Peter John Gzowski (July 13, 1934 – January 24, 2002), known colloquially as "Mr. Canada", or "Captain Canada",Mary Gazze

Canadian Press via The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...

'', August 23, 2010. Retrieved 2016-06-27. was a Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter, most famous for his work on the CBC radio shows ''

This Country in the Morning ''This Country in the Morning'' was a nationally broadcast Canadian radio program, which aired on CBC Radio from 1971 to June 27, 1975. Peter Gzowski was the host from 1971 to 1974. After the show During the summer of 1975, the show was replaced ...

'' and '' Morningside''. His first biographer argued that Gzowski's contribution to Canadian media must be considered in the context of efforts by a generation of

Canadian nationalists Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...

to understand and express Canada's cultural identity. Gzowski wrote books, hosted television shows, and worked at a number of newspapers and at ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian pers ...

'' magazine. Gzowski was known for a friendly, warm, interviewing style.

Life and career

Gzowski was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Margaret McGregor (née Young) and Harold Edward Gzowski. His paternal great-great-grandfather was Sir Casimir Gzowski, of Polish nobility, who became a prominent engineer in Canada, noted in particular for his work on the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rail ...

and the

Welland Canal The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. It forms a key section of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. Traversing the Niagara Peninsula from Port Weller in St. Catharines ...

. Sir Casimir Gzowski was an aide de camp of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

- who knighted him - and briefly acted as the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, when his predecessor died in office. The marriage of Gzowski's parents ended shortly after Gzowski was born, with Harold Gzowski leaving the marriage for a Depression-era vagabond life. Gzowski and his mother were supported by Harold Gzowski's family, following Harold Gzowski's departure. Gzowski's mother then married Reg Brown, a sales manager of a local textile mill, and the family relocated to Galt, Ontario, in 1939, when Gzowski was five.Peter Gzowski, "Out of breath". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', September 8, 2001, pp. F1, F4-F5. Gzowski encountered difficulties succeeding in high school in Galt. During the Christmas break in his Grade 11 year, Gzowski reconnected with his father in Toronto, living with him for a short period, before his father encouraged him to attend

Ridley College Ridley College (also known as RC, Ridley) is a private school, private boarding school, boarding and day university-preparatory school located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, 20 miles (32 km) from Niagara Falls. The school confers the On ...

boarding school, in

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontari ...

, Ontario, which Gzowski's father had also attended. Gzowski's mother died the summer following the commencement of Gzowski's studies at Ridley College. Gzowski's mother was 40; Gzowski was 16. Gzowski attended the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

but never graduated; he was later awarded 11 honorary degrees. Midway through university, he took time off to work for the '' Timmins Daily Press''. During his last year, 1956–57, at the U of T, he edited the student newspaper '' The Varsity''. In the spring of 1957, he became city editor of the ''

Moose Jaw Times-Herald The ''Moose Jaw Times-Herald'' was a daily newspaper serving the city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, and the surrounding area. It was printed Tuesdays through Saturdays (Monday editions ended in 2016). J.N. McDonald founded the ''Times'' as ...

''. After a few months in Moose Jaw, he was hired by the Chatham Daily News. In September 1958, he joined the staff of ''

'' magazine. When he was 28 he became the youngest-ever managing editor of ''Maclean's''. In the 1960s he moved to the ''

'' and became the last editor of ''

The Star Weekly The ''Star Weekly'' magazine was a Canadian periodical published from 1910 until 1973. The publication was read widely in rural Canada where delivery of daily newspapers was infrequent. History Formation The newspaper was founded as the ''Toronto ...

'' magazine until it was sold in 1968. His first regular radio show was Radio Free Friday, 1969–1970. In 1971 he became host of radio the CBC's ''

''. From 1976 to 1978 he hosted the television show ''

90 Minutes Live ''90 Minutes Live'' was a Canadian television late-night talk show, which aired on CBC Television from April 19, 1976, to May 12, 1978. The program aired weekday evenings at 11:30 p.m. Hosted by Peter Gzowski, the program was patterned afte ...

'' on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

. In 1982 he returned to his former morning radio program, which had by now been renamed '' Morningside'', where he remained until 1997. He also narrated a few

Heritage Minutes ''The Heritage Minutes'' is a series of sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in Canadian history. The ''Minutes'' integrate Canadian history, folklore and myths into dramatic storylines. Like the Canada Vignettes of ...

. He returned to Moose Jaw, to host his last episode of Morningside from the

Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort The Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa (formerly Temple Gardens Mineral Spa) is a hotel located in downtown Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. The resort features 181 rooms, a spa, banquet facilities, a rooftop indoor/outdoor mineral pool, and is connect ...

