A Basket Full of Babies

On May 28, 1934, in a farmhouse in the village of Corbeil, Ontario, a French Canadian woman named Elzire gave birth to five children, delivered by Dr. Dafoe and two midwives, Madame LeGros and Madame LaBelle.  They soon became known as the Dionne Quintuplets, the first to survive infancy.  They would soon become wards of the King, the Premier claiming that the parents were incapable of caring for them since they already had five children at home.  The Quints' new home, across the street from the Dionne farmhouse, soon became the most popular tourist attraction in Ontario, even surpassing Niagara Falls.

The Dionne quintuplets were born two months premature and were not expected to survive.  Yvonne, Annette, Cecile, Emilie and Marie (Elzire suspected that she miscarried a sixth baby early in her pregnancy) were identical quints.  For the first 24 hours, the quints were fed water and corn syrup every two hours.  Then they were placed in a wicker basket with heated blankets, which was placed in the kitchen by the open oven door.  Every so often, they were taken out of the basket to be massaged with olive oil.  The second day, they were moved to a laundry basket and given a concoction called the "seven-twenty formula", a concoction of cow's milk, boiled water, 2 spoonfuls of corn syrup and 1 to 2 drops of rum as a stimulant. 

Public interest first started when the quints' father, Oliva, had his brother contact the local newspaper to ask how much a birth announcement would cost for five babies.  The Dionne's started receiving offers of help from all over North America; one hospital sent them two incubators.  Bit by bit, the babies started to grow stronger. 

However, Premier Mitchell Hepburn got in on the act and had the babies taken away as wards of the King, claiming that the Dionne's were incapable of raising them.  The original plan was to get the quints into their toddler years.  However, the wardship was later extended until they turned 18.  A 20-room mansion, the Dafoe Hospital and Nursery, funded by a Red Cross fundraiser, was built across the road from the Corbeil farmhouse.  The mansion contained 9 rooms and was staffed by 3 nurses and 3 policemen.  Each day, the girls followed a rigid routine which started with a dose of orange juice and cod liver oil followed by someone curling their hair, followed by tutoring and ending with a bath and dinner.  Sometimes the girls had engagements to honour like photo sessions.  Images of their cherub-like faces framed in dark curls were used to sell products like Karo Coprn Syrup and Quaker Oats.

The mansion, known as "Quintland", attracted 6,000 visitors per day.  Not only Canadians came to the observation gallery but also Americans, including famous personalities like Clark Gable, Bette Davis and Amerlia Earhart, the latter just six weeks before her doomed flight.  The girls even met the Queen of England at one point.  Oliva Dionne opened a souvenir shop there where he sold autographs, photographs of the quints, spoons, cups, dolls and even "fertility stones" from his farm.  Three million visitors passed through Quintland in the years 1934 to 1943.  Only Radio City, Mount Vernon and Gettysburg surpassed it in terms of tourists.  The Quints raised a revenue of 1 million dollars in 1934 alone and 40 million dollars in the 9 years they lived at Quintland. 







In 1943, the Dionne's regained custody of their girls and Oliva had a 20-room house built for his entire family which became known as "The Big House".  Sadly, though, the girls were already 9 1/2 years old by this point and much of their childhood had been lost.  It was hard to become part of a family that they had had so little contact with.  Apparently, their father begrudged them the trouble they had caused him over the years, but, at the same time, it was the money they had generated which had paid for their new home. 

Although all of the quints reached adulthood, Emilie died of an epileptic fit at age 20.  Marie died of a blood clot at age 35.  The remaining three sisters lived until middle age.  Yvonne died of cancer in 2001.  The other two are still alive and celebrate their 78th birthday today.  No one will ever forget the five cherub-faced girls who captured the hearts of 1930's era Canadians.

Note:  For more information, read Pierre Berton's book The Dionne Years:  A Thirties Melodrama (1977).

There's a Silver Moon on the Golden Gate

Photo of Golden Gate Bridge on opening day in 1937 courtesy http://i955.photobucket.com.

At last the mighty task is done;
Resplendent in the western sun
The Bridge looms mountain high;
Its titan piers grip ocean floor,
Its great steel arms link shore with shore,
Its towers pierce the sky.*

*An excerpt from "The Mighty Task is Done" by Joseph Strauss.

On May 27, 1927, the Golden Gate Bridge officially opened when President Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington D.C. on the other side of the continent.  A motorcade of cars rumbled across the bridge, filled with dignitaries like the mayor of the city of San Francisco.  All told, 200,000 people crossed the bridge that day on foot or on rollerskates.  "There's a Silver Moon on the Golden Gate" was played.  The next day, the bridge officially opened to car traffic with a toll of 50 cents per car and $1.00 for a round trip. 

