Robert “Bob” Lowe, 92, on Dec. 15. Lowe, who spent much of his working life as a sales manager with CKBW Bridgewater, NS, became one of the station’s owners in 1974 when Lester Rogers and John Hirtle sold their interest to four longtime employees, including Lowe, Jamie MacLeod (Station Manager), Bob MacLaren (Program Director), and Doug Hirtle (Chief Engineer). Lowe retired in 1989, owning 23% of the station, when it was sold to Acadia Broadcasting. In addition to his work with CKBW, Lowe and his wife Greta were behind the Victoria Acres housing development in Lunenburg County. He was also involved in the Bridgewater Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce, serving as its president for five years, and was appointed to the Bridgewater Development Commission, where he helped establish a relationship with major community employer Michelin Tires.
Monique Leyrac, 91, on Dec. 15. Born in Montreal, Leyrac trained in the dramatic arts which led to a job at CKAC Montreal in 1943. After a few years at the station, she began singing at the Au Faisan doré cabaret, performing songs by Edith Piaf, among others. She went on to record an album and star in Quebec film “The Lights Of My City” in 1950. After touring Europe and Lebanon, she did a stint in the Parisien theatre before returning to Quebec. She went on to a successful recording, television, and touring career, including a series of shows at Expo ‘67. Among the accolades she’s received are induction into the Order of Canada and National Order of Quebec, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and Quebecor’s Prix Hommage.
Don Tremaine, 91, on Dec. 15. Tremaine’s first exposure to radio was in high school where he gained experience as an announcer while attending Halifax’s Queen Elizabeth High School. After dropping out in Grade 11, he joined the RCMP Marine Division, before returning to broadcasting and CHNS Halifax as an announcer. He joined CBC Sydney in Cape Breton in 1951, transferring to Halifax a few years later where he would establish himself as CBC Nova Scotia’s first television newsreader at station launch in 1954. Tremaine is best known as the host of variety show Don Messer’s Jubilee, which aired across the network from 1959-69. He moved over to CBC Radio in 1971 where he hosted the local edition of Information Morning, up until 1987 when he retired from the public broadcaster. Tremaine was awarded the Order of Canada in 1996.
Wayne Stafford, 76, on Dec. 14. Stafford’s radio career started at CJGX in Yorkton, followed by CKRM Regina. By the mid- 1970s, he had moved to the West Coast and become General Sales Manager at CFUN Vancouver where he and retail sales manager Barry O’Donnell are remembered for setting the bar with year-after-year sales records. He went on to join CFMS/CKDA Victoria, where following the death of Capital Broadcasting President David Armstrong in 1985, he launched a failed bid to take control of the stations. Stafford closed out his broadcasting career as General Manager of the CHUM stations in Windsor, which he stepped away from in 1997.
Ann Elvidge, 68, on Dec. 8. Elvidge worked with CBC Radio Vancouver, starting in the mid-1970s as a production and programming assistant, working behind-the-scenes on shows like early 1980s supernatural/horror series Nightfall. Elvidge also lent her talents to the Radio Drama department, in addition to working in television.
Bill Terry, 84, on Dec. 3. Terry had a 35-year career with the CBC that included many years as a current affairs producer for radio in Vancouver, Ottawa and Winnipeg. He went on to become head of CBC Television in Manitoba, and then Radio Drama and Features in Toronto, before being appointed Deputy Head of English Radio Networks. In addition to his work with CBC, Terry was an avid author, gardener, community volunteer, and lecturer at Capilano University in their Continuing Education program. He authored four books: “Blue Heaven: Encounters with the Blue Poppy” (2009), “Beyond Beauty: Hunting the Wild Blue Poppy” (2012), “Beauty by Design: Inspired Gardening in the Pacific Northwest” (2013, written with his wife, Rosemary Bates), and “The Carefree Garden: Letting Nature Play her Part” (2015). In retirement, he supported a number of local organizations near his home of Sechelt, BC, including the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society, Sunshine Coast ElderCollege and the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.
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