Guy Tudor - Bird Illustrator

 Another Passing Worth Noting
   I did not recognize the name "Guy Tudor", but the headline above his obituary caught my eye and he is worth our attention.

"Guy Tudor, Whose Art Brought Obscure Birds to Life, Dies at 91," Guy Trebay, New York Times, July 25, 2026.
   "Guy Tudor, a self-taught ornithologist, wildlife illustrator and MacArthur fellow whose field guides to birds trained generations of naturalists and citizen scientists about how to distinguish a Rufous-breasted Leaftosser from a Lesser Hornero, died on July 14 in Greenport, N.Y. He was 91.
   Digital avian databases like eBird were far in the future when Mr. Tudor first set about documenting swaths of the avian world in watercolors and gouaches renowned for their delicacy and precision, and for the artist’s singular knack for capturing the quiddities of winged creatures with paint and brush….
   It was Mr. Tudor’s ability “to capture the unique behavior, motion and exact plumage of obscure species” that earned him a MacArthur fellowship in 1990, said Terence Clarke, an artist and naturalist who was a friend of Mr. Tudor’s....
   “People claim Guy was a curmudgeon, but it’s really that he was alarmed — and rightly so — by what is happening to the natural world,” Mr. Gwynne added. “He always used to say, ‘The infidels have invaded my church, and they’ve almost reached the altar.’”

   I wondered if the Western Libraries had any of his books and took a look. Here are some works where you can find Tudor's illustrations:

1.The Birds of South America
2.Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America: The Passerines
3.A Guide to the Birds of Columbia
4.A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela
5.Ornithology
and there is even one about butterflies- 
6.Butterflies of the East Coast : An Observer's Guide.
   "Here is an accessible, informative, and highly illustrated book that offers a fresh view of butterflies in America's Ease Coast states, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Appalachians. In addition to providing a wealth of facts and photos, this book is the first to furnish detailed and up-to-date photo-illustrated information on the host plants favored by particular species. With 234 full-page species accounts and accompanying range maps, plus nearly 900 large-size color photos, it is an essential reference work for field observers, gardeners, educators, and conservation managers - or anyone interested in appreciating the lepidopteran world close at hand."
   Check the catalogue of the Western Libraries. These books are either in the Taylor Library or the storage facility. 
   I have written other posts about bird books that can be found in the Western Libraries. (Once again, check before you go to campus.)
Bird Art - John Gould
Bird Illustrators - Louis Agassiz Fuertes
 If you are more interested in FISH have a look at Western's ANGLING BOOKS.

The Bonus: Don't Forget About AFAR - The Advanced Facility for Avian Research-

For the Birds.

George Bowering's Library

 IS NOW IN THE UBC LIBRARY

The source for the photo above is: "A Reading Room Fit for a Literary Giant: Poet Bowering's Personality Showcased Along With Thousands of His Books," John Mackie, Vancouver Province, June 28, 2026. Here is some text from it:

   "Canada's first Parliamentary Poet Laureate, has written so many books of poetry and prose that it's hard to count, and has given readings and lectures all over the world.

   His latest honour is close to home: His personal library has been set up as a reading room at the University of B.C.'s Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

    It isn't a replica of his home study, like you might find in a museum. But an estimated 5,000 volumes from Bowering's vast collection now line the shelves of the reading room, with more to come....
    It's not just books, though. Bowering's personality comes through in the improbable memorabilia that is displayed alongside the volumes, such as baseball bobbleheads, a puppy penholder and Hello Kitty collectibles....

Alas, George isn't young anymore - he's 90. His health hasn't been great, and he now uses a wheelchair. His sight is limited, to the point where he can no longer read or write.

   That said, he's just released two books. Pearl (Talonbooks) is billed as his final book of poetry, and Barefoot Gringo (UBC Press) is a Boweringesque take on his travels to Mexico.

   He still has enough energy to power a small city. Maybe Penticton, where he was born on Dec. 1, 1935, or Oliver, where he grew up.

   Bowering remains as engaging as ever, laughing and telling a dizzying number of stories and anecdotes during a visit to the space, which is officially known as the George Bowering Modernists and Post-modernists Collection."

   If you curious about UBC acquiring such a collection see: "UBC Library Achieves Funding Goal for the George Bowering Reading Room," Library Communications, March 3, 2025. Remember also that in MM there was a recent post about the University of Miami acquiring Jackie Gleason's library and that Philip Roth's library can be found in the Newark Public Library!