Back in the 1800's, San Franciscans had to take a 27-minute ferry ride to cross the bay to the neighbouring cities of Berkley and Oakland.  City planners thought that a bridge might help the growth of the city.  Joseph Strauss, an engineer who designed a bridge to cross the Bering Strait for his university thesis, was hired to lead the construction of the bridge.  Financiers were lined up to cover the $35 million dollar expense.  However, the plan was delayed after the Stock Market crashed in 1929.  Within a year, funding was arranged through a series of bonds. 

Construction began on the bridge, named after the Golden Gate Strait, in January of 1933.  The structure, the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, would be 1.7 miles long, 90 feet wide and 746 feet high.  The steel required for the bridge would weigh 83,000 tons and the two main suspension cables would weigh 11,000 tons each.  The steel arrived with an orange paint on it to protect it from corrosion; it was agreed that the colour fit in with the surrounding red hills and so it stayed orange.  Strauss was a stickler for safety during its four-year construction, using a special net which saved many workers from falling; however, at one point the net gave way and ten workers fell to their deaths.  Even so, this was a "good" safety record compared to other bridge construction records.  When the bridge was finally completed in 1937, Joseph Strauss, a poet in his spare time, composed a poem called "The Mighty Task is Done".

The Golden Gate Bridge's legendary beauty has not only inspired poets, but also movie directors.  Alfred Hitchcock chose the bridge for a key scene in his film "Vertigo" starring Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart.  The bridge is the setting for "Dark Passage" starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.  The man of steel flies over the bridge of steel in "Superman" starring Christopher Reeve.  It is also featured in "Star Trek IV:  The Voyage Home" starring William Shatner. 

Today, daily traffic on the bridge totals 127,000 vehicles while yearly traffic totals 40 million.  The toll has been raised to $5.  The bridge remains San Francisco's most recognizable landmark. 

Photo of Golden Gate Bridge today courtesy http://media.lonelyplanet.com.



Shopping for a Suit

About a month ago, I started investigating prices on suits for my son Thomas for his Grade 8 graduation in June.  Someone kindly offered to lend us her son's suit, but unfortunately it was a little bit snug.  I checked out Value Village, but I couldn't find one in Thomas' size and colour.  Someone kindly gave us a coupon for Moore's so we went there next.  I figured we would be able to rent a suit for about $80 and the coupon was for $40 so I though we would get half off.  The young lady took Thomas's measurements and then had him pick out a vest and tie.  Finally, we met at the cash register and the lady presented me with the rental agreement to sign; however, I wanted to know the final price first.  The grand total was $160 -- for one evening's wear! 

Now, a few years ago I might have just signed on the dotted line, given how much time the lady spent serving us, eventhough the suit was a lot more than I was led to believe it would be.  However, the older I get, the more I realize the value of a dollar, and the more that I get irked when I feel like I'm being ripped off.  So, I kindly thanked the lady and kept the piece of paper with the measurements, saying we would think about it. 

My friend Mary Ann told me that we could own a suit for $100.  I said to myself "This I have to see to believe."  So today we headed to the Meadowlands in Ancaster to International Clothiers.  I had phoned in advance to get some prices.  How refreshing it was to find that what they had advertised was indeed true:  they had $300 suits for $75!  Thomas picked out a simple black suit and tried it on.  He chose a red shirt with a red striped tie.  The grand total was $96.  I was smiling from ear to ear, on a high from the feeling that I had just gotten a great deal.  Now Thomas will look smart for his graduation, as well as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter (and any other special occasion).  We should get a year out of it at least since the pants are a bit long and the waist can be let out.  It pays to shop around!

The Soccer Pitch

Tonight we returned to an old haunt, the soccer field.  It was nice to be back at D'Aubigny Field on the banks of the Grand River.  It was nice to view the mature poplar and oak trees that surround the field.  It was nice to hear the sounds of the soccer game:  the kicking of the ball, the blowing of the whistle, the cheering of the crowd, the prodding from the coaches, the applause of the spectators.  It was nice to see the high fives from the coaches, the smiles on the faces of the girls when they make a good play, and the looks of appreciation on the faces of the parents. 

I remember when Jacqueline first started playing and her little legs could barely run the length of the field.  Now, her long legs carry her down the field much faster.  I remember when I was happy that she just wanted to play while other children cried, refusing to step on the field.  Now everyone plays and they only cry if they get hurt.  I remember when some players just showed up to get the snack at halftime.  Now the highlight is the game, not the snack.  I remember when the girls couldn't remember which direction to kick the ball.  Now, some of them even pass the ball. 