. In 1986, Gzowski held the first fundraising golf tournament for literacy, a cause that was very important to him. That tournament has evolved and is now held in every province and territory of Canada and has raised more than $13-million for volunteer-based literacy programs. As part of its activities, it honours a Canadian each year with the

Peter Gzowski Award The Peter Gzowski Award (originally styled the Peter Gzowski Literacy Award of Merit) is an award given annually bPeter Gzowski Invitationalin memory of Peter Gzowski Peter John Gzowski (July 13, 1934 – January 24, 2002), known col ...

for contributions to adult literacy in Canada. Throughout most of his life, Gzowski had been a heavy smoker of cigarettes, consuming up to 75 cigarettes per day. In 2000, Gzowski stopped smoking through attending a treatment centre for persons with addictions. A few months following the completion of treatment, Gzowski developed emphysema, following a chest infection. By the fall of 2001, he was largely confined to his home, breathing with the assistance of an oxygen tank. In 2001, he contributed the essay "How to Quit Smoking in Fifty Years or Less" to ''Addicted: Notes from the Belly of the Beast'', edited by

Lorna Crozier Lorna Crozier, OC (born 24 May 1948) is a Canadian poet who holds the Head Chair in the Writing Department at the University of Victoria. She has authored fifteen books and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2011. She is credited as ...

and Patrick Lane, and published by

Greystone Books Greystone or Graystone may refer to: Locations * Graystone Manor, the first condominium building built in the continental United States * Greystone, West Virginia * Greystone Airport, a private airport in Ocala, Florida * Greystone (estate), a h ...

. The essay was reprinted in September 2001 by ''The Globe and Mail'' as "Out of breath". He also wrote the essay "Life after smoking", which was published in '' 50+ Magazine'' in June 2001 and included in ''A Peter Gzowski Reader'', published by

McClelland and Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. History It was foun ...

in October, 2001. The book is a collection of Gzowski's written works, commencing from his time as a writer for ''The Varsity'' at the University of Toronto, collected and with commentary by Gzowski. Gzowski died of

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alv ...

in Toronto on January 24, 2002. Gzowski was divorced from his first wife, Jennie Lissaman, from Brandon, Manitoba, whom he met while residing in Moose Jaw and with whom he had five children (Alison, Maria, Peter, John and Mick). He was survived also by two common-law partners, Jan Walter and Gillian Howard, whom he called his "Partner for Life". Gzowski was the father of a son (Robert Lawrence Perkins), born in 1961, from an extra-marital relationship. Following his death, his remains were placed in the family tomb at St. James Cemetery in Toronto.

Gallery

Peter gzowski branch.jpg, The Peter Gzowski

Library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a location * Sutton-in-the-Isle, Ely, Cambridgeshire * ...

Gzowski Family Mausoleum photo by Djuradj Vujcic.jpg, The Gzowski Family Mausoleum in which Gzowski is interred

Honours

* 1974, 1985, 1987

ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries.

s for the best host-interviewer on radio * 1981 – National Magazine Award for his profile of

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

* 1982 – Became host of '' Morningside'' on September 6. * 1984 – Honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Amer ...

* 1986 – Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

* 1988 – Honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Trent is known for its Oxbridge college system and small class sizes.

* 1995 -

Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

* 1997 – International

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

for broadcasting * 1997 – Gold Medal from the

Royal Canadian Geographical Society The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS; French: ''Société géographique royale du Canada'') is a Canadian nonprofit educational organization dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada—its people a ...

* 1998 – Companion of the Order of Canada. * 1999 – Appointed

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, a position he held until his death * 2002 – The Peter Gzowski Foundation for Literacy was funded by the federal government and named in honour of Gzowski's work in promoting literacy in Canada * 2003 – Gzowski College at

opens in honour of Peter Gzowski * 2006 – The Peter Gzowski Festival of Stories * 2006 – Georgina Public Libraries renamed their Sutton Branch the Peter Gzowski Branch

Bibliography

Books

* 1974 ''Peter Gzowski's Book about This Country in the Morning'' ( Hurtig Publishers) * 1979 ''Peter Gzowski's Spring Tonic'' (Hurtig Publishers) * 1980 ''The Sacrament: A True Story of Survival'' (

Atheneum Books Atheneum Books was a New York City publishing house established in 1959 by Alfred A. Knopf, Jr., Simon Michael Bessie and Hiram Haydn. Simon & Schuster has owned Atheneum properties since its acquisition of Macmillan in 1994 and it created Athen ...

) * 1981 ''The Game of Our Lives'' (McClelland and Stewart) * 1983 ''An Unbroken Line'' (McClelland and Stewart) * 1985 ''Morningside Papers'' (McClelland and Stewart) * 1987 ''The New Morningside Papers'' (McClelland and Stewart) * 1989 ''The Latest Morningside Papers'' (McClelland and Stewart) * 1989 ''The Private Voice: A Journal of Reflections'' (McClelland and Stewart) * 1991 ''The Fourth Morningside Papers'' (McClelland and Stewart) * 1994 ''The Fifth (and Probably Last) Morningside Papers'' (McClelland and Stewart) * 1998 ''The Morningside Years'' (McClelland and Stewart; with foreword by

Dalton Camp Dalton Kingsley Camp, (September 11, 1920 – March 18, 2002) was a Canadian journalist, politician, political strategist and commentator, and supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Although he was never elected to a se ...