   If you noticed the word "Poet" in the headline and are not interested, remember that Bowering wrote many books, including some about baseball. It takes a while to scroll through the list of works written by Bowering in his Wikipedia entry.
   If you associate Bowering with B.C., don't forget that he studied at UWO and was a writer in residence there. Among his books, you will find this one: The Moustache: Memories of Greg Curnoe. 
   There are over 100 works by Bowering in the Western Libraries and the LPL has around 20, including this one: 

If you are now interested, here is a good place to begin for more about Bowering: Georgebowering.com.

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 32)

 RICHARD BERRY HARRISON (1864-1935)

   The image here is from the Atlanta Daily World, Nov. 3, 1933. The caption has been enlarged for clarity. It is about Richard Harrison who was starring in the play, Green Pastures. Harrison, the son of slaves, was born in London, Canada West. He died two years after this performance.   

The photograph below is from the plaque found in Richard B. Harrison Park which is located near the newly renovated Clark's Bridge on Wellington Road between South Street and Watson Street. There is a good Wikipedia entry for Richard Berry Harrison.  This brief bio is from On This Spot:

   "Richard B. Harrison (1864-1935) was a London-born actor, whose parents, both former slaves, escaped to Canada in the 1850s. The family remained in London until 1880 when they moved to Detroit, where Harrison trained as an elocutionist. His stage work, which took him all over Canada and the United States, was comprised of dramatic monologues, as well as readings of poetry and literature.

   The role that would make him famous was that of "De Lawd” in a play called the Green Pastures. Seen today as somewhat patronizing and fostering African-American stereotypes, the play at the time was well received. It won the Pulitzer Prize for author Marc Connolly in 1931 the same year that Harrison received the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal, presented annually for outstanding achievement by a Black American. Harrison toured with a production of the Green Pastures to over 200 cities including London, his hometown.

   In 2019, London playwright and actor Jeff Culbert, created a one-man theatre piece entitled "Elocution: The Life of Richard Berry Harrison” starring legendary Canadian actor Walter Borden. It can be heard at www.jeffculbert.ca."

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 31)

 Dundas Street Fire - 1911

A picture of the blaze is found on the website of the London Fire Department. See also the Vintage London Facebook page, from which this was copied:

 "In the early morning hours of November 3rd, 1911 the most destructive fire in London in 25 years occurred on Dundas St, between Richmond St & Talbot St, on the north side. The fire broke out at 3:57 a.m & by 6 a.m five businesses (J.H Chapman & Co, T.F Kingsmill & Co, W.L Mara & Co, Brewster's Fancy Goods Store and Roome, Corbett & Co) were completely destroyed. Two other businesses (Purdom's Hardware & R.J. Young & Co) were heavily damaged in the inferno. Other nearby businesses were also damaged due to flying embers. The suspected source of the fire was in the rear of Chapman's Dry Goods Store. Due to strong northwest winds  the fire spread easily from west to east along Dundas St. The fire walls on the west side of Purdom's Hardware & the east wall of Roome, Corbett & Co prevented the inferno from spreading further."

   In MM, I happened to capture an inside view of Kingsmill's and an outside one of Dundas Street from Google, before the former disappeared and the latter became worse. If you click on the images in this post, you can view them: "Detour"- they are found under "Diversions." 
Source:  This snippet is taken from the Waxahachie Daily Light, Nov.3, 1911.
Waxahachie is near Dallas.
A small bonus:
 It is, by the way, the "Crape Myrtle Capital of Texas" - or Crepe, if you prefer.

Mendel's Many Books

    Readers of MM will know that I have often posted about libraries created by individuals. Here is a recent description of a book collection that was not appreciated by those who managed the building in which it was held.

   Mendel Uminer moved into a small studio apartment in Manhattan just over a year ago. He is a young Jewish scholar, so he brought with him around 10,000 books which came to occupy much of the 600 square feet. This description of his abode and lifestyle will appeal to any bibliophile:

  "Towering stacks of Judaica lined the walls, heaps of film criticism and opera history filled the prewar bathroom, piles of plays and poems blocked a window, and Uminer slept on a floor mattress engulfed in dog-eared novels. Waking up around noon, he spent his afternoons on his sunlit chaise, devouring the works of Yiddish writers like Chaim Grade and critics like Edmund Wilson, nourishing his mind while the city churned outside."

   Of course, such an existence could not last. He was evicted, not because of his Jewishness, but his bookishness. The notice reads, " “You are violating a substantial obligation of your tenancy,” it began. “You are maintaining the Premises in a severely overcluttered condition; permitting the over-accumulation of books in the Premises; creating a fire hazard by over-accumulating combustible books in the Premises.”
  His bookseller friend argued, “Of all the vices, I find books to be the least dangerous,” Mizrahi said. “I think it’s possible his landlord might have their priorities misplaced, or might not understand him. If you’re not steeped in his culture, maybe his library does look chaotic. But I’d argue it only looks like a mess. I’ll bet he can tell you where every single book is in his apartment.”
  The landlord was not moved by such an argument and Mendel recently moved out on a rainy day. One observer noted, “I heard he’s found a bigger apartment, so that means, more books."

