ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
BOOK EIGHT

My mother, to whom I wrote almost every week throughout the 50s and 60s, kept all my letters and thus handed me the means to describe events in such detail. Ann Goddard, the greatest archivist Library and Archives Canada ever had, collected and preserved them, as well as other documents from earlier Almonds. Soon afterwards, she resigned, disheartened by the way in which our once great national repository was being destroyed.

At the CBC archives, now also disbanded by Government cuts, Russ McMillen of film and Brenda Carroll and Janet Muise of photos, provided much information. I hope readers noted that the entire complement of the CBC’s Drama Department, only about two dozen of us, turned out two and a half hours of drama a week. Now, with its vast bureaucracy, the CBC does not turn out any.

I am lucky to still have friends among the dancers: that priceless ballerina turned film-maker Veronica Tennant, the sleek and beautiful Myrna Aaron, a tremendous help in all aspects, attractive Colleen Kenny, another charter member of the National Ballet just recently deceased, and the incomparable Karen Kain, now its Director. Choreographer Grant Strate has also been a great help, as has Sally Brayley (now Bliss), Trustee of the Anthony Tudor Ballet Trust, and Adrienne Nevile at the National Ballet Archives. Dance Collections Danse, headed by Miriam Adams and Amy Bowring helped me, as did my step-daughter, Stephanie Leigh, once a National Ballet dancer herself. Writing this, I was again amazed at those exhausting one night stands all over America and Canada. I also deliberately included the lists of plays I saw in New York City to contrast the waste land that Broadway has become.

For the excerpts on Journey, I want to thank Rick Kline, now a major acting coach in Los Angeles. Prof. Paul Piehler, who lives now with Maj-Britt in the warmth of Florida, continues to propagate ideas with his Atlantis Educational Initiatives. I also thank Bert Tougas and Honor Griffiths for their writings in the appendix. Donald Johnston, a friend for fifty years, helped with the passage on the capital cost allowance. Odd that of all the children I chose in 7Up, only one has kept in touch — “Taxi Tony” Walker, loyal throughout the years. In 2011, British critics named it finest documentary of all time.

I want to thank the many readers who went over various drafts, especially Gloria Varley, herself a consummate writer, and John Morrell, both friends for sixty years. Had I written about the last decades of the century, I would have extolled another genius as brilliant as the great Rudi Dorn: Yurij Luhovy, who edited most of my films. He gave my novel the same attention as his prize-winning documentaries on the Ukraine. Rexx King, from my original Writers’ Group, proved helpful, too. Tom Farqhuarson, cameraman extraordinaire and his wife Sarah, and also Jim Jones, both of whom worked in CBC’s Design department, corrected early facts. Eleanor Fazan, O.B.E., whose book “Fiz” details her enormous career, checked my facts on Stanley Myers and Kenya, and my son Chris checked for misprints and inconsistencies. And I would be remiss without thanking Lynda and Harry Boyd for their hospitality in Toronto over all eight books.

The later drafts were read by Oren Safdie, a playwright of no small distinction, Anne Tait, a film producer and former script assistant, and finally, Shannon Wray, a professional editor and writer herself. Cousin Ted Wright continues to be a stalwart supporter and helped prepare the index. My good friend, himself a brilliant novelist, David Stansfield, did a final consummate editing, and also worked on the index.

I should acknowledge the contribution of McArthur & Co, my first publisher that shut its doors in 2013. Kim McArthur, though often without funds, managed to publish books one to four. Mark Rosin, my excellent advisor and literary executor, kept that relationship on track, and even my more recent dealings. But I doff my hat to my present wonderful team at Red Deer Press.