This is part one of a two-part series as I review and recap the names and a bit of information about the people that I wrote about in my column throughout 2019.
-- John Row of Crossroads Construction, was named as the Prince George Businessman of the year in 1970. He married Mary Riediger in 1952. She was a member of the Master Bowlers Association, became a Master Bowler and taught youth bowling for nearly 15 years. Sadly, Mary passed away in July of 2019.
-- Ingrid Maack was born in Hamburg, Germany. She arrived in Prince George in 1957 and worked for BC Rail.
-- Track athlete Zena Campbell was born in Telegraph Creek. Zena is 85 years old and still wants to compete in the BC Senior Games.
-- Cy Fortin was born in St. Front, Sask. His father - a blacksmith and a welder - taught Cy the basics of his trade as a welder. Cy arrived in Prince George in 1959. Two years later, he met and married Irene Johnson. Irene graduated from a registered nursing program at the Royal Columbia Hospital in New Westminster in 1961.
-- Dr. Phil Staniland was presented with a plaque in recognition of his 42 years of an exemplary medical career. He served as the United Church Minister in Invermere and during that time he met nurse Jean Rickson; they were married in 1961.
-- Hungarian refugees Larry and Anna Herbert landed in Toronto in 1956. They are both thankful to this day for the opportunity to become naturalized Canadian citizens.
-- Bruce Hawkenson was inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He met and then married Jeanette Kline in 1962. Jeannette's joy is her music and her love of strumming and singing along with the ukulele group at the Elder Citizens' Recreation Centre.
-- Retired registered nurse and midwife Joan Lemky was born in Hythe Kent, England. She met her future husband, Second World War veteran, Pete Lemky as he was heading off to war. When Joan needed heart surgery, at the age of 85, she knew it was time to retire from her successful and accomplished 60-year nursing career.
-- Jim Borden met office worker Brenda Barry when he was working for the Electric Power Equipment company in Prince George. In 1984, Brenda worked at the Prince George Public Library and later the Nechako Branch Library until she retired 30 years later.
-- Bob Krekoski, born in St. Paul, Alta., remembers the invasion of the wild ducks that would eat their grain and could clear 45 acres of a near ripe crop in less than one week. The six-pound grain fed ducks were delicious when they appeared on the dinner table. He married Myrna Gustafson from Giscome in 1966.
-- Walter Kamerlingh was born in Sainte-Justine, Que. One of nine children he was born and raised on a dairy farm.
-- John Scott, a recipient of the British Columbia Medal of Good Citizenship award, met and married Wilma Wilson in 1963. Wilma worked at the College of New Caledonia and after 26 years of service she retired in 2003.
-- Leonard Polsfut was born in a cabin near Bigger, Sask. In 1965, he loaded his belongings in his 1955 Pontiac and drove to Prince George looking for work. Upon his arrival, someone broke into his car and stole everything he owned except for the clothes on his back.
-- Retired school teacher Joyce Unrau retired in 1998 after a rewarding 35-year teaching career. -- Well known Prince George developer and commercial property real estate agent Harry Backlin celebrated his 90th birthday in 2019. As a result of successful land development deals over many years, Harry brought in many new businesses which helped to grow and expand the city of Prince George.
-- Neal Cook son of Edward and Martha Cook moved to Prince George in 1969. He met and married Julia Bussey in 1991. Julia was the coordinator for the Prince George Stroke Recovery Branch when she suffered a stroke in 2015.
-- Former president of the University of Northern British Columbia, Dr. Charles J. Jago married Mary McDonagh in 1966. Mary earned a diploma in nursing in Toronto, attended McMaster University in Hamilton and completed a diploma in Enterostomal Therapy in 1985. She went on to publish articles in the Canadian Association of Enterostomal Therapy Journal.
-- Centenarian Mary Westlake was born in 1919, the same year that dial telephones were first introduced and a postage stamp was 3 cents. She has a great sense of humour and thanks the good lord for hearing aids.
-- Ginny Parsons went to school in Red Deer, Alta., and finished her Grade 12 in Prince George when she was 52.
-- Local radio personality Sharon Hurd has dedicated her life to helping those in need, mostly through her career in social work.
-- In 2019, Lawrence and Molly Rustad celebrated 66 years of a good marriage. He worked in the logging and sawmill industry and said his luckiest day was when he met Molly MacKirdy, one of the top tennis players in Prince George at the time.
-- At the age of 14, Charlie Burkitt, was given the choice to continue going to school or to work with his father in a sawmill. He met Joyce Brown the new Reid Lake school teacher in 1957 and they are proud to say that they have been married for 62 years.
This completes part one of my two-part series of my year in review. For all of the complete stories, please refer to my book People of Prince George the Foundation of our Community - Volume II.
This book makes a great gift and it is available at the University Hospital auxiliary gift store, Studio 2880, the UNBC book store, Northern Lights Estate Winery, the Hart Home Hardware store, W.D. West Studio, Books and Company and at the Prince George Community Foundation office.
Merry Christmas.
Kathy
