McSKIMMING o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-05-05 published
ROBERTS,
William
Hardy
By Roy MacSKIMMING,
Page
A26
Husband, father, bookseller, poet, gentleman. Born September 8,
1931, in Aberdeen, Scotland. Died November 9, 2005, in Burritt's
Rapids, Ontario, of natural causes, aged 74.
Along with his deep knowledge and love of literature, Bill possessed
a kindly charm and keen sensibility. He could read his customers
a mile away. He'd emerge from the rear of the store, tall, elegant
and bearded, and gently introduce them to just the authors they
were looking for -- even when they hadn't yet realized it.
Bill raised Ottawa's literary standards. His clientele ran from
John Diefenbaker and Lester Pearson to Pierre Trudeau and Ed
Broadbent. When the Prime Minister's Office or the Department
of Foreign Affairs needed a gift for a visiting V.I.P., they
knew whom to call. And over the years, Bill mentored a new generation
of booksellers.
Bill was a complex, multifaceted man: a very private person yet
a loyal friend and boon companion; a businessman yet an accomplished
poet. Growing up in wartime in the English industrial city of
Leeds, he was an autodidact who immersed himself in books. His
friend Gordon
BULLOCK recalls Bill as a perfect gentleman, even
as a teenager: "Dressing in tweeds, smoking a magnificent pipe,
wearing a stylish hat, all of which gave him the air of a young
academic."
Bill moved to London, where he reported for the Fish Fryers Gazette
and frequented the theatre. A friend of his, a penniless young
actor named Peter O'Toole, slept on his floor while seeking parts
in the West End.
In search of better prospects, Bill emigrated to Canada in 1954
with Gordon
BULLOCK, who would become publisher of the Hamilton
Spectator. A few years later Bill was happily working at Leishman's.
As Mr. BULLOCK puts it, "He'd travelled 3,000 miles to find his
true home." Bill bought the business in 1961 in partnership with
Peggy BLACKSTOCK, raised its stature, and moved the store uptown
near Parliament Hill.
Farsighted and imaginative, Bill
ROBERTS became a force for innovation
and professionalism in the book trade. In 1972, he opened satellite
stores in Ottawa and Victoria under the name Books Canada, selling
exclusively Canadian titles. He was elected president of the
Canadian Booksellers Association, fostered bookseller education,
and promoted publisher-bookseller co-operation in bringing electronic
commerce to the industry.
Although he was serious about business, Bill's first love was
literature. Ottawa poet William
HAWKINS recalls Bill approaching
him after a reading to share his enthusiasms for Eliot and Auden.
The two became Friends, and Bill shared his own poetry with Mr.
HAWKINS,
who was struck by its craft, wit and poignancy.
Another colleague, bookseller-turned-publisher Al
CUMMINGS, became
a close friend. He and Bill travelled widely together in search
of history, art, good cigars and fine scotch. They marked the
millennium by flying from New York to London on the Concorde,
visiting galleries and theatres, and returning on the Queen Elizabeth II.
Bill immortalized their adventures in a satirically nostalgic
verse, Like-Minded Gents.
Bill enjoyed the tranquillity of life with his wife Carole and
daughters Stephanie and Victoria in the small village of Burritt's
Rapids near Ottawa. For some years after he sold Leishman's in
1992, he and Carole ran a lovely antiquarian bookshop in nearby
Merrickville, but Bill's failing health eventually caused them
to retire. One of his last and most moving poems begins: I hope
the better part / Of who we are / May be remembered.
Writer Roy
MacSKIMMING is a colleague and friend of Bill
ROBERTS.
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McSKIMMINGS o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-10-13 published
LAUFFMAN,
Joan
(SWEENEY)
Peacefully at London Health Sciences Centre -- Victoria Hospital
on Thursday October 12, 2006 Joan
(SWEENEY)
LAUFFMAN of London
in her 64 year. Beloved wife of Charles
LAUFFMAN of London. Dear
mother of Doug and his wife
Joanne
LAUFFMAN of Saint Thomas. Sherry
LAUFFMAN of Sarnia, Trace
LAUFFMAN of Calgary Alberta, and Dave
LAUFFMAN of London. Loved by 8 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Dear sister of Vince and his wife
Barb
SWEENEY,
Linda
SINFIELD,
Gail and her husband Rick
McSKIMMINGS,
Karen
SWEENEY, Jackie
and her husband Joe
SIMPSON,
Chris and Perry
SWEENEY all of London.
Dear daughter-in-law of Angela
SWEENEY of London. Predeceased
by her brother Ted
SWEENEY.
Friends will be received at the Logan
Funeral Home 371 Dundas St. (between Waterloo and Colbourne St.)
on Sunday 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Service will be held in the
Chapel on Monday October 16th at 1: 30 p.m. with Rev. Herb
SUMMERS
officiating. Interment Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. Friends who wish
may make memorial donations to the London Regional Cancer Centre.
Online condolences www.loganfh.ca A tree will be planted as a
living memorial to Joan
LAUFFMAN.
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McSKIMMINGS o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-12-06 published
McSKIMMINGS,
Jim
In loving memory of a dear husband and father (Jim), who passed
away 13 years ago, December 6, 1993.
A family has a special bond
It's love that forms the ties
And even in the darkest hour
That love will never die.
And when a loved one is taken
Although we had to part
We keep him in a special place
Deep within our hearts.
Your love and sense of humour are dearly missed
- Doris, Rick and Gail.
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