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Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006
Reader tributes to Peter Gzowski
Part 2
I remember when I worked in my parents' little Christian Book store in Vanderhoof in the early 80's. My good friend, Norma was teaching English in Japan and we were both fans of CBC. My mornings were usually pretty slow, so I'd pop in a tape and record Morningside for Norma. I always enjoyed those mornings and Norma told me she loved those tapes. They made her feel connected to home.
Fern Wiens
During the 1980s, my work required me to drive around a great deal. Peter Gzowski and his Morningside show made the hours fly by quickly. One of the remarkable things he taught (by example rather than precept) is that you can be probing, incisive, demanding of the truth, even intolerant of fools-yet all within respectful limits. That truly is an art and a legacy for which he will be fondly remembered.
John Kleefeld
Vancouver, BC
I am sad to hear that Peter Gzowski has died so prematurely. I was a 'city girl' but found myself living in small towns such as Pugwash, Nova Scotia and then Barrhead, Alberta while I was a young mum in the seventies. Listening to Peter on the radio was my only link to 'civilization' and to humour and ordinary life and I thought of him as my best friend. I'm sure that's the feeling that he gave to a great many people like me. Bless him.
Joan Montgomerie
I will also remember Gzowski! He made me laugh, he made me cry and he made me so darn proud of this country! He made it come alive and gave it substance. I admired his intellect, his deceptively easy-going manner and I was very envious of how he made it all look so easy. The opening bars of Morningside's theme song would make me smile knowing that I was welcoming Peter and his friends into my living room, car or wherever I happened to be at the time. I am angry that I won't have the benefit of any new observations of his on current events or life's follies. I am grateful for the ones I benefited from. So long Peter and many thanks for your contribution to this enigmatic country of ours and to my well-being!
Kathy Dempster
Oakville, Ontario
I hope I'm not too late to submit my memory of that great man. I was diagnosed with MS as a teenager and my sister, Karen, was diagnosed with the same disease when she was 40. She was an avid listener of This Country In The Morning and Morningside. She corresponded regularly with Peter and he nicknamed her Karen Cane (obvious pun since we use canes). Karen adored that name. Sadly, in January of 1996 Karen died of cancer. Later that year I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Out of that experience came a book co-authored with a close friend. On the book tour we were on Pamela Wallin's show. The topic was friendship and the real Karen Kain was on with Veronica Tennant. I had the chance to tell Ms. Kain about Peter's nickname and how proud our Karen carried that moniker. I will always remember him with gratitude for lightening Karen's load with his humour. Thank you for listening...best regards,
Diane Sims,
Stratford, Ont.
I first remember encountering Peter Gzowski when I was a teenager at home during the summer and could listen to the CBC morning programs. I heard many opinions expressed on his radio show, from Gzowski and his guests, that I sometimes agreed with or more often disagreed with, often strongly. I frequently found my own ideas and thoughts being challenged, changed, re-directed and even occasionally re-affirmed by this process, much to my chagrin. It was also my real start to understanding the Canadian cultural scene. For a curious teenager it was undoubtably the best education around and it was all free too. A little disappointing then when I got to university and had to pay tuition for ideas I had already learned from Peter Gzowski.
Jerry Kitich
Hamilton, Ontario
As a new Canadian, the CBC has been my lifeline to this country for almost 50 years. The radio has been a tool for me for learning a new language, and tool for integration into a new society. It started with Kate Aitken in the farm program; I remember the joy and excitement when I could follow the conversation completely. Then followed icons of radio such as Don Herron and Barabara Frumm, and others. Now that the last icon, Peter Gzowski has gone, it is very empty indeed. What did he mean to me? Apart from the mighty and common folk, he brought to my attention, the lives of the disadvantaged, the handicapped, and the abused. The stories of Donna Williams, an autistic woman from Australia, Dennis Kay from Quadra Island, an ALS patient, and Elly, the abused young woman, are etched in my consciousness. Peter Gzowski built a bridge of love for light to cross.
