The offspring of two of the subjects of this 1941 photo writes:
"My parents Burton & Ursula MacGillivray and Uncle Gordon McGillivray. Even though Dad and Uncle Gordon were identical twins, Dad always spelled his name “Mac” rather than “Mc”. They both received a medical discharge from the Air Force before being dispatched overseas, so their contribution to the WWII effort was made here in Canada. After training to become marine pipefitters, they worked for West Coast Shipbuilders in False Creek which built over 50 merchant ships."
The story behind the man who captured this photo? Well, from 1934 to 1979, street photographer Foncie Pulice set up his camera on Vancouver city sidewalks and snapped candid shots of people strolling by. For almost half a century, he took thousands of photos, unwittingly capturing moments in time, the history of a city, and the lives of British Columbians. Photo negatives of Foncie’s images do not exist. He destroyed most of them when he retired. Until recently there was no central archive or collection.
Documentary filmmaker Melanie Wood and British Columbia’s Knowledge Network changed that by bringing these photographs together – collecting them from albums around the province and giving them a public home online and in the film Foncie's Corner. The photos continue to stream in and Melanie shares them with us regularly so we can share them here on our blog.
This is a story about Vancouver, about British Columbia, and about it’s people... so they need your help. Visit Knowledge.ca/FonciesCorner to add your photos and stories to the collection.
