Difference between revisions of "Pierre Berton" - New World Encyclopedia

Revision as of 16:15, 20 February 2007

For other people with the same name, see Pierre Berton (disambiguation).

Pierre Francis Berton, CC, O.Ont, BA, D.Litt (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a noted Canadian author of non-fiction, especially Canadiana and Canadian history, and was a well-known television personality and journalist.

An accomplished storyteller, Berton was one of Canada's most prolific and popular authors. He wrote 50 books, including ones on popular culture, Canadian history, critiques of mainstream religion, anthologies, children's books and historical works for youth. He was credited with popularizing Canadian history.

Biography

He was born in Whitehorse, Yukon, and raised in the Yukon, where his parents had moved for the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. He worked in Klondike mining camps during his years as a history major at the University of British Columbia, where he also worked on the student paper "The Ubyssey." He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily, replacing editorial staff that had been called up during the Second World War.

Berton himself was conscripted into the Canadian Army under the National Resources Mobilization Act in 1942 and attended basic training in British Columbia, nominally as a reinforcement soldier intended for The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada. He elected to "go Active" (the euphemism for volunteering for overseas service) and his aptitude was such that he was appointed Lance Corporal and attended NCO school, and became a basic training instructor in the rank of corporal. Due to a background in university COTC and inspired by other citizen-soldiers who had been commissioned, he sought training as an officer.^[1]

Berton spent the next several years attending a variety of military courses, becoming, in his words, the most highly trained officer in the military. He was warned for overseas duty many times, and was granted embarkation leave many times, each time finding his overseas draft being cancelled. A coveted trainee slot with the Canadian Intelligence Corps saw Berton, now a Captain, trained to act as an Intelligence Officer (IO), and after a stint as an instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, he finally went overseas in March 1945. In the UK, he was told that he would have to requalify as an IO because the syllabus in the UK was different from that in the intelligence school in Canada. By the time Berton had requalified, the war in Europe had ended. He volunteered for the Canadian Army Pacific Force (CAPF), granted a final "embarkation leave", and found himself no closer to combat employment by the time the Japanese surrendered in September 1945.^[2]

He moved to Toronto in 1947, and at the age of 31 was named managing editor of Maclean's. In 1957 he became a key member of the CBC's public affairs flagship program, Close-Up, and a permanent panelist on the popular television show Front Page Challenge. He joined the Toronto Star as associate editor and columnist in 1958, leaving in 1962 to commence The Pierre Berton Show, which ran until 1973. Thereafter he appeared as host and writer on My Country, The Great Debate, Heritage Theatre, The Secret of My Success and The National Dream.

He served as the Chancellor of Yukon College and, along with numerous honorary degrees, received over 30 literary awards such as the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour, and the Gabrielle Léger National Heritage Award.

He is a member of Canada's Walk of Fame, having been inducted in 1998. In The Greatest Canadian project, he was voted #31 in the list of great Canadians.

In 2004, Berton published his 50th book, Prisoners of the North, after which he announced in an interview with CanWest News Service that he was retiring from writing.

On October 17, 2004 the CAD $12.6 million Pierre Berton Resource Library, named in his honour, was opened in Vaughan, Ontario. He had lived in nearby Kleinburg, Ontario, for about fifty years.

Berton raised eyebrows in October 2004 by discussing his forty years of recreational use of marijuana on two CBC Television programs, >play and Rick Mercer Report where he gave tips on how to roll a joint.^[3]

Berton died at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto, reportedly of heart failure, at the age of 84 on November 30, 2004.

His childhood home in Dawson City, now called Berton House, is a writers' retreat. Established writers apply for three-month long subsidized residencies there; while in residence, they give a public reading in each of Dawson City and Whitehorse. Many books have been created during the tenancy of writers in that house. The Berton House Retreat is sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, Random House Canada Limited, and Klondike Visitors Association; the administrator is Elsa Franklin.

Pierre Berton Award

2006 recipient, Ken McGoogan

Awards

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002
Order of Canada, Companion, 1986.
Canadian Booksellers Award, 1982.
Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for non-fiction, 1981
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1977
Nellie Award, best public affairs broadcaster in radio, 1978.
Governor General's Awards for: The Last Spike, 1972; Klondike, 1958; The Mysterious North, 1956.
Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, 1959.