Andie C. Wicherts
Calgary
I'm une québécoise... When I moved to Nunavut in 1990, I had never heard of Peter Gzowski. In the small Inuit village where I was living I was cut from any broadcasting in French and any news from Montreal. The only radio I could listened to (except from short waves) was CBC North and Peter was on, every morning with Morning Side. I started to listen because I didn't have any choice and then I started to appreciate and turning on the radio to spend time with him. Plus, he knew about Nunavut...and while I was watching blizzard after blizzard through my window, I felt that he knew where I was...more then my fellow Quebecors who had no idea where and what Nunavut was. They never talked about it on their show and they never came up here to play golf. In 1999, I was in Iqaluit to cover the celebrations of the inauguration of the new territory for RCI (Radio Canada International). At the hotel where I was staying, Peter Gzowski was occupying the room beside mine and through the cheap and thin walls I could hear him cough too much. I was worried for him. In the dining room, I started to talk to him and we had some very friendly conversations. I was thrilled. He was actually listening to me (after all those years I had listened to him!) and we were exchanging honestly about our experiences in the North. Gee! That made me feel good! This morning, going through La Presse, I see only a very small article about Peter. Sad...I want to say thanks to him, for being there and trusting it made a difference in people's life.
Marie-Hélène Cousineau
Montréal
As a spouse of a Canadian Diplomat living abroad, currently in the United States, I have learned to love my country Canada more than ever before. This sentiment is shared by every member in my family, most of all my children. Peter Gzowski to me embodies everything I have come to know as a Canadian. I listened to his morning show while tending to my babies, driving them to school or just sitting back with a cup of coffee. He conveyed a love and understanding for his country and people on a daily basis broadening my daily routines and enriching my life. There was something about his voice that always soothed me, that soft-spoken sandpaper like timbre with a gentle modualtion. As an interviewer he brought out the best in his radio guests allowing those of us who were listening to feel a part of his experience. One of the things I miss the most living out of Canada is CBC Radio and it is because of Peter Gzowski that I have come to feel this way. For me, he was the heart and soul of Canadian broadcasting and I thank the powers that be for having been a part of his audience. My sympathies to his family and loved ones, I am sure they will miss him forever.
Geri Horsford Lloyd
When I was in grad school my days were a routine combination of thinking, writing, drinking coffee and it always began by listening to Morningside. Peter Gzowski's familiar voice and intellect was inspiring and soothing. He was able to connect us across the miles and cultures of our nation. When I started working, I booked off the morning in May that was to be his last Morningside broadcast. I've missed Peter since then and we are better for having had his life and spirit touch us. Good-bye Peter. We love you and will miss you.
Dave Wood
To all those who loved his voice: It is rare that a lump in my throat comes when I am watching television news. But last night when I saw a fragile picture of Peter doing one his last interviews, well, I have to say that it was heart wrenching. Even as I write this, feeling a bit sad still, I think of the man as perhaps one of the most influential communicators of all time. The medium was indisputably his greatest message. Most of us treasured the friendly qualities of his voice as we drove along the city or countryside, or worked in our offices. His friendliness and the interest and knowledge that characterized his questions and comments, every morning of the week bringing us a different sense of our world. I'll never forget my closest encounter with the man who brought us together. As an aboriginal person who works in the electronic media, radio has become, perhaps my information medium of choice. It is a place where there is no color balance to worry about. When we hear the voices of most radio guests of Morningside we don't know if they are White, Aboriginal, Asian or Indonesian. Most of us have the same Canadian accent, eh? So it was no surprise for me to learn that Peter became a regular guest on the now defunct CBC radio program "Dead Dog Café". He had no problem in playing the white guy. Two years ago I was filming a segment of the Dead Dog Café's very last episode when his familiar voice came through the telephone lines. The Dead Dog was a native comedy show written by Ontario author Thomas King. Technical problems had surfaced and caused delays. Ever the consumate professional, Peter stayed on the air as long as he needed to without any complaining or whining. In fact he was quite good humored about the delays. I had always been a fan of his but never had the nerve to introduce myself to him when I worked for the CBC Journal in Toronto. I'd always wished I had. But when I had my audio patched into the mixers bay, I heard him clear as day through my headphones and in some way felt the ubiquitous voice of Morningside was back. Its is difficult, most times, to feel Canadian when you watch CBC television. There are so few aboriginals, Newsworld's Carla Robinson a notable exception, that we see on television. Most reporters, anchors of Canadian television in general tend to be Caucasian. But the radio can not discern and discriminate so casually, so inadvertently, as its humungous electronic media cousin. If Radio journalism was an art, then Peter Gzowski was surely its 20th century master. Dalton Camp called it the renaissance of Radio. I never thought of it in those terms, but Peter made three hours go by like nobodies business. Today I join with other Canadians in sending the condolences of a stranger who never met "the voice" in person, who never had the privilege of shaking his hand, to the family that will treasure his memory the most.
