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page 6 tribune anniversary wednesday june 29 1988 e j from page 3 meeting because of the paper then someone would ask if i could take the minutes and thats how i would get in volved both he and his father were members of the lions club his father being a charter member from he clubs inception in 1938 he was also very much in volved in various publishers associations participating in both the provincial and nation al organizations for weekly newspapers i was president of the pro vincial association around 1953 and a director of the national association i was also presi dent of the canadian associa tion in 1962 through these newspaper groups he travelled extensively and met publishers across the country as a member of the athletic club one of mr nolans pel projects was the erection of the old arena on park drive fed up with the prospect of local hockey teams having to travel to oshawa whenever the weather was too mild the com mittee decided to sell shares in the building to raise the money needed the finished arena cost 80000 and mr nolan esti mates 68000 worth of shares were sold he remembers too how stouffville acquired its trademark clocktower real ly the tribune was responsi ble he recalls when we came to stouffville there was a wooden tower with a bell in it and someone would ring it at certain hours of the day mr nolan senior wrote an editorial in the local items col umn pointing out that the town had no clock the piece caught the attention of elizabeth per cy a former stouffville resi dent living in the states who had kept up her subscription to the tribune when she visited town she said she would pay for the clock on one condition she said she wasnt going to house her ex pensive block in the old wooden tower laughs mr nolan so he agreed to launch a fund rais ing campaign to build more suitable surroundings for the elegant timepiece the clock was dedicated to elizabeth percys parents her father william had been pastor of four local churches over a period of 30 years he remembers the tribune office as a gathering place some of the older fellows would come into the office in the evening and sit down and chew the fat his father would quietly note down some of what he heard and keep the notes in a file he former tribune publisher charles nolan presided over the newspaper during a time of rapid change told his son that eventually one of the old men would be gone and he would have some fasci nating insights that no one else would know about charles nolan kept the file for many years after his father died in 1950 the tribune fought hard for a high school in town the de partment of education plan ned to build a big one in mar- kharh but mr nolan was de termined that stouffville should have its own his dad said we wouldnt get it mrs nolan recalls it made me mad her husband acknowledged if we didnt get it then we were never he took over the newspaper from his father in the late 1940s and retired in 1980 going to get it at that time the public school was situated at summit- view with the continuation school on the second floor from there local students who wanted to complete their senior high school would have to travel to markham after he ated debate the board agreed to build a school and stouffvil le dist secondary school opened its doors in 1951 mr nolan still recalls the he ated debate in 1966 over the question of allowing a liquor store in town for three or four weeks before we had let ters coming in all against the idea and i published every one the week before the vote i wrote an editorial in support by that time it was too late for anyone to react in print he smiles he was still surprised when the town voted to go wet looking back over the years mr nolan remembers the lighter side of the newspaper there was the time his father wrote an obituary for some ones wife the next week the fellow came in and asked who wrote it he said it was the nicest thing anybody had every said about her and he wondered if we would run it again in the fol lowing issue well not all only six out of the eight keirstead brothers and sisters are fulltime pro fessional artists if you havent visited the menger gallery in gormley youre missing a delightful experience as well as the largest collection of original artwork by the talented and renowned keirstead family those of you whove travelled the stouffville rd over the years will recall the old gormley post office and general store at the corner of union st old woodbine ave and the stouffville side rd six years ago the mengers bought this old landmark and began to refurbish it what has emerged is a charming art gallery with a warm and welcoming atmosphere that encourages people to return again and again pie menger nee keirstead is the owner of the gallery and most days youll find her working on a watercolor in her studio owning my own art gal lery is almost as exciting and challenging as painting in watercolors said pie both are enjoyable but unpredict able it is very satisfing to know that something youve created is also bringing plea sure to others im also very proud of my family and all their accom plishments she said pies watercolors are full of life yet serene the transpa rent delicacy of her flowers and landscapes is a delight to the eye and a feast for the soul as one gentleman wrote in her gallery guest book to many people the signa ture and name keirstead means james i find they are pleasantly surprised to dis cover that there are six of us painting but only one using the family name pie said although james keirstead is best known for his boldly textured paintings of rustic mills television specials on cbc ctv and pbs have fo cused on his versatility and technical skill in producing art in many forms today his sculptures woodcuts acrylics waterco lors and oils are visual testi mony to this fact original oils watercolors and the ever popular keirstead decorator prints and plates are available at the menger gallery mitch is probably best de scribed as a lifepainter painting in watercolor or oil his work is usually based on the landscape but with a dramatic interplay of light and shadow most often the focus is on the vitality of people at work or at play over 25 of his ori ginal oil paintings have been reproduced in limited edi tions of 300 and many are sold out rugged landscapes and wildlife spring to life in oil paintings by colebrook in a unique combination of palet te knife and brushwork art lovers have come to rec ognize his ability to capture a rising mist shimmering re flections and fleeting mo ments in nature his limited edition reproductions are quickly snapped up by collec tors in her oil paintings anne- ka seeks to capture the beau ty of canadian landscape northern lakes and streams waterfalls and picturesque snowcovered valleys over shadowed by evergreens and birch are some of her favorite subjects shon the eldest of the keir- steads began painting full time one year ago she is cur rently on a sketching and photography trip in western canada her oil paintings from this trip will be on dis play later this year if you wish to visit the men ger gallery either to browse or purchase the artwork of the 8875795 yc pie menger stands outside the menger gallery displaying one of her watercolors ruffles and lace which features blue iris keirstead family youll find the gallery is open year round tuesday to friday 1 9 pm saturday 10 am to 5 pm and sunday 1 5 pm the gallery is located on the stouffville rd between hwy 404 and woodbine ave gormley call 8875795 for more information and news on the upcoming series of shows