Graham Spry
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Graham Spry | |
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| Born | February 20, 1900 St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | November 24, 1983 (aged 83) |
Graham Spry,
.Life
He was born in
Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Upon his return to Canada, he became Secretary of the Canadian Clubs, and organized a nationwide broadcast to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Canadian Confederation. The accomplishment, achieved despite the lack of a national radio network, convinced Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to appoint the Aird Commission on Radio Broadcasting, a royal commission
which recommended the creation of a national broadcaster.
Following the defeat of King's government Spry and
R.B. Bennett to form the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, which later became the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
.
A socialist, Spry cofounded the
Tommy Church
.
During the
Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion that fought on the Republican
side.
In 1938, Spry married
London representing the province of Saskatchewan
from 1946 to 1968 in Britain, including responsibility for Europe and the Middle East.
Spry played a crucial role during the 1962
Canadian Broadcasting League over which he presided until 1973. In 1970, Spry reputedly turned down Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's offer of a Senate seat. That same year, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.[3][4]
Graham Spry died in Ottawa on November 24, 1983.
Building
A federal government building dedicated in the name of Graham Spry is located at 250 Lanark Avenue, Ottawa. Formerly the home of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Ottawa television studios, it now houses several directorates of Health Canada.
References
- ISBN 0-8020-5214-2
- ^ ISBN 0-8020-5487-0.
- ^ "Mr. Graham Spry". Ottawa: Governor General of Canada. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^
"Order of Canada, Government House, Ottawa" (PDF). Canada Gazette Part I. 104 (51). Ottawa: Governor General of Canada: 1. 19 December 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
Sources
- Babe, Robert. (2000) "Graham Spry" in Canadian Communications Thought: Ten Foundational Writers. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-7949-0.
- McChesney, Robert W. (1999) "Graham Spry and the Future of Canadian Broadcasting", Canadian Journal of Communication 24(1).
External links
- 1961 interview with Spry recounting the activities of the Canadian Radio League in establishing public broadcasting
- Graham Spry Fund for Public Broadcasting
- Graham Spry Theatre (CBC Broadcasting Museum)
- Graham Spry fonds (R4607) at Library and Archives Canada
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