Tonight, Jacqueline seemed to come alive.  She was brimming with confidence.  She worked hard and she did not hold back.  No more dainty kicking for her; she gave the ball powerful kicks.  And she even had a bit of a breakaway.  She really enjoyed herself out on the soccer pitch.  And her team won!

As the sun sunk behind the poplar trees at D'Aubigny Field, the girls lined up to shake hands and we folded up our lawn chairs.  It was a great start to the season.  It's good to be back! 

Photo courtesy http://image1.masterfile.com.

What They Were Doing at 30

1.  Sylvester Stallone was a deli counter attendant.  However, in between serving customers, he wrote the screenplay to a movie about an underdog boxer from Philadelphia (it took him only three days).  Within a short time, he had signed a movie contract for "Rocky".

Photo courtesy www.moviespad.com.

2.  Andrea Bocelli was a lawyer who moonlighted at a piano bar.  He did not become a singer until 1992.

An early photo of Andrea Bocelli.

3.  Martha Stewart's first career was in modelling.  Then she became a stockbroker.  Within a couple of years, she bought a rundown farmhouse and supervised its restoration.  Now she has a multi-million dollar empire.

Photo of a young Martha Stewart looking like Grace Kelly courtesy www.images.forbes.com.

4.  Mao Tse-Tsung was an elementary school principal.  Four years later, he joined the Chinese Communist Party, becoming its leader in 1935 and the leader of the nation from 1949 to 1959.

Photo of Mao Tse Tsung courtesy www.marxists.org.

5.  Julia child was a government spy, collecting secret documents in China and Ceylon.  Six years later she entered cooking school.  Twelve years after graduating, her famous cookbook was published.

PHoto of Julia Child at Cordon Bleu in France courtesy http://2.bp.blogspot.com.

6.  James Joyce had a beautiful tenor voice which he translated into a singing career.  Two years later he published "The Dubliners", a book of short stories.

Photo courtesy http://upload.wikimedia.org.

7.  Colonel Harland Sanders was, among other things, a steamboat pilot, an insurance salesman, a farmer and a railroad fireman.  He did not start frying chicken until he was 40.  He did not sell franchises to Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 65.

Photo of young Harland Sanders courtesy http://upload.wikimedia.org.

8.  Rodney Dangerfield was an aluminum siding salesman.  He had been a stand up comic at 19, but gave it up for a more stable career.  However, he returned to comedy at the age of 40.






9.  Harrison Ford was a carpenter.  In 1972 he had appeared in the movie "American Graffiti", but was paid very little.  Therefore, he made carpentry his fulltime job.  But four years later, George Lucas offered him the role of Han Solo in "Star Wars" and the rest is history.

Photo courtesy http://4.bp.blogspot.com.

10.  Jesus Christ was a carpenter at the age of 30.  However, he gave up woodworking to preach the Gospel.  Three years later, he died on the cross and became our Saviour.

Photo of "Jesus" from "Passion of the Christ" courtesy http://i.ytimg.com.

The Brown Bomber

During Joe Louis’ years in the ring there were only two professional sports that consumed the interests of Americans: baseball and boxing. Winning a World Series ring was the pinnacle of team competition. Winning a heavyweight championship belt was the greatest individual honor.*

Joe Louis, nicknamed the "Brown Bomber", fought 72 fights in his 12-year professional career:  he had 69 wins (of which 57 were knockouts) and only 3 losses.  He was declared number 1 in The Ring's 100 Greatest Punchers of All Time.  He won a total of almost 5 million in prize money and yet he died penniless; in fact, one of his archrivals paid for his funeral.

Joseph Louis Barrow was the grandchild of former slaves.  He was the seventh child of a cotton picker father named Munro Barrow and a housewife mother named Lilly.  The Barrow family lived in a ramshackle cabin off of Route 50 north of Lafayette, Alabama, struggling to make ends meet.  When Joe was only 4 years old, his father suffered a nervous breakdown and entered a mental institution.  Later, his mother was told that his father passed away and she remarried.  In 1924, the family suffered persecution at the hands of the KKK and migrated north to Detroit.

In the city's "Black Bottom" neighbourhood, named for the rich soil from the basin of the River Savoyard, Joe sold newspapers, shined shoes and worked as an assistant on an ice wagon to help make ends meet.  Later he would say that it was carrying those heavy blocks of ice that helped him develop his muscles for boxing.  His mother, fearing that he might get in trouble on the streets, paid for him to have daily violin lessons.  However, as Joe walked down Brewster Street every day, he noitced a youth recreation centre and eventually went inside.  He started training regularly, putting his boxing gloves in his violin case so his mom wouldn't suspect anything. 