Sources and Further Reading

Berton, Pierre, The Mysterious North: Encounters with the Canadian Frontier,1947-1954, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1956
Berton, Pierre, Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush, Toronto, Anchor Canada, 2001, 1972, ISBN 0385658443 - ISBN 9780385658447
Berton, Pierre, The Secret World of Og, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1961
Berton, Pierre, The comfortable pew; a critical look at Christianity and the religious establishment in the new age, Philadelphia, Lippincott, 1965, OCLC 711581
Berton, Pierre, The Cool, Crazy, Committed World of the Sixties, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1966, OCLC 1337747
Berton, Pierre, The Smug Minority, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1968
Berton, Pierre, The National Dream, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1974, ISBN 0771013329 - ISBN 9780771013324
Berton, Pierre, The Last Spike, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1971, ISBN 0771013272 - ISBN 9780771013270
Berton, Pierre, The Dionne Years: A Thirties Melodrama , Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1977
Berton, Pierre, The Invasion of Canada, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1980, ISBN 0316092169
Berton, Pierre, Flames Across the Border, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1981, ISBN 0316092177
Berton, Pierre, Why We Act Like Canadians, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1982, ISBN 0771013647 - ISBN 9780771013645
Berton, Pierre, The Klondike Quest, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1983
Berton, Pierre, Vimy, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1986, ISBN 0771013396
Berton, Pierre, The Arctic Grail, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1988, ISBN 0385658451
Berton, Pierre, The Great Depression, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1990, ISBN 0771012705
Berton, Pierre, My Times: Living With History 1917-1995, Toronto, Doubleday Canada, 1995, ISBN 0385255284
Berton, Pierre, Marching as to War, Toronto, Doubleday Canada, 2001, ISBN 0385257252
Berton, Pierre, The Battle of Lake Erie, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1994, ISBN 0771014244
Berton, Pierre, Attack on Montreal, Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1995, ISBN 0771014198
Berton, Pierre, Farewell to the Twentieth Century, Toronto, Doubleday Canada, 1996, ISBN 0385255772
Berton, Pierre, 1967: The Last Good Year, Toronto, Doubleday Canada, 1997, ISBN 0385256620

External links

Berton, Pierre, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Accessed February 14, 2007
November 30, 2004, Pierre Berton: icon and iconoclast, Canadian broadcasting corporation, Accessed February 14, 2007
Pierre Berton, Order of Canada, Accessed February 14, 2007
Stories relating to the Berton House Writers Retreat, The Berton House Story, Accessed February 14, 2007
Pierre Berton Award, Canada's National History Society, Accessed February 14, 2007
How to Roll a Joint You Tube, Accessed February 14, 2007

Footnotes

↑ Berton, Pierre. Starting Out (McLelland and Stewart, 1987).
↑ Ibid.
↑ National story, see also CBC National, andMercer Report.

Credits

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[1] Berton, Pierre. Starting Out (McLelland and Stewart, 1987).

[2] Ibid.

[3] National story, see also CBC National, andMercer Report.

