October 7: Remembering Izzy Asper; fireman down; Durbin's first film.

October 7, 1954 - Winnipeg firefighter Kenneth Edward Ross, 28, collapses at the wheel of his fire truck while responding to a call at the Lanark Gardens Apartment. He died on scene.

A Winnipeg native, Ross had been a firefighter for just 18 months and left a wife and small child.


October 7, 2003 - Israel "Izzy" Asper dies at the age of 71.

Born in Minnedosa, Asper went on to become a respected tax lawyer, leader of the provincial Liberal party and an international media mogul. Later in life he turned his attention to philanthropy, donating tens of millions of dollars to projects around the province.

October 7, 1882 - Edmund Burke Wood dies in Winnipeg. As one of the first Chief Justices of Manitoba, he presided over many landmark rulings during the province's infancy and is considered by some to be the father of Manitoba's judicial system.

October 7, 1937 - Winnipeg-born Deanna Durbin's first feature film, 100 Men and A Girl, opens at the Capitol Theatre. Read my four part series about Deanna !

October 7, 1957 - LIFE Magazine publishes a photo spread on the fight to save the Wolseley Elm.

1 comment:

Purple Rod said...

Hard to believe it's been over 10 years that Izzy passed away. One of the great Manitobans. that's a given.