Keep in touch, p.22
Keep in Touch, page 22
A personal tribute to this author came from the Hon. Bob Rae, currently United Nations Canadian Ambassador: “David was a one of a kind — his interests were so broad and diverse, his curiosity so great, and his combination of flair, creativity and managerial skill so rare. I of course knew him a bit when I was in opposition, from our mutual friendship with Jim Coutts, but we worked closely together after the election of 1990 before he left the public service to complete his massive project on David Milne, which is a truly remarkable piece of work. He was a man of deep knowledge and imagination, whose awareness of the cultural scene of the country and the province was unsurpassed. He touched so many people with his devotion, perception, charm, and wit. Here is a life that can only be celebrated.”
From Martha Langford, former Head of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography: “Canada has lost a dynamic, thoughtful and well-informed advocate for culture.”
From Ian Wilson, retired national Chief Canadian Archivist: “While many work in the various cultural disciplines, most focus on one field or another: David saw the full expanse of cultural policy and understood the synergies across the disciplines. He knew and contributed significantly to the impact of culture on our national life. He was also a great friend and colleague. While the span of his career can be outlined by positions held, much of his real work was behind the scenes, influencing and guiding his broad circle of friends, colleagues and those won over by his passion. Other may be identified with certain accomplishments but many owe their success to David’s guiding hand. In sports terms, he scored many goals but also had a grand total of ‘assists.’”
And from TVO’s Steve Paikin: “End of an era in the arts world, eh?”
Lily Harriss, former Development Officer of the Dulwich Picture Gallery: “David was such an inspiring human being, and I was very fortunate to work with him for the Canadian Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery. He was also a great mentor to me, and his networking prowess is much admired. Even now, he has brought together the Canadian Friends again, and I am in touch with others I haven’t connected with in a while.”
Afterword
A member of the Silcox family through marriage to David’s youngest brother, Louis, I had long been dazzled by the career, accomplishments, and legacy of brother Dave. And so, as his health deteriorated throughout the early 2020s and his fading memory was requiring more care than his wife, Linda Intaschi, was able to manage, I was moved to write his biography — the story of his long and auspicious life. While I was well aware that he had written eloquently of the lives of a number of Canada’s great artists, I was unaware if, indeed, he had chronicled his own journey. And so, I asked. The answer was a surprising no, and I was encouraged to take up the task.
The speed with which my offer to take on the heady task was accepted, took me, a long-time biographer and teller of personal stories, by surprise. And so my task began and prompted in me a fundamental question: “What, apart from the press clippings, media interviews, and his books, did I really know about the man?” David and Louis, almost twelve years apart in birth, had led quite separate lives. Personal meetings were largely limited to infrequent family gatherings. The challenge was considerable.
There were two roads that I might take in my biographic journey. One would see me relying on personal documents and notations. A number of years before, David had entrusted his papers to Library and Archives Canada. These documents would give insight into his long, wide-ranging, and impactful life in art and culture, government, and private enterprise. Intensive historical book research was therefore open to me. The other path, a longer, more time-intensive but personal one would be to seek out the associates, personal friends and family, collaborators, and admirers who had travelled with David along life’s road. It took me little time to choose this journey. And so, with the generous (and trusting) offer from Linda Intaschi to make available David’s extensive address book, I set out.
Historical research into the Silcox family — going back to pre-Confederation days — was facilitated by Silcox cousin Laurel Parsons, of Vancouver, an inveterate “digger.” The correspondence and notes of David’s father, A. Phillips Silcox, MBE, provided insightful information on David’s youth. Moving into David’s early university years — the mid-1950s — personal anecdotes were serendipitously provided by several of my subject’s then peers. Delightful memories from Canadian writer Margaret Atwood and former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson form part of this era.
And while some of the voices of David’s early intimates had been stilled by their passing — Harold Town and Peter Herrndorf in particular — their presence was filled by Harold’s daughter, Shelley Town, and Peter’s wife, Eva Czigler. This book is enriched by their stories. Other contemporaries were delighted to share personal memories: Mimi Fullerton, Joyce Zemans, Paul Godfrey, Liz Wylie, Stan Bevington, and John O’Brian, among others.
Anticipating that there may be hesitation from David’s peers from his government years (1983 to 1986 in Ottawa; 1986 to 1990 at Queen’s Park), I was surprised and delighted with the readiness to share background and personal anecdotes from his contemporaries. I am grateful to former Deputy Minister of Communications and Culture Robert Rabinovitch as well as Lynn MacDonald, Erica Claus, and Richard Stursberg. A memory from former Premier Bob Rae, now Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, was received with much gratitude.