Jeff Bear
Vancouver BC
Among many, two interviws stand out for me. Both concerned sexual abuse. One was with Ellly Danica, a survivor of incest and sexual abuse by her father who invited men, some of them prominent citizens of their Saskatchewan town, to his home, where the abuse took place in the basement. The other was with mothers of boys who had been sexually abused by priests or Christian Lay Brothers. During both interviews, I felt compelled to stop what I was doing, and was glued to the radio. His ability to listen, his timing of sensitively handled questions, his silences, compassion and empathy will remain with me. But how I'll miss that laugh.
Audrey Hunter
Grimsby ON
My social life resolved around Peter Gzowski. I couldn't go out until
Morningside was over. Oh--how I'll miss him. Now, he was a true Canadian.
Martha McLean
The passing of Peter Gzowski will indeed leave a hole in the fabric of Canada. He spoke of his love of this country eloquently. I always enjoyed sitting down with a cup of tea to listen for a while to his rich voice as it reached out to all of us across this large land. And that is in fact what he did.... united us with the stories of our land. He will be greatly missed.
Sandie Reichert
I think I am more 'literate' because of Peter Gzowski. And for me that means being more able to listen and more willing to take the time to understand and appreciate views that may not mirror my own. Peter Gzowski encouraged me, by his example and with wit and humour, to be ever curious about our country and ourselves. And in encouraging that in me and others, he touched something across this beautiful land that holds our attention, that creates connection and that keeps the mysterious 'experiment' of Canada alive in all of us. Thank-you for that special gift, Peter Gzowski.
Ross Roxburgh
Toronto
Peter taught us about human potential, the art of listening, Canadian culture, and the power of curiosity tempered with love.
Alan Yarr
Halifax
He's part of my adult life - from my first job at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet when I was constantly late for work because I couldn't tear myself away from This Country in the Morning, to my epic, and ultimately futile struggle to get tickets to his farewell broadcast in Moose Jaw aided by half the CBC Calgary Eyeopener production staff. I will miss him terribly. He was my best friend, my kindred spirit, my favorite uncle, I'm not sure if he was responsible for creating my wide-ranging interests and insatiable curiosity, or simply reflected them, He inspired my interest in Canadian music, He consolidated a love for this country that had been instilled in me by my grandfather, He inspired in me- a city girl - a tremendous appreciation for all the Canadians who have chosen to stay on the land, or venture into the wilder parts of the country. He made me feel special, yet taught me the value of humility. He had an incredible talent for making you feel like you were important, even if he was just signing a book for you. He gave me five minutes of fame by putting one of my letters in his first book, and he signed a 50th birthday card for me (a surprise from my friends) ; these things are special, not just for what they are, but because thay will serve as living reminders of someone who made a difference to so many lives.
Hope Smith
Calgary, Alberta
Tonight I am going to a celebration for the poet Robert Burns and I hope in the future Canadians can think of Peter in the same way we Scots revere Burns. Peter was like Burns someone who loved his "fellow man" and had the same love of his country. I wrote to him over many years, visited him at CBC open houses, took him homemade shortbread, and I will miss him.
Frances Forbes
Mississauga, ON.
Peter Gzowski forever will be linked in my mind with my late mother and cold Calgary mornings in the 1980s. "Morningside" and his voice were fixtures in her life, and when I would come in from university classes for lunch the show would just be going off the air. Then she would talk about what "Peter" had had to say that morning. Like so many other Canadians, my mother considered Peter Gzowski a friend. Thanks.
