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Neil Armstrong is a journalist who has worked in radio, newspaper and television. He was the news director, program director, and host of the literary show, Covered and Bound, at CHRY Radio (105.5 FM) at York University in Toronto from 1995 to 2004. In his capacity as host and a bibliophile, he met and interviewed hundreds of Canadian and international authors — many from the Black, Caribbean and African communities — on the radio show or at events he covered. Neil was also the editor at the Jamaican Weekly Gleaner (North American edition) and the annual Black Pages directory. He was a member of the editorial team of the book, Jamaicans in Canada: When Ackee Meets Codfish, published in 2012.

A strong supporter of initiatives that celebrate Black communities in Canada, Neil is the literary coordinator of the annual Black and Caribbean Book Affair and the monthly Literary Salons organized by Blackhurst Cultural Centre in Toronto, formerly A Different Booklist Cultural Centre.

Jo Vellacott was a British-Canadian historian, professor, feminist, Quaker, and peace activist. She was born in Plymouth, England on 20 April 1922 to Harold F. Vellacott, a surgeon, and Josephine Sempill. She attended the University of Oxford and, after pausing her studies to work as an aircraft mechanic during the Second World War, graduated with a Master of Arts in 1947. She would then move to South Africa, where she met and married Peter Newberry in 1950. In South Africa she had two children, Mary and Douglas, before returning to the United Kingdom, where they had their daughter Susan. The family emigrated to Canada in 1955, where Peter would join the Air Force and Jo worked as a schoolteacher. She then attended the University of Toronto, where she received a Master of Arts in History in 1965, and McMaster University, where she received her PhD in 1975.

Vellacott and Peter would separate in 1976, and divorce in 1979. She took Fellowships in the United Kingdom for several years, before becoming the Scholar-in-Residence at Queen’s University in Kingston, where she then became Assistant to the Dean of Women. Following her departure from Queen’s, she worked for several years at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University in Montreal, retiring in 1987, and becoming an independent scholar.

Vellacott focused much of her career on women’s history, feminism, pacifism, and Quakerism. A Quaker since her 40s, she was active in the Thousand Islands Monthly Meeting near Kingston, and was a longtime peace activist. She wrote several books and dozens of articles on topics including pacifism, Bertrand Russell, women and politics, and more. She moved to Toronto, where she died in 2019.

Martyn Burke (1942-) is a novelist, journalist, film director, documentarian, and screenwriter. He graduated from McMaster with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences (Economics) in 1964. After graduation, he travelled to Vietnam as an independent freelance journalist covering the war. His dispatches were printed in the Toronto Telegram “Martyn Burke’s Vietnam War Diary,” and later became the basis of his first work of fiction. He is the author of several fiction books: The Laughing War (1980), Ivory Joe (1991), Tiara (1995), The Commissar’s Report (1984), The Shelling of Beverly Hills (2000), The Truth about the Night (2006), and Music for Love or War (2015). Following the Vietnam War, Burke returned to Canada to work as a producer at CBC television.

Burke is best known as a documentarian and his work has been broadcast by the CBC, BBC in the United Kingdom, TF-1 in France and CBS's 60 Minutes. In 1977, he co-produced Connections: An Investigation into Organized Crime in Canada, a two-part documentary series on the Mafia with CBC/Norfolk Communications Ltd. In 1988, Burke directed Witnesses, a documentary film which provided a behind-the-scenes view of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. His documentary film, Under Fire: Journalists in Combat, featured interviews with journalists and photographers who had experienced war first-hand and won a Peabody Award in 2011.

His film and cable television credits include: co-writer of the cult comedy Top Secret; writer, HBO’s satirical The Second Civil War (1997); and writer/director of the Emmy-nominated television film, Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999).

Burke divides his time between Toronto and Santa Monica, California.

Felicity Anne Russell (hereafter, Anne) was a granddaughter of Bertrand Russell, philosopher and peace activist, by adoption. Her adoptive father, John Conrad Russell, was Bertrand Russell’s first son from his marriage to Dora Black. Her mother, Susan Doniphan Lindsay, was the daughter of American poet Vachel Lindsay.

