24 - Sunday, December 9, 1990 - North Shore News Collector of treasures is a treasure himself WE HAVE a treasure amongst us. Matter of fact, he might better be called a treasurer because he’s been keeper of our past for many year’s. Bill Baker is nothing flam- boyant. He's actually, in ordinary dealings, quite an ordinary guy — attentive, thoughtful, unassuming. But set him at his archivist’s job and he’s a tiger. He’s been the heart and soul of our North Vancouver City and District archives for over 20 years. The fact that he got the job almost by accident is a towering tribute to the kind of man he is. Roger Burns, local historian, had left with council a little box of material which became the basis of the fascinating collection which now swamps its available quarters. Bill Baker was its founder, its director, its curator and its salva- tion. Nothing beyond the minute-books had been saved from the early years of com- munity-hood. When he took charge of Burns’ little box he began to augment it with stuff from his own collec- tions, and put out the word. Peo- ple literally ‘dropped off’? boxes and bags of memorabilia. He had intended, as a youth in Calgary, to become a laboratory specialist, working in dentistry and very interested in the dazzling new techniques of acrylic surgery. But since he was a boy of 10 he'd been collecting old stuff, even pieces of old stuff, hoping to find out some time what they belonged to. It brings sweat to the forehead to think that this intense curiosity and imagination might have been siphoned off to some sterile labo- ratory. We’d have lost all that ac- quisitive energy and single-minded devotion to preservation of our Past. He’s found and/or been given wooden lace from the fronts of our rapidly disappearing old houses; racks of those wood-and- iron desks we used to have in school; automobile plates from Eleanor THE VINTAGE YEARS the early 1920s; stained glass win- dows, tapestries, stuffed birds, an elk’s head, a sturdy old com- pressor that is still able to produce 150 pounds of pressure for the old trolley that used to run up the middle of Grand Boulevard. Yes, after lots of false leads, it was discovered half way up the moun- tain disguised as a chicken coop, and now it’s sitting on blocks pa- tiently waiting for the final paint job, the final installations that will give it life and purpose again. Someone gave him a_ chaise lounge that would do Madame Recamier proud. He’s storing an actual tiled stove, a lovely piece, and would surely like to have the paraphernalia and fittings he was promised when the old hospital! on 13th Street was finally turned over to its present use. Some over- zealous cleaning man had thrown it all out, tidying up. Something he did succeed in acquiring, to his and our greatest pleasure, were several huge hand- some glass-and-mahogany show- cases from Birks, when the old place was knocked down. When the change was first an- nounced as imminent, he had gone over to the city and asked to see the top of the chain of com- mand. He put in his request for the cases and was told it would be noted. A year later, the command MAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS WISH COME TRUE ® Mini Blinds ¢ Verticals Blinds § e Micro Blinds ¢ Pleated Shades Featuring these quality products: ABBEY NEW VIEW LEVOLOR UP TO 30% GFF SELECTED DRAPERY FABRICS Call now for a free in-home cu:ssultation before the Christrnas deadline. Also serving Squamish & Whistler 929-7255 24 Hours _ Sherry Coimer Lanin Gillies chap visited him in his cubby-hole and announced they were ready tor pick-up. Considering they are some 12 to 15 feet long, and seven to eight feet high, at least, and glass-fronted) and unblemished, that was some pick-up job. Right now they're home to some incred- ible examples of Meccano con- struction, courtesy of the West Van club. Over the years these possessions of ours are in constant play. They are traded with Burnaby and Langley and other commiunities and go to malls that ase holding nostalgia weeks, and schools and institutions. They are not loaned to theatrical companies. Too bad for them, because there are gorgeous ladies’ gowns in storage, elegant hats and shoes, gentle- man’s fancy shirts and one of the windbreakers from the first baseball club in town. There are spats of what they used to call court-shoes. There are some, not enough, beautiful Indian baskets and weavings, there are bicycles with iron wheels and a. ereat farm-wagon with gear to match. A special pleasure to our dedicated Mr. Baker is to give prominent place to things and people born here in North Van- couver, Things such as the little personal submarine, the first signai-lights for cars, the Jolly- Jumper, Lynn Johnson's cartoons and comic-strips, a marvellous Mexible grill that will get your car out of mud or deep snow. Everything on show is operable, thanks to volunteers who spend hours in the workshop cleaning See Seniors page 26 CARPET CLEANING “Fall Special”’ Have your living and dining room S professionally steam-cleaned with 4 925 our TRUCK MOUNT S‘STEM. EOE, og i. | SUCCESS Call for details on CLEANING 931-7333 Since 1976 Heritage Ravisory Committee Heritage Awards NOMINATIONS are now being accepted for the 1991 City of North Vancouver Heritage Awards. The deadline for nominations is December 31. 1990. Awards will be granted during Heritage Week, February 18-24, 1991 in the following categories: Residential Building Conservation “Honouring an outstanding restoration or the acaptive re-use of a residential heritage building or its landscaping” Commercial Building Conservation “Honouring an outstanding restoration or the adaptive re-use of a commercial heritage building or its landscaping” Personal Achievement “Honouring an individual or corporation for outstanding com- munity achievement in support of heritage conservation in the City” NOMINATION FORMS may be picked up at City Hall, 141 West 14th Street or call 985-7761 (iocal 216) for more information. Merry Christmas from Plaza Lincoln Mercury BUY A NEW CAR OR TRUCK FROM PLAZA LINCOLN MERCURY BETWEEN DEC. 7/90 & DEC. 24/90. YOU GET YOUR CHOICE OF ANY OF THE [ BELOW SONY PRODUCTS. Sony VHS video cassette recorder Stk, #AE44S 6 cyl., auto. 7 pass., Clearcoat ai Sony C.D. & AM/FM stereo cassette recorder Stk. 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