David Silcox’s dozen years in commerce as President of Sotheby’s Canada brought new insight into the man: the richness of his knowledge of Canada and Canadian art, his business acumen, and his innate skills in dealing with the art-buying public, as well as the media.
Serendipitously, delving into these periods helped answer a fundamental question about my little-known family member. What were the forces that had cumulatively combined to create the man, David Silcox? Why had he alone among his siblings reached such public and professional heights? Why did this individual, born and bred among conservative-leaning clergymen, minor officials, and primary educators, seek to reach the peak of his profession and influence in government and commerce? While surely intelligence, ability, creativity, acumen, and opportunism played their parts in the David Silcox story, I favoured the man’s innate ability at (and joy in) making and keeping friends and associates. They were common factors in assisting his rise and continued influence in the Canadian arts. I’d be remiss in not crediting too the love, compatibility, and companionship of his wife, Linda Intaschi, in his sustained success.
At the conclusion of this journey, I find that David Silcox’s mantra rings true: “Make connections, keep in touch.”
Acknowledgements
A particular thanks to Laurel Parsons for her Silcox family history information, Liz Wylie for her multi-year perspective on David Silcox, John Fraser for his very personal and delightful foreword to David’s story, and Louis Silcox for his unending support and the many hours spent on bringing this project to a conclusion. Primary thanks go to Linda Intaschi for her trust in me to tackle the story. Thanks to Linda for her close fact-checking, as well.
Notes
Part One: Of Blood (1831–1937)
1 Laurel Parsons, interview by author, March 2024.
2 Parsons, interview.
3 Parsons, interview.
4 They Farmed the Sixth of Wallace: The Story of the Walter Family in Germany, Canada and the United States, unpublished manuscipt, 2–26.
5 They Farmed the Sixth of Wallace.
6 Albert Phillips Silcox, unpublished manuscript.
7 “Fonds MJ-210: Edna Jaques Fonds,” Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists, memorysask.ca/edna-jaques-fond.
8 “The Dust Bowl,” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, cbc.ca/history.html.
9 Marge Cleave, Briercrest 50th Anniversary History Booklet.
Part Two: Of Spirit (1937–1956)
1 David Phillips Silcox, correspondence.
2 Albert Phillips Silcox, personal correspondence, 1937.
3 Silcox, D.P., correspondence.
4 “Welcome to Moose Jaw — ‘Canada’s Most Notorious City,’” City of Moose Jaw Saskatchewan, moosejaw.ca/business-development/welcome-to-moose-jaw.
5 David Phillips Silcox, written memories.
6 “The Former Lamaque Mine and the Bourlamaque Mining Village,” National Historic Sites of Canada, pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=13338.
7 David Phillips Silcox, unpublished manuscript.
8 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
9 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
10 “Diefenbaker, John George,” Dictionary of Canadian Biography, biographi.ca/en/bio/diefenbaker_john_george_20E.html.
11 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
12 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
13 Silcox, A.P., unpublished manuscript.
14 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
15 Donald E. Graves, South Albertas: A Canadian Regiment at War (Robin Brass Studio, 2004), 318–28.
16 Louis Silcox, interview by author, January 2023.
17 “Award of Member of the British Empire (M.B.E.) to Honorary Captain Albert Phillips Silcox, Canadian Chaplain Service,” Central Chancery of Orders of Knighthood of St. James Palace (1945), blatherwick.net/documents/british%20orders%20toCanadians.
18 Silcox, L., interview.
19 “Burwash Industrial Farm,” Ontario Heritage Trust, heritagetrust.on.ca/programs/provincial-plaque-programs.
20 Jonathan Migneault, “Accent: Memories of Burwash Prison,” Sudbury Star, March 30, 2013, thesudburystar.com/2013/03/30/accent-memories-of-burwash-prison.
21 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
22 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
23 Entry for David P. Silcox, records of Sudbury High School, dated March 26, 1952.
24 Sudbury High School records.
25 Silcox, A.P., unpublished manuscript.
26 David Truemner, Scouts Canada, interview, March 2023, scouts.ca/resources/program-resources/recognition.html.
27 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
28 Bruce Thompson, interview by author, April 2023.
29 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
30 Silcox, D.P., written memories.
31 Parsons, interview.
32 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
33 Truemner, interview.
34 Thompson, interview.
35 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
36 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
37 Silcox, L., interview.
38 Silcox, L., interview.
39 Silcox, A.P., unpublished manuscript.
40 Silcox, L., interview.
41 Silcox, A.P., unpublished manuscript.
Part Three: Of Higher Education … and Fun (1956–1962)
1 Thompson, interview.
2 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
3 “David Silcox Oral History,” Library and Archives Canada (2017), recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=fonandcol&IdNumber=5094578&ecopy=.