Anne was the child of Susan Lindsay and an unidentified father. She was born on September 2, 1945. Susan Lindsay met John Russell when Anne was an infant in 1945; in August 1946, John and Susan married, and by 1947, John had formally adopted Anne.

Anne’s family initially lived in several locations in England after her parents’ marriage, including Kilburn (with Dora Russell), St. John’s Wood in North London (with Griffin Barry, a former romantic partner of Dora Russell and the father of two of her children), a flat on Cambrian Road in Richmond, and, by 1950, the main floor of Bertrand Russell’s home in Richmond (Monk 315-317). After this last move, Anne Russell began attending Kingsmuir School, a boarding school in Sussex (Griffin 503).

In December 1952, Bertrand Russell married his fourth wife, Edith Finch, and soon after she moved into the Queen’s Road home, Anne’s parents moved out of it (Monk 355). Anne’s parents separated in 1954 and divorced by 1955 (Monk 359-360).

Thereafter, Anne and her sisters became the subjects of a protracted family custody dispute, the result of which was that Bertrand and Edith Russell won full custody of the children in 1961, with their father, John Russell, retaining visitation rights (Monk 400).

1956, Bertrand and Edith Russell moved the family to Plas Penrhyn, their home in Wales. Following this move, Anne and her sisters attended Moreton Hall, a private girls’ boarding school in Shropshire (Monk 370; Griffin 503). Near Russell’s home in Wales lived the Cooper-Willis family: mother Susan Williams-Ellis, a renowned potter; father Euan Cooper-Willis, and daughters Siân and Anwyl, who were close friends of Anne and her sisters.

Anne left Moreton Hall in 1962 (Monk 485). It is likely that she went on to complete her studies at Dartington Hall, a progressive co-educational boarding school in Devon, as her sisters Sarah and Lucy did this as well.

Little documentary evidence exists in the Russell archive about Anne’s adult life, though Ray Monk notes that she moved to New Mexico in 1975, where she has lived ever since (500).

John Conrad Russell was the eldest son of Lord Bertrand Russell, philosopher and peace activist, and Dora Russell (neé Black), author and social campaigner.

Born in 1921, John was educated at Dartington Hall School, a progressive co-educational boarding school in Dartington, England. He went on to graduate cum laude from Harvard University, where he completed a B.A. thesis in 1943 entitled “An Analysis of the Principal Occasions and Causes of Failure of Democracy.”

In 1943, John returned to England and enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve. He married Susan Doniphan Lindsay, daughter of the American poet Vachel Lindsay, in 1946. Soon after their marriage, he adopted her child from another relationship, Felicity Anne. In 1946 and 1948, the couple’s daughters Sarah Elizabeth and Lucy Catherine were born. By 1955, John and Susan had divorced, and in the same year, John experienced his first mental health crisis requiring hospitalization. He was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. In 1961, he lost custody rights to his children, who remained in the care of Bertrand Russell and his wife, Edith.

When Bertrand Russell passed away in 1970, John inherited his father’s hereditary peerage, becoming the fourth Earl Russell and a member of the House of Lords.

John passed away in 1987, and his title passed to his half-brother, Conrad Sebastian Robert Russell, who became the fifth Earl Russell.

Sarah Elizabeth Russell was a granddaughter of Bertrand Russell, philosopher and peace activist. Her father, John Conrad Russell, was Bertrand Russell’s first son from his marriage to Dora Black. Her mother, Susan Lindsay, was the daughter of American poet Vachel Lindsay.

Sarah was the first daughter born to John and Susan (birthdate 16 January 1947), and the second child in their family (the first child, Anne Russell, was born to Susan Lindsay and adopted by John Russell prior to Sarah’s birth).

Sarah’s family initially lived in a small flat in Cambrian Road, Richmond, but by 1950, they had moved to the main floor of 41 Queen’s Road in Richmond with Bertrand Russell (Monk 316-317). In December 1952, Bertrand Russell married his fourth wife, Edith Finch, and soon after she moved into the Queen’s Road home, Sarah’s parents moved out of it (Monk 355). Sarah’s parents separated in 1954 and divorced by 1955 (Monk 359-360).