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 == Biography ==
-He was born in [[Whitehorse, Yukon]], and raised in the [[Yukon]], where his parents had moved for the [[1898]] [[Klondike Gold Rush]].  He worked in [[Klondike, Yukon|Klondike]] mining camps during his years as a history major at the [[University of British Columbia]], where he also worked on the student paper "[[The Ubyssey]]." He spent his early newspaper career in [[Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver]], where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any [[Canada|Canadian]] daily, replacing editorial staff that had been called up during the [[Second World War]].
+He was born in [[Whitehorse, Yukon]], and raised in the [[Yukon]], where his parents had moved for the 1898 [[Klondike Gold Rush]].  He worked in [[Klondike, Yukon|Klondike]] mining camps during his years as a history major at the [[University of British Columbia]], where he also worked on the student paper "[[The Ubyssey]]." He spent his early newspaper career in [[Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver]], where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any [[Canada|Canadian]] daily, replacing editorial staff that had been called up during the [[Second World War]].
 Berton himself was conscripted into the [[Canadian Army]] under the [[National Resources Mobilization Act]] in 1942 and attended basic training in British Columbia, nominally as a reinforcement soldier intended for [[The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada]]. He elected to "go Active" (the euphemism for volunteering for overseas service) and his aptitude was such that he was appointed Lance Corporal and attended [[Non-commissioned officer|NCO]] school, and became a basic training instructor in the rank of [[corporal]].  Due to a background in university [[COTC]] and inspired by other citizen-soldiers who had been commissioned, he sought training as an officer.<ref>Berton, Pierre. ''Starting Out'' (McLelland and Stewart, 1987).</ref>
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 Berton spent the next several years attending a variety of military courses, becoming, in his words, the most highly trained officer in the military. He was warned for overseas duty many times, and was granted embarkation leave many times, each time finding his overseas draft being cancelled. A coveted trainee slot with the Canadian Intelligence Corps saw Berton, now a [[Captain]], trained to act as an Intelligence Officer (IO), and after a stint as an instructor at the [[Royal Military College of Canada|Royal Military College]] in [[Kingston, Ontario]], he finally went overseas in March 1945. In the UK, he was told that he would have to requalify as an IO because the syllabus in the UK was different from that in the intelligence school in Canada. By the time Berton had requalified, the war in Europe had ended. He volunteered for the Canadian Army Pacific Force (CAPF), granted a final "embarkation leave", and found himself no closer to combat employment by the time the Japanese surrendered in September 1945.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
-He moved to [[Toronto, Ontario|Toronto]] in [[1947]], and at the age of 31 was named managing editor of ''[[Maclean's]]''. In [[1957]] he became a key member of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'s public affairs flagship program, [[Close-Up (tv)|Close-Up]], and a permanent panelist on the popular television show ''[[Front Page Challenge]]''. He joined the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' as associate editor and columnist in [[1958]], leaving in [[1962]] to commence ''[[The Pierre Berton Show]]'', which ran until [[1973]]. Thereafter he appeared as host and writer on ''[[My Country]]'', ''[[The Great Debate]]'', ''[[Heritage Theatre]]'', ''The Secret of My Success'' and ''[[The National Dream]]''.
+He moved to [[Toronto, Ontario|Toronto]] in 1947, and at the age of 31 was named managing editor of ''[[Maclean's]]''. In 1957 he became a key member of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'s public affairs flagship program, [[Close-Up (tv)|Close-Up]], and a permanent panelist on the popular television show ''[[Front Page Challenge]]''. He joined the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' as associate editor and columnist in 1958, leaving in 1962 to commence ''[[The Pierre Berton Show]]'', which ran until 1973. Thereafter he appeared as host and writer on ''[[My Country]]'', ''[[The Great Debate]]'', ''[[Heritage Theatre]]'', ''The Secret of My Success'' and ''[[The National Dream]]''.
 He served as the Chancellor of [[Yukon College]] and, along with numerous honorary degrees, received over 30 literary awards such as the [[Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction]] (three times), the [[Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour]], and the [[Gabrielle Léger National Heritage Award]].
-He is a member of [[Canada's Walk of Fame]], having been inducted in [[1998]]. In [[The Greatest Canadian]] project, he was voted #31 in the list of great Canadians.
+He is a member of [[Canada's Walk of Fame]], having been inducted in 1998. In [[The Greatest Canadian]] project, he was voted #31 in the list of great Canadians.
-In [[2004]], Berton published his 50th book, ''Prisoners of the North'', after which he announced in an interview with [[CanWest News Service]] that he was retiring from writing.
+In 2004, Berton published his 50th book, ''Prisoners of the North'', after which he announced in an interview with [[CanWest News Service]] that he was retiring from writing.
-On [[October 17]], [[2004]] the [[Canadian dollar|CAD]] $12.6 million Pierre Berton Resource Library, named in his honour, was opened in [[Vaughan, Ontario]]. He had lived in nearby [[Kleinburg, Ontario]], for about fifty years.
+On October 17, 2004 the [[Canadian dollar|CAD]] $12.6 million Pierre Berton Resource Library, named in his honour, was opened in [[Vaughan, Ontario]]. He had lived in nearby [[Kleinburg, Ontario]], for about fifty years.
 Berton raised eyebrows in October 2004 by discussing his forty years of recreational use of [[marijuana]] on two [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC Television]] programs, ''[[Play (TV series)|>play]]'' and ''[[Rick Mercer Report]]'' where he gave tips on how to roll a joint.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2004/10/15/Arts/bertonsmokes041015.html National story], see also [http://www.cbc.ca/programguide/program/index.jsp?program=%3Eplay%3A+Goes+To+Pot CBC National], and[http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/backissues.php?season=2 Mercer Report].</ref>
-Berton died at [[Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Science Centre|Sunnybrook hospital]] in Toronto, reportedly of [[Congestive heart failure|heart failure]], at the age of 84 on [[November 30]], [[2004]].
+Berton died at [[Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Science Centre|Sunnybrook hospital]] in Toronto, reportedly of [[Congestive heart failure|heart failure]], at the age of 84 on November 30, 2004.
 His childhood home in [[Dawson City]], now called Berton House, is a writers' retreat. Established writers apply for three-month long subsidized residencies there; while in residence, they give a public reading in each of Dawson City and Whitehorse. Many books have been created during the tenancy of writers in that house. The Berton House Retreat is sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, Random House Canada Limited, and Klondike Visitors Association; the administrator is Elsa Franklin.