Source: "Too Many Books?: Mendel Uminer Faced a Crisis When His Landlord Objected to the 10,000 Volumes in His New York Studio Apartment," Alex Vadukul, New York Times, July 9, 2026.

John Kenneth Galbraith

   I realized a while back that John Kenneth Galbraith died twenty years ago and that his name is not mentioned as much as it should be. So, on a fine summer day a few weeks ago, my wife and I drove the short distance from London to the Iona Station area where he was born over 100 years ago. For now, I will just focus on that trip and his local connection. When the weather is not so fine, I plan to write more about what he wrote.

The Trip to Dutton
   The library in Dutton is named after Galbraith and is located not too far from his homestead. The librarian on duty was helpful and offered me directions to it and the library has a good collection of his books.

  In 1993, Galbraith returned to the area to help raise funds for the construction of the library. Although he was Scottish, he donated his lecture fee to the cause. Apparently he once asked about the local reaction to his book, The Scotch, and learned that there were two of them: 1) those mentioned in the book and didn't like it, and 2) those not mentioned who didn't like it. Port Glasgow, by the way, is close by.

The photo above is found in Western News, April 15, 1993

  The map indicates where the field is located, in front of which are two plaques and an appropriately tall inukshuk.

  It is likely that the site honouring Galbraith is passed by without notice and it is on a dirt road not heavily travelled. Back in 2014, there is a letter found in the London Free Press, indicating that more should be done to improve the site. See, "GALBRAITH SITE OVERLOOKED" - Southwest of London, the municipality of Dutton-Dunwich, and specifically Iona Station, are known as the birthplace of world renowned economist (and Order of Canada recipient) John Kenneth Galbraith. The Galbraith farm is marked by two bronze plaques and a stone inukshuk honouring the Canadian roots of one of the world's most influential economists and advisor to several U.S. Presidents. Apparently people visit the site from many places about the world." C. Lloyd Brown-John, Aug. 30, 2014.

  There are good reasons for honouring Galbraith and I hope to post about them when the weather is worse.

Sources:
   This link to The Dutton Advance from April 14,1993 provides three pieces about the Dutton Library and Galbraith's visit in 1993.

   Galbraith has visited the area on other occasions. In 1978, for example as this photo indicates. "And in London, Ontario, the largest gathering of academics in the world comes to Western to unravel the issues of the day and share their scholarly insight. The year was 1978, the last time Western played host to the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Western was celebrating its 100th birthday at the time..."Looking Back at Congress, 1978," Dahlia Reich, Western News, May 26, 2005.
   On March 26, 2022, the London Free Press reprinted a piece originally done in 2003: "In a Wide-ranging Interview, John Kenneth Galbraith Spoke About His Hometown, About Canada, the War in Iraq and the Fate of Liberal Economics in the United States," Randy Richmond, LFP, Oct. 11, 2003: CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – As he approached his 95th birthday, Dutton-born John Kenneth Galbraith – world-renowned economist, former adviser to four presidents and U.S. ambassador to India – met with Randy Richmond of The London Free Press at his home in Massachusetts. Galbraith, who would die at age 98, opened up in a wide-ranging Q-and-A that was first published in our print editions on Saturday Oct. 11, 2003."

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 30)

 A Heat Wave 100 Years Ago - 1926

Tragedy in Peterboro

Source: 

  Both reports are found on the front page of the Daily Kennebec Journal on July 22, 1926. It was published in Maine which explains the spelling of Peterborough.
   The Balsam Lake incident is described more recently by the CBC.
"Monument to 11 Who Died in Balsam Lake Canoe Disaster Restored: In 1926, Balsam Lake Was the Scene of One of the Worst Pleasure Craft Disasters in Ontario History," Michael Smee, CBC News, May 21, 2024.

   "Most of the victims were Toronto boys. Their funerals and subsequent burial beneath a massive, roughly four-metre-high cross at St. James Cemetery, near Bloor and Parliament streets, made headlines around the world, in July of 1926.

   As a poignant addition, a small stone perimeter around the graves was etched with the names of all 11 victims.

   But as the decades passed, so did the city's memories of  the tragedy.

   The engraved stone rim became overgrown with weeds. Vandals toppled the once imposing granite cross years ago; it was left as it fell.
  But now, thanks to Balsam Lake resident Doug Paterson, Toronto's St.James Cemetery has refurbished the site, landscaping the graves and replacing the stone cross. It'll all be officially unveiled at a special rededication ceremony, to be held June 20." [2024].