Thereafter, Sarah and her sisters became the subjects of a protracted family custody dispute, the result of which was that Bertrand and Edith Russell won full custody of the children in 1961, with their father, John Russell, retaining visitation rights (Monk 400).

Sarah attended Kingsmuir School, a boarding school in Sussex, while the family resided at 41 Queen’s Road (Griffin 503). In 1956, Bertrand and Edith Russell moved the family to Plas Penrhyn, their home in Wales. Following this move, Sarah and her sisters attended Moreton Hall, a private girls’ boarding school in Shropshire (Monk 370; Griffin 503). Near Russell’s home in Wales lived the Cooper-Willis family: mother Susan Williams-Ellis, a renowned potter; father Euan Cooper-Willis, and daughters Siân and Anwyl, who were close friends of Sarah and her sisters.

Sarah left Moreton Hall, possibly as early as 1961, to complete her studies at Dartington Hall, a progressive co-educational boarding school in Devon. In 1966, she commenced a program in English Language and Literature at the University of Reading. She appears to have taken a break in 1970, when she was diagnosed with schizophrenia (Monk 500). Sarah returned to her program in 1977, and in 1979, she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in the second division of the second class.

In 1975, Sarah’s younger sister Lucy died by self-immolation (Monk 501-502). This event had a significant impact on Sarah and is addressed in her diaries (see Series 2).

Little is known of the later period of Sarah’s life, though Ray Monk, biographer of Bertrand Russell, writes that Sarah spent much of her life in psychiatric care (500).

Art Cooper is a comic artist who created original artwork for a variety of McMaster campus publications in the 1970s. He also contributed original artwork to Hamilton comic fandom publications in the 1960s and 1970s.

Cooper graduated from McMaster’s engineering undergraduate program in 1979. Subsequently, he completed an MBA at McMaster in 1980. As a student (1970s), Cooper produced artwork for the Silhouette and Plumbline (Engineering newspaper), posters for the McMaster Film Board, and artwork for special events on campus.

Cooper also participated in the Hamilton comic fandom scene, contributing artwork for Terry Edwards’ ComiCanada in 1967, one of the first Canadian comic-related publications since the demise of Canadian comic publisher Superior Publishers in 1956. Cooper also published his own magazine, Canada’s Best #1, in 1969, and was a founding partner (with Vince Marchesano) of Spectrum Publications, which published 17 mini-comic books in 1971-1973. Finally, Cooper penciled two stories for Orb Magazine (1976), a Canadian science fiction/comic publication.

A native of Hamilton, Percy McDonald graduated from McGill in 1913 in Civil Engineering but never practiced this profession. He became a war photographer with W.J. Johnson during the First World War. In 1923, McDonald earned a degree in dentistry from the University of Toronto and practiced dentistry until the outbreak of World War II, when he again took up military photography.

Sources: https://archivalcollections.library.mcgill.ca/index.php/percy-ellicott-mcdonald-fonds

Philip Steele Foulds was born 12 December 1918 in Toronto to Archibald and Kate, the second of three sons. He attended Upper Canada College and Trinity College at the University of Toronto. While at University, he met Lousie Matthews and they were engaged before he was deployed in 1940.

Foulds served with distinction as a pilot in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, the majority with the 856 Squadron, with over 760 hours in Swordfish, Albacores, Avengers and other planes. Numerous missions involved flying on and off air craft carriers and in other highly dangerous situations. Over the course of his service, he circumnavigated the globe.

Foulds retired from active service at the end of the war. He and Louise had been married during his 1941 leave, and they settled at the Matthew family farm in Kingsville, Ont. They had a daughter, Barbara, and Foulds worked for Hiram-Walker from 1948-1983. They moved to Toronto in the 90s; Foulds passed away after a brief illness on 18 April 2017.