Brad Faught
I am the Gzowski generation; his Morningside tenure spanned my pre-teen to young-adult years. To a teenager reared on the multi-sensory pastimes of Pac Man and pop music videos, Gzowski's inimitable presence on Morningside managed to instill in me a love for the radio interview, something so antiquated in its simplicity. He also represented a rare side of celebrity: in an age where the public life is dominated by hubris and overstatement, Gzowski was the greatest Canadian hero: a modest human being.
Mira Sucharov
Ottawa
In the mid-80s I had the privilege of working with Peter Gzowki. The first Morningside Papers was being published by McClelland & Stewart and I was his publicist for that book. As a book publicist, I was fully aware of the power of Gzowski and Morningside. Most authors dreamed of being interviewed by Peter for three reasons: first, he had always actually read the book, second, he was an skillful interviewer who always seemed to get the meat out of a book whatever the genre and third, the show made people talk about books and buy them. All book publicists worked very hard to get their authors on the show. Now I was going to cross the line and be his publicist. Suffice it to say, it was a bit intimidating. I had certainly met Peter before but was never responsible for him in the way a publicist must be, and if memory serves me, he was not a fan of the publicity tour! In our first meeting, he growled about having to tour but ultimately conceded that it was the best thing for the book. Maybe he just needed to air his views the way so many other aired theirs on his show. I don't have one great story to tell but I do know that I and this country are sadder for his death. A voice that joined much of the country together is now quiet, only a memory to so many of us but one that we can and will savour for a long time to come.
Judy Brunsek
Toronto, Ontario
As a child of parents who were both avid CBC listeners, never did a morning pass without eating my breakfast to the warm, ever familiar voice of Peter Gzowski. Though I did not always comprehend the content of the conversations I heard, I quite enjoyed listening to the dialogue emitted from our kitchen radio and the household discussions that were sure to follow. As an adult, hearing Peter's voice in the morning has always provided me with a sense of comfort and stability - kind of like going home. I will greatly miss that 'voice' and the man behind it.
Michelle Fortier
Toronto
When I hear Peter's voice it brings back memories of working at Harkness Laboratory on Lake Opeongo in Algonquin Park. Early in my working life one of my jobs was to do stomach analysis of Lake Trout from the park. Sitting in a wood cabin lab, searching through the stomach of these fish and trying to identify what they had eaten, all the time with Peter's voice playing in the background. Working in the North Peter and the CBC were life links that provided a sublime form of entertainment. Thanks Peter, every time I clean a fish I will think of you and the CBC. :)
Bruce Marsh
Toronto
We all love Peter. And I owe him, big time! He asked CBC to hire me from the Toronto Star, to be the story editor on his first radio show. NOT This Country In the Morning, 1971, but Radio Free Friday, which he did for a couple of years, 1969 to 1971. RFF ran from 6 pm until 1 am, live across the country with the intent of breaking new stories in every time zone. It was exciting, we were nervous, it was fun. 6 hours in a tiny studio with Peter. What a treat! The air was blue from his pack and a half of Buckinghams, we told jokes, talked seriously, and, if there were no new stories, played poker for pennies with Maggie Morris, the show's announcer. "Liars poker", which shocked my gambling lover father. When the program ended, particularly if Peter was unhappy with the way he'd done one of the interviews, he, producer Mark Starowicz, and I would go to an after hours booze can for a "lessons learned" post mortem. Then RFF went weekly, folded into As It Happens. I went to television, Peter went to...well, a unique and special place in Canadian history.
Maxine Cook
My family and I are profoundly saddened by the passing of Peter Gzowski. He was the epitome of the leader that Canadians across the country need and for whom we constantly seem to be in search. Not only was he a brilliant journalist, broadcaster, and writer, but he was also a genuinely and exceptionally special, gentle human being. As I felt with the passing of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, writer Mordecai Richler, and comedian Frank Shuster, we have lost a much-needed and beloved voice of our country and we will never be the same without him. He was one of the truly good people in Canada and in the rest of the world, and right now I am frightened and very sad at the thought of this country moving on without him. He could always remind each of us, great and small, of who we are. I feel as if I have lost a member of my family; with his kind, warm, intelligent, and sensitive approach in everything he wrote and said, he was for me a kind of father, brother, and friend. The sound of his voice fills me with wonderful memories of him that will last forever. My eyes fill with tears and my heartaches for this loss of all Canadians. Nevertheless, Mr. Gzowski's words and voice, and his spirit, friendship, and commitment to Canada will live on forever. We love him and will never forget him.
