Rosenfeld, Cherry, Peterson: more bright lights for Penguin to profile
With the final release in the spring of Penguin Canada's Extraordinary Canadians series, some attention can now be turned to what series editor John Ralston Saul might do for an encore. He has said he's looking for suggestions for these 200-page gems on important Canucks, so for Canada Day, some food for thought for Extraordinary Canadians, Vol. 2:
Arthur Currie: Despite the huge role played by the wars in Canada's history, no military figure was profiled in the first series. That should be corrected with a biography of General Sir Arthur Currie, who commanded the Canadian Corps during the First World War. Historian J.L. Granatstein calls Currie "the best soldier Canada ever produced."
Sir John A. Macdonald: Likely a calculated omission the first time around, Sir John A. deserves the orange-spine treatment from Penguin. When he died in 1891, Wilfrid Laurier eulogized in the House of Commons that "the place of Sir John Macdonald in this country was so large, and so absorbing, that it is almost impossible to conceive that the political life of this country, the fate of this country, can continue without him."
Oscar Peterson: There is no shortage of the extraordinary when it comes to legendary musician Oscar Peterson. When former U.S. president Bill Clinton addressed the House of Commons in 1995, he made a point of thanking Canadians for Mr. Peterson, saying that he was "a man I consider to be greatest jazz pianist in our times."
Mr. Peterson has recorded more than 200 albums and won eight Grammy awards, including for lifetime achievement in 1997. He also overcame the pernicious obstacles of prejudice on his way to the top.
Lionel Conacher: The Big Train, now long-since forgotten, was Canada's male athlete of the half century in 1950. He was and remains Canada's best all-round athlete. He led the Toronto Argonauts to the Grey Cup in 1921 and won the Stanley Cup in 1934 and 1935 with the Chicago Black Hawks and Montreal Maroons. He also excelled at lacrosse and boxing.
If the element of tragedy is needed, look no further than the fact Mr. Conacher, who went on to be an MP, suffered a heart attack and died at age 52 after playing in the annual MP-press gallery softball match in 1954.
Bobbie Rosenfeld: Bobby (Fannie) Rosenfeld can be looked at in a similar light to Mr. Conacher. She was a formidable all-round athlete from the 1920s and was named Canada's woman athlete of the half-century. In 1928, she won gold in the 4 x 100m relay and silver in the 100m at the Amsterdam Olympics, the first in which women could compete in track and field.
Northern Dancer: Who says a horse can't be an extraordinary Canadian? The Dancer, who was born 50 years ago at E.P. Taylor's Windfields Farm in Oshawa, won the Kentucky Derby in 1964, defeating favoured Hill Rise. Later that year, he won the Queen's Plate. His equine excellence lives on today, though, as his bloodlines run through stakes winners across North America and Europe like few studs in history, including Inglorious, this year's Plate winner.
Donald S. Cherry: Love him or hate him, Don Cherry stands out as a Canadian. He channels and stirs our passions; he embarrasses us, and we find him irresistible, occasionally like looking at a roadside accident. No extraordinary Canadian is without character flaws (John A., hello?) so Mr. Cherry would fit right in. The dust jacket alone would be priceless.
And one of the charms of the Extraordinary Canadians series was the pairing of the subject and its author. Perhaps that's where your Canada Day discussion can begin. How about Margaret Atwood writing on Don Cherry?
J.D.M. Stewart teaches history at the Bishop Strachan School in Toronto.