Archibald Foulds was born in Quebec City in 1883 to Archibald and Mary (nee Cream) Foulds. The family moved to Toronto in 1900, and Foulds graduated from the University of Toronto in 1904. He joined the law firm of Macdonald, Shepley, Middleton & Donald. During this time, he joined the Queen’s Own Rifles. He married Kate Huldah Steele in 1912, and they would go on to have three children (Kenneth, Philip, and Derek).

Foulds entered the First World War as a Captain with the 123rd Infantry Battalion and was mentioned in General Haig’s dispatches for his and the rest of his unit’s role at Ypres during the Battle of Passchendaele. In May 1918, he joined the 8th Battalion Engineers, who were part of the Battle of Mons at the close of the War.

After the war, Foulds returned to practice. The Mason, Foulds law firm would become the largest counsel practice in Toronto. He lived in Toronto until his death in 1983.

James A. “Jim” Lord was born in Dublin in 1914, the fifth of seven children. His father, also James, was an accountant and his mother was a dressmaker. The family immigrated to Canada in 1921, first to Flamborough, then to Hamilton (Herkimer St.). In Hamilton, James Sr. died in 1924 when Jim was ten. At the age of sixteen, Jim left school to help the family, working at Wright’s Hardware on James North, then at Stelco.

With rumblings of war growing louder, Jim took night classes on the theory of electrical equipment. He met Elsie Grace Manewell at All Saints Anglican church, and they were married on 10 April 1942, just before Jim enlisted with the RCAF. His night class preparations made him a prime candidate for the role of radar technician. He completed training in the US and Canada before being sent overseas. He spent the majority of the war in Wick, Scotland at one of the radar stations there. These sites monitored for incoming bombing runs.

After returning home in November 1945, he returned to his job at Stelco. He and Elsie had three children: Jack, Bill, and Bob. Despite leaving school early, his passion for learning continued throughout his life. He finished his high school degree through correspondence, which he’d begun while overseas, and became an accountant in 1950. He worked for General Smelting, later moving into purchasing and personnel, until his retirement in 1979. He earned a scholar of theology diploma by correspondence from England, and in 1960, he was ordained as an Anglican deacon. He volunteered with St. Mark’s in downtown Hamilton and St. Margaret’s. After he retired, he attended McMaster University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 and an M.A. at the age of 70 (see his M.A. thesis here). In addition to academic writing, he wrote and published an epic poem in honour of Terry Fox, “The Song of Alopeix.”

Lord had a great love of the outdoors and would often go on long walks and hiking trips with his dog. He died of heart disease at the age of 86.

Ellen Seligman was an editor of Canadian fiction who served as McClelland & Stewart’s Editorial Director of Fiction from 1987 on, and eventually, Vice-President (2012). Seligman edited many of McClelland & Stewart’s most noteworthy books during her tenure, including works by Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Leonard Cohen, Rohinton Mistry, Anne Michaels, and others.

Seligman was born and raised in New York City (Manhattan). She attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English. She began her publishing career in New York City, continued it in London, England, and moved to Canada in 1976. By 1977, she was hired as a senior editor at McClelland and Stewart, where she was responsible for a range of books, including non-fiction, memoirs, poetry, and art.

Seligman became Editorial Director of Fiction in 1987. Following this appointment, she took on primary responsibility for acquiring and editing much of McClelland & Stewart’s fiction list. Books Seligman worked on won Canada’s top literary prizes, including the Governor General’s Award, the Trillium Prize, and the Giller Prize. Seligman’s books also won or were shortlisted for prestigious international prizes such as the Booker Prize, the Orange Prize, and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Seligman worked with Sandra Birdsell, David Adams Richards, John Steffler, Shyam Selvadurai, Jane Urquhart, M.G. Vassanji, Guy Vanderhaeghe, and many others.

In 2000, McClelland & Stewart donated 75% of their shares to the University of Toronto; the remaining 25% were sold to Random House of Canada Ltd. In the same year, Seligman was promoted to the position of Publisher (Fiction). In 2011, Random House purchased the remaining 75% of the company to become the sole owner. By 2012, Seligman was named Vice-President of McClelland & Stewart, a position she held until her death in 2016.

