1952/53 "Work of the International Red Cross" was an early address. The rise of "Commercial Aviation" was chronicled this year along with "The Struggle for Europe".
1953/54 saw the arrival of the 6 digit telephone number to Toronto. The list shows that about half of the members had been issued the longer numbers. That year an address "the Changing Commonwealth and Empire" foretold the present day decline.
1954/55 the issue of narcotic addition was reported on. US Foreign policy as the key element in maintaining world peace was debated. Turbulent Asia was already a topic foreshadowing the Indochina and Vietnam conflicts yet to emerge. Immigration's effect on Canadian Culture was discussed.
1955/56 Life in Post-War Britain, last ¼ century in Spain, were important topics that year
1956/57 The Suez Canal was reported on early in the season. Just about when the Suez crisis was emerging. Later that year the club heard about the emergence of France and also about Africa.
1957/58 The Dead Sea Scrolls were reported on and they are on display at the ROM until the end of this month. Canada – US relations were explored this season.
1958/59 The Atomic Age, The Soul of China, Psychiatry, The US Racial Problem were hot topics that year.
1959/60 African problems in 1960, The future of East and West Germany were key topics. The advisability of admitting the PRC to the UN was debated. The History of the Danube likely included mention of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
1960/61 JFK and Richard Nixon were discussed. Moscow and Leningrad in 1960 and the problems with the World Population Explosion were hot topics.
1961/62 The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich was a book review that year. The year concluded with a paper on Mahatma Gandhi.
1962/63 The Decline of the British Empire, The European Common Market ( The future EU), Conversations with Stalin and On Space were key issues that year.
1963/64 Changing Quebec (foretold the crisis that was yet in the future),
1964/65 The two Viet Nams (foresaw the coming conflict that was three years in the future)
1965/66 Oh Canada was an open forum of member's comments, Conquest of the Poles were key topics.
1966/67 "A Choice for Canada" was a book review that year.
1967/68 Condominium and Decongestion, The Canadian Senate,
1968/69 Japan 1968, US Elections (3 speeches), Canada's PET, Weponry, The Rand Commission, The Hall-Dennis Report (on education),
1969/70 CHARGEX (consumer credit) was an issue that year
1970/71 "The national Dream" was a book review and a presentation on Africa were key that year
1974/75 Atomic Spies — the Rosenburgs, The Hungarian Revolution (my first address to the TLC, The Gulag Archipelago,
1975/76 debate: Arab Stand in the M idle East is Unjustifiable, Gun Control, Our Future
1976/77 The American Experience in China 1911/1944. That year my Dad addressed the Club a a guest speaker. Canada after separation 1984 (prophetic?) Mike Attwood gave his legendary impromptu speech on the Paper Clip that year.
1977/78 I was President. Nuclear Power, Irish Problem (Trinity)
1979/80 The Boxer Rebellion and the Opium Trade, Kuo Mintang, Mr. & Mrs. Chiang Kai Shek, Japanese Occupation, Chinese Agriculture, Norman Bethune, PRC and Taiwan, China Hands, Marco Polo in China were topics that year. They knew how to do a theme!
1980/81 Russia Theme that year: The Russian Viewpoint, Russia and its People, the Russian Revolution, the Eastern Bloc, Russia a view from the White House, Victims of Yalta, Russian Roulette, Russia under the Czars
1981/82 The Constitution, Trudeau, and a Canadian at War were key
1983/84 featured our 75th anniversary evening, Arabia and the House of Saud,
1984/85 Inflation, Age of uncertainty, how to lie with statistics, The Weather, Environment,
1985/86 The PC, Nuclear Energy, Arctic China, The PQ, Free Trade,
1987/88 Islam, David Suzuki, War Crimes
1988/89 1910s Loss of Innocence, Free Trade, 1920s, 1940, 1960s x2, 1970s, 1990s x2, Acid Rain,
1989/90 Boy with a Gun, Wartime Germany, Tienanmen SQ
1991/92 Freedom isn`t free, Ireland, A Form of Freedom, Freedom, Forensics and Fraud, Freedom and a man`s search for meaning,
1992/93 A United World,
1994/95 I am President again, Geopolitics and Tribalism, The first To Be or Not To BE,
1995/96 Politics of racism
1999/2000 The Club and the Millennium (by our current Honorary President, Justice J. Wilkins)
2000/01 Business at the speed of thought
2007/08 Rise of a Superpower, Nixon in China, Military Industrial Complex, A 1000 barrels a second,
2008/09 What Terrorists Want, Story of Mao.