) * 1998 ''Friends, Moments, Countryside: Selected Columns from Canadian Living, 1993-1998'' (McClelland and Stewart) * 2001 ''A Peter Gzowski Reader'' (McClelland and Stewart)

Other

* 1989 Afterword to

Mordecai Richler Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and '' Barney's Version'' (1997). His 1970 novel '' St. Urbain's Horseman'' and 1989 novel ...

, ''

The Incomparable Atuk ''The Incomparable Atuk'' is a satirical novel by Canadian author Mordecai Richler. It was first published in 1963, by McClelland and Stewart. The novel was published as ''Stick Your Neck Out'' in the United States. ''The Incomparable Atuk'' tells ...

'' (

New Canadian Library The New Canadian Library is a publishing imprint of the Canadian company McClelland and Stewart. The series aims to present classic works of Canadian literature in paperback. Each work published in the series includes a short essay by another nota ...

) * 1994 Introduction t
Festival of the Written ArtsThe Great Canadian Literary Cookbook
(

Harbour Publishing Harbour Publishing is a Canadian independent book publisher. The company was founded in 1974 by Howard and Mary White, and is based in Pender Harbour, a small town on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. Harbour mainly publishes books on British ...

) * 1999 Foreword to Steve Dryden (Ed.)
''Total Gretzky: The Magic,The Legend, The Numbers''
(McClelland and Stewart) * 2001 "How to Quit Smoking in Fifty Years or Less", contained in

and Patrick Lane (eds), ''Addicted: Notes from the Belly of the Beast'' (

) * 2002 Foreword to Chris Czajkowski,
''Cabin at Singing River: One Woman's Story of Building a Home in the Wilderness''
(

Raincoast Books Raincoast Books is a Canadian book distribution and wholesale company. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Raincoast was founded by Mark Stanton and Allan MacDougall in 1979 as a consignment wholesaler that shared overhead, warehouse space and ...

)

Biographies

Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "pro ...

, "Dreams and Reality Polish Canadian Identities”, chapter: The King of CBC, Toronto 1984, *

, „Kanada, Kanada”, chapter: Gwiazdor Kanadyjskiego Radia CBC, Warsaw 1986. * 1994 Marco Adria
Gzowski: An Electric Life''
(

ECW Press ECW Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by Jack David and Robert Lecker in 1974 as a Canadian literary magazine named ''Essays on Canadian Writing''. They started publishing trade and scholarly book ...

) * 2002 Edna Barker (ed.), with introduction by

Shelagh Rogers Shelagh Rogers, OC, is a Canadian broadcast journalist based in British Columbia. She is the host and producer of CBC Radio One's '' The Next Chapter'', and former chancellor of the University of Victoria. Background Rogers grew up in Ottawa ...

''Remembering Peter Gzowski: A Book of Tributes''
( Douglas Gibson Books) * 2010 R.B. Fleming
''Peter Gzowski: A Biography''
(

Dundurn Press Dundurn Press is one of the largest Canadian-owned book publishing companies of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction. The company publishes Canadian literature, history, biography, politics and arts. Dundurn has about 2500 books in prin ...

)

Audio CD

* 2003 '' A Celebration of Peter Gzowski'' (CBC Audio) - Collection of Gzowski interviews, compiled by Barbara Brown and Patsy Stevens.

In music

* Gzowski co-wrote the song "One Single River"/"Song For Canada " with

Ian Tyson Ian Dawson Tyson (September 25, 1933 – December 29, 2022) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who wrote several folk songs, including " Four Strong Winds" and " Someday Soon", and performed with partner Sylvia Tyson as the duo Ian & Sylvia. Ea ...

. The song, advocating Canadian unity, was performed by

Ian and Sylvia Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975. H ...

, as well as by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and The Band, during their '' Basement Tapes'' sessions. * Scottish

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation w ...

band

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mog ...

use an audio recording of Gzowski's interview with

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

in the song "Punk Rock", the first song from their album ''

Come on Die Young ''Come On Die Young'' is the second studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai. The album was released on 29 March 1999 by Chemikal Underground. Overview Songs for ''Come On Die Young'' were written by the band members at home or together in ...

'' (1999).

References

External links

* *
Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gzowski, Peter 1934 births 2002 deaths Journalists from Toronto Writers from Toronto People from Cambridge, Ontario 20th-century non-fiction writers Canadian magazine editors Canadian magazine journalists Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian people of Polish descent Canadian television talk show hosts Canadian newspaper journalists Canadian male journalists Canadian talk radio hosts Chancellors of Trent University Companions of the Order of Canada Peabody Award winners Ridley College alumni CBC Radio hosts University of Toronto alumni Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners Maclean's writers and editors Deaths from emphysema Burials at St. James Cemetery, Toronto