In addition to her work in publishing, Seligman was an active member of PEN Canada, and from 2009-2011 she served as the organization’s president.

Seligman won many editorial and professional awards throughout her career, including the Order of Ontario (2008) and the Canadian Booksellers Association’s Editor of the Year award.

Seligman was married to James Polk.

Kim Echlin is a writer, translator, and journalist.

Echlin was born in Burlington, Ontario in 1955. She received a B.A. (Hons.) in English at McGill University (1977) and an M.A. in English (York, 1978). Subsequently, she completed a French language course at the Sorbonne (1979) and a Ph.D. in English (York, 1982). Echlin’s Ph.D. research focused on translations of Ojibway narratives about Nanabush; her work brought her into contact with Dr. Basil Johnston, a prominent Ojibway author, ethnologist, and teacher of Anishinaabemowin.

Echlin is the author of several novels, non-fiction pieces, and translations. Significant works include Elephant Winter (1997), Dagmar’s Daughter (2001), Inanna: From the Myths of Ancient Sumer (2003), Elizabeth Smart: A Fugue Essay on Women and Creativity (2004), The Disappeared (2009), and Under the Visible Life (2015). In 2009, The Disappeared was shortlisted for the Giller prize.

In addition, Echlin has taught English and creative writing; worked in television production, significantly as arts producer for the CBC program The Journal (1986-1992); and contributed journalism to a number of publications, including the Hamilton Spectator. Noteworthy teaching engagements include stints at the Dalian Institute of Technology in northeast China (1984-1985) and the Creative Writing program at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. Echlin has also served as Mabel Pugh Taylor Writer-in-Residence at McMaster University (2015-2016).

Donald Francis Galloway was born on 9 August 1915 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the son of Captain John S. Galloway and his wife, Frances. His siblings were John (Jack), Albert (Red), Bruce, Gordon and Leona. Don and Bruce, the second and third sons, joined up together in 1940 with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Within a few weeks Don had left the Army. He re-enlisted for a second time in July 1941 in Toronto. He did his basic training in Brantford, Ontario, and his advanced training with the Canadian Armoured Corps at Camp Borden. He went to the United Kingdom in March 1942 and in July was assigned to the 10th Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse). He took part in D-Day as the co-driver of a tank in Squadron B. Four days later the tank was hit by a German shell; the driver, Michael Marchinsky, was killed; Don was badly wounded. He began his recuperation at Basingstoke Neurological and Plastic Surgery hospital in Hampshire, England. He returned to Canada in September 1944 on the hospital ship Lady Nelson. He got engaged to Catharine (Mickie) Carroll in October. On 25 June 1945 they married. The couple had two daughters, Sheila Turcon and Susan Turner. Don died on 16 May 1976. Mickie died on 8 June 2023.

Don’s four brothers also served in the military. Albert (“Red”), the first to enlist, joined the Royal Canadian Engineers. He served in England, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. Bruce later served the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. He died in a road accident in Soest, the Netherlands, on 23 June. He was buried in Hilversum, a civilian cemetery, on 26 June 1945 with his brothers, Red and Gordon, in attendance. Gordon, the youngest brother, had enlisted in February 1943. He served with the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment in England and Italy. He was later with the No. 16 Special Employment Company in Belgium. The last brother to join the forces in 1945 was Jack, the oldest, who was married with two children. He served with the Royal Canadian Engineers in Canada. Don’s cousin, Olney (Jack) Barker served with the American military in the Pacific.

The International Union of Students (IUS) was a worldwide nonpartisan association of university student organizations. The IUS was the umbrella organization for 155 students' organizations across 112 countries and territories representing approximately 25 million students. It was recognized by the United Nations granting the IUS a consultative status in UNESCO. The primary aim of the IUS was to defend the rights and interests of students to promote improvement in their welfare and standard of education and to prepare them for their tasks as democratic citizens. It collapsed in the 2000s due to an unreliable membership system and a lack of grassroots engagement.

The members of Local 5328 are employees of the Parkdale Works of the Steel Company of Canada (Stelco).