Helen Posluns Kerbel
Toronto
I worked for many years as a theatre seamstress, my head down at the sewing machine and long hours spent hand-stitching. When I was between jobs I'd be in my studio, drawings and painting for my own exhibitions. All during that time I listened to Gzowski. Every morning. Gzowski make the difference between being isolated from the world and being connected. His shows were the catalyst, the starting point for almost every conversation I had during the week with friends and family, if we talked of the world it was probably due to something that we'd heard on Gzowski. The magic of it though was that I felt informed. I lived a relatively small life between raising children and work but Peter Gzowski was my eyes and ears into the world, his show gathered up all the people and politics and writers and recipes and brought them to me to enjoy, learn from and listen to. He brought me tales of triumph and courage and people around the corner. I was always amazed by what people trusted Peter with, you could count on him to be kind and that was a quality I admired. When Peter left Morningside I stopped listening to the show. I understand that people in your life go on to other things, and so I didn't mind the change, but there will never be another Gzowski. Thank you Peter for those 15 years at Morningside and the many others when you were one of us, you made all the difference.
Alison Conway
Toronto
Peter Gzowski is one of the reasons why I am turning into my mother. Peter's voice filled my family's home since the beginning. My parents would listen to the nightly replay of Morningside as they drifted off to sleep, allowing my mother to mischievously declare that she was going to bed with Peter. I heard "The Cricket" for the first time during the summer re-broadcasts one year. I was in the backseat of an overloaded car, on an annual family camping trip and as Stuart revealed his pet cricket, our uncontrollable laughter nearly drove us off the road. You can't get any more Canadian than that. When Peter's days as Morningside host came to a close, I was worried that my mother would be overwhelmed with withdrawl. Little did I know that I too would miss him as much as I did, as much as I do. When I moved away from home, I found myself reading Canadian Living while in line at the grocery store, flipping through to lose myself in Peter's wise words every month. As a 20-year-old student, I couldn't bring myself to buy the whole magazine, it seemed too middle-aged. This morning, when I turned on CBC radio, Peter's familiar laugh rolled out of the speakers, filling my own apartment this time. It was comforting and relieving, like a love-worn teddy bear and a grandfatherly hug. Then I called my mother. She had been crying. Peter Gzowski plays a special role in the hearts and memories of my entire family. He made me identify with Canada and Canadians. He made me a lover of Canada and a lover of CBC radio. I am touched by how regular he was and so inspired by his extraordinariness.
Kate Glover
No more shall we hear his distinct voice, nor his singular and superb comments. The voices of Our Canada are leaving us one by one, and we have nothing except grumblers and those discontent to replace them.
Bryce Lee
Burlington, Ontario
Peter was for my first real connection with the rest of Canada. I had always worked as a full time nurse while at the same time, married and raising my family. I never had the opportunity to just listen to the radio except for news and weather reports especially in the car on the way to work. When I began working part time I relished my time off with Peter in the mornings while I did the housework and the kids were at school and the house was quiet. I kept a radio on in each room of the house so I wouldn't miss a word. He piqued my interest in so many things, even listening to topics I didn't particularly care about. I guess it was his voice, warm, funny, soft, engaging and his style, intimate but never intrusive, getting people to express themselves, making me able to know them better as Canadians, to know my country better and ultimately to know myself. I loved his laugh. I will miss him very much.
Heather Turner,
Welland, Ont.
You made me be proud to be Canadian. Oh how I wish I could have listened to you more. You have the quality that most great people have-the art of simplicity. I believe you loved the Oilers, but what better a team than Gzowski and CBC RADIO.