[Return]

Hidden Beauty

Ode to an even thousand return

Great fire of Toronto return

Once upon a time Return

1909 - 2009 return

Footnotes:

*1. No Information is available as to when Norman Mathews died. He Joined the Club in 1920 and was on the Executive four times, including as President in 1923-1924. He Wrote an introductory message for the Club's 1975 anniversary year book. (Return)

*2. Robyn is also to be commended for her kindness extended towards Jean Evans, including calling her and driving her to Club meetings when we started meeting at Michael Attwood and Lynn McKnight's home. More recently, she has maintained contact through one of Jean's daughters.(Return)

*3. By a lucky chance, Frank Toplin's joining the Club introduced the Club to another new member. One evening, when Frank was to be the Editor, he was prevented by illness from delivering his paper in person and arranged for this writer to come to his apartment and pick it up and deliver the paper on his behalf. Leaving Frank's apartment and coming down on the elevator, we (Dave Goff was with me as well) were joined by Temi Grafstein who had been visiting her parents. Confronted by two such charismatic gentlemen, Temi naturally struck up a conversation. That was all Dave and I needed to begin extolling the virtues of the Tuesday Literary Club. Contact information was exchanged, Temi visited the Club, and shortly thereafter the Club had a valued new member. (Return)

*4. The Annual Dinner for the 1999-2000 season on April 18, 2000 was held at Westin Prince Hotel as the Old Mill was unavailable. (Return)

*5. It is also worth noting that the Club achieved some cost savings by using the Thornhill Golf & Country Club. For the final dinner at the Old Mill, the Club needed to charge $68 per person. The Club was able to reduce that to $60 per person for the first dinner at the Thornhill Golf & Country Club. (Return)

*6. This writer was actually chastised by a woman in another organization for even daring to use the term "ladies" in reference to women. (Return)

*7. Although a response is not expected for the "Welcome to the Guests", the Club was graced with a Response by Shelagh McPherson, wife of Peter Chauvin, at the Club's 2005 Annual Dinner. (Return)

*8. Interestingly, one such game was contributed by Laurence himself for the 1979 Annual Dinner. Dubbed "Logology", logos of various corporations and other organizations were posted about the room and members were challenged to identify them. (Return)

*9. Several seasons later, after the use of outside entertainment had gained a firm foothold, the dinner committee for the 2007 Annual Dinner dared to buck the trend by reverting back to the use of a game for the after dinner diversion. This writer designed a team approach to the game of "Balderdash". It received mixed reviews and the Club reverted back to outside entertainment the following year with the engagement of the well–received Gregory Cross, a singer. (Return)

*10. Catherine Manoukian's latest CD was released in 2010. (Return)

*11. By way of example, Andrea Vincent used "Roll Out The Barrel" as her caption for an editorial on bringing one's own wine to restaurants. Michael Coward used "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" as his caption for an editorial on research stating that red wine prolonged the life of mice. (Return)

Footnote 1

Footnote 2

Footnote 3

Footnote 4

Footnote 5

Footnote 6

Footnote 7

Footnote 8

Footnote 9

Footnote 10

Footnote 11

THE TUESDAY LITERARY CLUB

The Club History | 1909 - 1948

Introduction

Beginnings

Early Club Activities

The Hall Of Fame

A Hole In One

A New Clubroom

The Club History | 1949 - 1964

Continuity Amid Change: The Club Lives On

Fiftieth Anniversary

The H. J. Fairhead Library Fund

The Club Moved to New Quarters

The Recovery of the Cornerstone

The Club History | 1965 - 1985

A Time of Change

Death of the Founder

Mr. H. J. Fairhead

Places of Meeting

A Changing Membership

The Club History | 1986 - 2009

The TLC's First 100 Years!

Introduction

Changing Membership

Passages — "Heroes of the Club"

The Tuesday Literary Club Eliminates the Gender Barrier

Jean Evans

Experiment with Want Ads

An Evolving Club

New Meeting Place

Changes in the Annual Dinner and the Opening Dinner

i) Introduction of the "Welcome to the Guests"

ii) After Dinner Diversion: Game or Entertainment?

The Creation of the Laurence Coward Award

The Club Goes Hi-Tech

1) Electronic Communications

2) Development of the Club Website

Evolving Customs and Practices in Club Meetings

1) Club Minutes

2) Archivists Reports

3) SAM Awards

4) A thorny issue!

A Variety of Meeting Programs

1) Works of Fiction:

2) Guest Speakers

3) Readings:

4) Seasonal Themes:

5) Impromptu Evenings

6) Short addresses on a set theme

Celebrating the Centennial of the Tuesday Literary Club

Special Events:

Other Initiatives

Conclusion

The Club's Centennial Season

2008-2009

Letter from the Premier of Ontario

Press Information

Creative Writing

​

*2. Robyn is also to be commended for her kindness extended towards Jean Evans, including calling her and driving her to Club meetings when we started meeting at Michael Attwood and Lynn McKnight's home. More recently, she has maintained contact through one of Jean's daughters.(Return)

​

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