4 Silcox, D.P., written memories.
5 Margaret Atwood, interview by author, March 2023.
6 Atwood, interview.
7 Silcox, D.P., written memories.
8 “Echoes of Northrup Frye,” Hart House, University of Toronto, harthouse.ca/events/echoes-of-northrop-frye.
9 “Hart House,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hart-house.
10 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
11 Mimi Fullerton, interview by author, August 2023.
12 Torontonensis 1959, Students’ Administrative Council of the University of Toronto (University of Toronto, 1959), 421.
13 Peter Goddard, “The Spadina Scene,” Canadian Art, June 11, 2014, canadianart.ca/features/remembering-spadina/.
14 Adrienne Clarkson, interview by author, May 2023.
15 Douglas Ord, “The Best Looking Man,” Canadian Art, March 1, 1998, canadianart.ca/features/alan-jarvis-director/.
16 Ord, “The Best Looking Man.”
17 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
18 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
19 David P. Silcox, “I Remember,” Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, June 3, 2021, toaf.ca/news-releases/i-remember-by-david-p-silcox/.
20 Silcox, D.P., “I Remember.”
21 “Canadian Conference of the Arts May ’61. The Artist Is a National Community — A Meeting of Minds: Proceedings,” Library and Archives Canada (1961), recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=filvidandsou&IdNumber=505583&ecopy=.
22 “David Silcox Oral History,” Library and Archives Canada.
23 D. Paul Schaefer, interview by author, February 2024.
24 Pearl McCarthy, “One Vote for Silcox as Art Man of the Year,” Globe and Mail, December 30, 1961, 13.
Part Four: Of Adventure (1962–1964)
1 “Minutes of Meeting,” Victoria College Archives, Vol LXXX, no. 54, January 27, 1961, media.relations@utoronto.ca.
2 McCarthy, “One Vote for Silcox as Art Man of the Year.”
3 “Courtauld History of Art,” The Courtauld Institute of Art, courtauld.ac.uk/about-us/our-history.
4 Sam and Ayala Jacks Fonds, Art Gallery of Ontario.
5 Canada Council Report: Arts Scholarships. Visual Arts, 1961–62.
6 Sam and Ayala Zacks Fonds.
7 Sam and Ayala Zacks Fonds.
8 Sam and Ayala Zacks Fonds.
9 Sam and Ayala Zacks Fonds.
10 Sam and Ayala Zacks Fonds.
11 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
12 Silcox, L., interview.
13 Linda Intaschi, interview by author, February 2023.
14 Silcox, D.P., written memories.
15 Sam and Ayala Zacks Fonds.
16 Sam and Ayala Zacks Fonds.
17 Intaschi, interview.
18 Donald Andrus, interview by author, March 2023.
19 Michael Parke-Taylor, interview by author, April 2023.
20 Sam and Ayala Zacks Fonds.
21 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
22 David P. Silcox, “Letter from London,” Canadian Art, Jan–Feb 1964.
23 “David Silcox Oral History,” Library and Archives Canada.
24 “David Silcox Oral History,” Library and Archives Canada.
25 “David Silcox Oral History,” Library and Archives Canada.
Part Five: Of Nationalism (1963–1970)
1 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
2 “David Silcox Oral History,” Library and Archives Canada.
3 David P. Silcox, “Depicting 400 Years of Royal Children,” Globe and Mail, January 18, 1964, 18.
4 David P. Silcox, Painting Place: The Life and Work of David B. Milne (University of Toronto Press, 1996).
5 Silcox, D.P., Painting Place.
6 Diane Jermyn, “Make Connections, Keep in Touch,” Globe and Mail, June 1, 2010, theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-managing/make-connections-keep-in-touch/article1372154/.
7 Joyce Zemans, interview by author, June 2023.
8 Government of Canada, Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters, and Science Report 1949–1951 (Government of Canada, 1951), collectionscanada.ca/massey/h5-400-e.html.
9 David P. Silcox, “The Canada Council,” Artforum, October 1967, artforum.com/features/the-canada-council-211295/.
10 Silcox, D.P., “The Canada Council.”
11 Silcox, D.P., “The Canada Council.”
12 Silcox, D.P., written memories.
13 “Modernist Art on the Prairies,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/modernist-art-on-the-prairies.
14 “Regina Five,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/regina-five.
15 Silcox, D.P., unpublished manuscript.
16 Allan Harding MacKay, interview by author, February 2023.
17 Thompson, interview.
18 David P. Silcox, “An Outside View,” Vancouver Art and Artists, 1931–1983 (Vancouver Art Gallery, 1983).