Brian Mahoney
Ottawa
I read the fine tributes to Peter Gzowski in Friday's Globe, and then turned back to the front page, and was suddenly overwhelmed. As a younger fan, now in my thirties, I did not listen to Morningside (I was too busy attending school). But I realized in that moment yesterday, that in many ways he showed us it was okay to be a proud Canadian, and to be proud of our heritage. He wrote one of this country's best sports books, "The Game of Our Lives". As a fellow hockey fan, I loved this book that was able to take a fan behind the scenes of a hockey team (the nascent Edmonton Oilers), and give a real flavour for something most of us will never experience. His recent writings in the Globe were also must reads. I particularly enjoyed one just a couple of weeks ago on English usage. I had wanted to write a letter in response, to let him know that there are those of us in younger generations who also care about "Canadian English", and include some
of my own personal grammatical bugbears, but had not found the time. So, for the sake of argument (better late than never), here are two, Mr. Gzowski: 1) Journalists using the word flaunt, when they really mean flout; 2) From yesterday's Steven Truscott story (pg. A8) The use of counsel (in this case town counsel), when what is really meant is (City) council. He wore his Canadian-ness on his sleeve, and we all loved him for it.
Helen Kaluzny
Waterloo, Ontario
I always got a jolt of pleasure upon hearing the theme for "Morningside". That meant that Gzowski's voice, like warm maple syrup would be next. I loved his low key, seemingly casual but most penetrating style - it brought out the best in everyone, including his listeners. He's gone too soon.
Joan Korpan
Sarnia, ON.
Trusted. Connected. Canadian. That CBC Newsworld motto sums up the role Peter Gzowski has played for most of my life. As a teenager, I remember my Mother going about her household chores listening to Gzowski on the radio. As a university student, the silver lining to being laid up with a cold or flu was the luxury of listening to an entire Morningside broadcast and soaking up the fascinating Canadians "Peter" (as I felt comfortable referring to him) brought to the country. I felt as if the politicians, artists and Canadians from every walk of life, were people I knew. More importantly, they made me feel connected to my vast country. When I accompanied my husband to Germany with the military from 1988-93, I relied on Gzowski to keep me in touch with home. In 1997, pregnant with my first child and intending to be a stay-at-home mom, I looked forward to listening (as had my Mom) to Morningside as a part of my daily routine. Alas, it was not to be. Morningside ended just as my role as mother began. Recently we started subscribing to the Globe and Mail and, once again, Peter Gzowski was a regular part of my life. How I valued his personal reflections on Canadian and world events. Now he is gone. I miss him. Who will speak for Canada now?
Doug and Jeannie Friesen
On cold winter mornings as a kid, I would wake to a jingling alarm...set way too early for school. After some hesitation I would creep into my parents room, slide between them under the covers and listen in half-sleep to morningside. Occasionally asking innocent questions about world affairs, mostly just praying for a snow day or even a hilarious gimmick on that silly show they did on fridays. Many years on, I am now a 20 year old student in Britain, I still think of Gzowski as the purveyor of good tidings and the godfather of Canadian modern media identity. I will miss him now just as much as when he stopped his radio carreer. just with a little more grief.
Gavin Nardocchio-Jones
When Peter Gzowski started This Country in the Morning, I was a young mother of three small boys, recently arrived in Vancouver with my husband who had been transferred there from Montreal. While it was exciting to be coming to a new part of the country, I missed my eastern roots. Peter kept me connected--to them, and to a consistently broad range of ideas, people, music and humour that also kept me on a constant learning curve. Morningside continued the tradition. I listened to Peter every morning without fail as I did all the young mother things. If I was in the inescapable conveyer-belt carpool, he rescued my mind from the littleboy noise; if I was doing laundry, his close questioning of interviewees insisted I crank the radio loudly over the machine sound; in the kitchen, cooking and baking to feed the inexhaustible appetites of our sons, he made me feel that my mind could be as active as my fingers. I am of the radio generation (now 62!) and thank Peter for all the years of helping my mind to imagine, to travel, to learn and to laugh. He was so very, very good at what he did--I feel lucky to have known him, even if it was only through his penetrating voice.
Debby Altow
Richmond, BC
Peter and I were born ten days apart in July of 1934, lived in Galt and attended Galt Collegiate at the same time. Although we played on the same junior football team we were not close friends but whenever we met over the years he always remembered me and always asked about Galt and about our old school. His pride in his roots in this community made it acceptable for us to say that we too came from Galt. Although he became a loved and respected national figure in any conversation which we had he remained, just Peter.
Charles Wilson
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