Legend has it that when he signed up for his first fight, he was barely literate and wrote his name in such big letters that he ran out of room for Barrow and that's how he became Joe Louis.  Another theory says that his manager thought his full name was too long and shortened it.  Finally, some suggest that he didn't want his mom to know he was boxing and so he altered his name.  Whatever the case, Joe Louis clinched numerous amateur victories, winning The Golden Gloves in 1933.

He quickly developped an honest reputation, heeding the advice of his coach to never gloat, never engage in a fixed fight and live and fight clean.  As a pro in 1935, Louis fought Primo Carnera at Yankee Stadium in front of 62,000 spectators, winning the match.  The boxer continued to clinch victory after victory until he met up with the German fighter Max Schmeling.  Their June 1936 gruelling bout ended in a 12th round knockout by the German.  They had a rematch in June of 1938, listened to by 1,000,000 fans on the radio.  This time the American knocked out the German in the first two minutes of the match.  The two went on to become lifelong friends.

Joe Louis held the title of Heavyweight World Champion from 1937 until 1949 with only a four year hiatus where he joined the military during World War II.  Finally, he retired and became a celebrity greeter at Caesar's Palace.  After paying his trainers and managers and the IRS, he ended up penniless.  He passed away in 1981, his funeral costs covered by his former rival Max Schmeling. 

*Excerpt from Joe Louis:  Hard Times Man (Randy Roberts). 

Pomp & Circumstance

The six-year-old boy held his father's hand as they walked down their Toronto street to the Danforth on the sunny May day.  The little boy watched his father open up a wooden step ladder and he climbed up the steps to to see above the crowd that had formed.  He observed the crowd:  everyone was dressed in their finest clothes, the women wearing dresses and gloves, the men in suits and fedoras.  Some held pairs of binoculars while many waved Union Jacks.  Some held brownie box cameras while a few held big fancy cameras and notepads.  The boy asked his dad why they had fancy cameras and he said that they were reporters for the Toronto Star.  The boy watched the policemen walk up and down the Danforth, a two lane street which would normally have lots of traffic but was empty today. 

The boy's father, a high school math teacher who also loved history, explained to him that the car they were waiting for would carry the King and the Queen of England.  King George VI had just been crowned two years before.  He was married to Queen Elizabeth.  They had two little girls, the princesses, who had stayed in England.  Although it was peacetime, England and Germany were not getting along and just in case they started a war, the King wanted to make sure he had Canada's help.  That's why he was making this trip.

The boy asked how the King and Queen had gotten to Canada and his father explained that they had sailed on a big ship called the Empress of Australia which had taken them across the Atlantic Ocean and down the St. Lawrence.  They had landed at Quebec City and then taken the royal train, complete with the royal insignia on its engine, through Quebec and into Ontario.  They had stopped in Ottawa at the Parliament Buildings for a visit.  At the east end of Toronto, they had disembarked from the train where a royal car was waiting to transport them through the streets of the city. 

The boy thought that it was taking a long time for the parade to start.  When would the King and Queen reach his street?  Finally, he heard the drone of engines.  A large 1939 Buick appeared with several policemen on motorcycles as escorts.  The boy climbed higher on the step ladder to get a better view, squinting in the sunlight.  It was a black convertible with white-wall tires and running boards along the side travelling at between 5 and 10 kilometres an hour.  What a beauty! thought the young lad, a car buff like his grandfather.  With its roof down, the boy could see the car's occupants perfectly.  A chauffeur drove the royal couple with a man in a tophat in the passenger seat (maybe that's the Prime Minister, thought the boy).  In the back sat the King and Queen, the former dressed in a black suit and the latter in a white dress, giving her signature wave. 

Once the royal car passed by, the crowd started to disperse.  The boy's dad folded up the step ladder and they started to head back down Wolverleigh Boulevard.  The boy asked where the King and Queen were going next and his dad said that they would stay overnight at the Royal York Hotel and then get back on the royal train to head across the Prairies on a whistlestop tour.  Later the boy's grandfather, who had been watching the parade from Pape Avenue, showed him a photograph that he had snapped of the royal car.  The boy would never forget the Royal Visit of 1939.  What a parade!

Note:  This post is dedicated to my dad, Norman Ross Tufts, who was the boy watching the parade.


                          


Photo of royal car in parade in front of Toronto Star building on May 22, 1939, courtesy www.media.thestar.topscms.com.