First Second Third HOME		Events that Touched My Life 1942 World War II My father was still training with the army in Eastern Canada when I was born.  His letters home tell how much he missed his family.  I was about two when the war ended and he came home.  1948 Barbara Ann Scott won GOLD! Everyone in Canada heard about Barbara Ann Scott. Skating was for everyone.  A new arena opened in 1949 and hundreds of kids began to play hockey and learn to figure skate. 1949 Newfoundland became the Tenth Province in Canada As kids we would often recite the ten provinces.  We always thought of Newfoundland as special.  It was so far away it had its own time zone. 1949 Composer, David Foster, was born in Victoria. This famous man grew up very near our house in Cordova Bay.  I have received his emails and phone calls.  I've loved his music.  I've frequently had store clerks remark about my name.  His mother shopped at the same paint store I did. 1952 "Wacky" Bill Bennett became premier of British Columbia.  Bennett was premier for more than twenty years Everyone knew his name and his 'Social Credit' party.  BC was cutting, digging and building for the future with roads, dams, bridges and buildings. 1953 Fluoride is added to our drinking water We may never know if this was a tragic mistake.  Today there are many who think so.  It didn't appear to stop my teeth from decaying. 1953 The Hydrogen Bomb  The horror of the mushroom cloud constantly hung over us when we were growing up.  It ended the war but could it happen again?  Twice I've visited the museum in Hiroshima. 1953 CBC launched Western Canada's first television station  Perhaps no single thing has affected our lives so much as TV. 1955 The Wonderful World of Disney Every Sunday night we'd park in front of the TV for Walt Disney.  Many families took a holiday to Disneyland. 1957 Lester Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize  Canada became known for something other than ice hockey. Victoria gained a distinguished international school, 'Pearson College of the Pacific'.   1958 The British Columbia Ferry Authority (BC Ferries) began passenger service to the mainland.  My life was changed forever. My first trip off the island had been via the Blackball in 1954. 1955ish 'Sputnik', the world's first man-made satellite. Nothing seemed impossible after this achievement.  1958 "Marathon of Hope" runner Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg. Every year for many, many years I was involved in some form of 'Terry Fox' run.  He is still an inspiration to us all.  His statue sits at 'Mile 0' in Victoria. 1959 Jacques Plante wore the first goalie mask. After a slapshot by Andy Bathgate cut his face, Jacques Plante of the Montreal Canadiens had the cut stitched and returned to the ice wearing a mask.  In those early days I was a huge hockey fan. 1959 Invention of the Microchip American engineers Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce invented the microchip, an integrated circuit on a single silicon chip.  Computers became a big part of my life.