Gordon Sinclair
Encyclopedia
Allan Gordon Sinclair, OC
, FRGS
(June 3, 1900 – May 17, 1984) was a Canadian
journalist
, writer
and commentator.
neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario
. In 1916, before finishing his first year of high school, Sinclair dropped out to take a job with the Bank of Nova Scotia
. After a few months, he was fired and started working in the administrative office of Eaton's
. During World War I
, Sinclair served as a part-time soldier in a militia unit of the 48th Highlanders of Canada
. After being fired from Eaton's, Sinclair took a junior bookkeeping job with Gutta Percha and Rubber Manufacturing Company, starting in April 1920. It was there that he met co-worker Gladys Prewett. After an off-and-on relationship, the two were married on May 8, 1926.
, where Sinclair started working in February 1922, hired on the same day as Foster Hewitt
, who was the son of the Stars sports editor.
Sinclair was given routine assignments at the Star for seven years before he received his first byline. His breakthrough was a series of articles written after living among a group of homeless people, which Sinclair called "Toronto's hobo club" From that point, Sinclair rose to become one of the paper's star reporters, spending most of the next decade travelling the world, filing reports from exotic locations. During an Asian tour in 1932, Sinclair spent four months in India and, after returning home, wrote his first book, Foot-loose In India. It was published in October 1932 and became a best-seller in Canada, with the first edition selling out on the first day of release.
Before the end of the year, Sinclair announced that his next trip would be to Southeast Asia
. A public farewell was held on January 13, 1933 filling Massey Hall
, with the Star estimating that an additional 6,500 people were turned away. His experiences on that trip were collected in Sinclair's second book, Cannibal Quest, which was a best-seller in Canada and also reached #9 on the U.S. best-seller list. That was followed by a series from Devil's Island
, which was also turned into a book, Loose Among the Devils, published in 1935.
Later that year, Sinclair was fired by the Star after failing to get the story on the outbreak of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
in Ethiopia. The Star reported that Sinclair was leaving journalism to take a job in advertising. The Star wrote that Sinclair had travelled 340,000 miles in 73 countries for the newspaper. At the time, he was working on his fourth book, Khyber Caravan, based on his travels in Afghanistan.
Doubts were frequently raised by readers that Sinclair had actually experienced the incidents he reported. His Khyber series was so widely questioned that the Star assigned another reporter to investigate Sinclair's claims.
Sinclair's time away from journalism was short-lived. Three months after joining the staff of Maclaren Advertising, Sinclair returned to the Star, this time as a sports columnist. Sinclair was hired shortly after the sudden death of Star sports editor Lou Marsh
, who had been one of Canada's best-known sports journalists. According to sportswriter Scott Young, Sinclair's transition to sports was "monumentally unsuccessful."
After a year in sports, Sinclair returned to general reporting and late in 1938 he again went on an Asian tour. He remained at home during the Second World War
and was not accredited as a war correspondent.
in 1942, Sinclair was asked by Red Foster, a news broadcaster at Toronto radio station CFRB
, to provide some narration for a broadcast on Canadians at Dieppe. Sinclair ended up writing the story as well as reading it on the air, and continued to contribute brief reports to the station. Several months after he started, his radio work came to the attention of his bosses at the Star, which had a policy prohibiting its reporters from regularly writing reports for other outlets. Once again, Sinclair was fired.
In February 1943, he formally joined the CFRB team, becoming part-owner of the station the following year. He would continue to be associated with CFRB for over 40 years until his death.
He returned to the Star in 1949—this time as a freelancer—for one final international tour, which included his coverage of the end of the Berlin Blockade
. He remained a contributor to the paper, writing a radio and TV column, until December 1962.
In 1957, Sinclair also began a career in television, as a panelist on the CBC Television
series Front Page Challenge
. He would hold that position for 27 years until his death. While Sinclair was often controversial, he caused an uproar in 1969 when he asked Canadian Olympic swimmer Elaine Tanner
if menstruation interfered with her training.
Sinclair was a vocal opponent of water fluoridation
(calling it "rat poison" in 1958), the singing of God Save the Queen
, medicare and taxes. Although he was raised as a Methodist and taught Bible class as a youth, Sinclair became a forceful critic of religion and the church. "I had 31 years of being a Christian, and it was enough," he said in 1969.
Sinclair had invested his earnings in the Depression-era stock market and was independently wealthy by the end of the Second World War. In 1960, he boasted that he earned more than $50,000 a year. By the end of his life, Sinclair reportedly had liquid assets of more than $2 million. He bought a Rolls-Royce
in 1961 and drove it for 11 years.
Sinclair's autobiography, Will the Real Gordon Sinclair Please Stand Up was published in 1966, followed in 1975 by a sequel, Will Gordon Sinclair Please Sit Down.
." While paying tribute to American success, ingenuity, and generosity to people in need abroad, Sinclair decried that when America faced crisis itself, it often seemed to face that crisis alone.
At the time, Sinclair considered the piece to be nothing more than one of his usual items. But when U.S. News & World Report
published a full transcript, the magazine was flooded with requests for copies. Radio station WWDC-AM in Washington, D.C. started playing a recording of Sinclair's commentary with Bridge Over Troubled Water
playing in the background. Sinclair told the Star in November 1973 that he had received 8,000 letters about his commentary.
With the strong response generated by the editorial, a recording of Sinclair's commentary was sold as a single with all profits going to the American Red Cross
. "The Americans (A Canadian's Opinion)" went to #24 on the Billboard Hot 100
, making the 73-year-old Sinclair the 2nd-oldest living person ever to have a Billboard U.S. Top 40 hit (75-year-old Moms Mabley
had a Top 40 hit in 1969 with "Abraham, Martin & John").
A transcript of the commentary was also recorded by Byron MacGregor
, news director of Windsor, Ontario
radio station CKLW (AM), and it became an even bigger hit in the U.S., climbing to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Sinclair was said to be annoyed by MacGregor's recording, which was released as a single before Sinclair's authorized version. At the time, CKLW was owned by Toronto media baron John Bassett
. In Canada, Sinclair's version peaked at #30, topping McGregor's, which missed the top 40, stalling at #42.
In May 1974, Sinclair told The Globe and Mail
that he was "sick of hearing" the recording and embarrassed by some of the inaccuracies it contained, but that he would still write the same editorial over again.
In 1981, when Ronald Reagan
made his first state visit to Canada, he praised Sinclair as a figure who had given the United States a wonderful and inspiring tribute in one of its darkest hours.
The Americans was widely revived on the Internet
, radio and newspapers in 2001, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, and again in 2005 in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
. Some revivals of the message incorrectly state that it was newly written as a direct response to recent crises; in this question of its authorship alone, the address has become a part of urban legend
.
in 1979. Up to the time of his death, he was doing 14 broadcasts a week for CFRB and also appearing on Front Page Challenge.
In his final commentary, broadcast on May 15, 1984, he discussed passing his annual driver's test, which was compulsory for drivers over the age of 80. That day, Sinclair—who had had a series of heart attacks dating back to 1970—had a massive attack, going into a coma and suffering irreversible brain damage. He died two days later at age 83 after life support systems were discontinued. He was buried at Park Lawn Cemetery
in Toronto.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10479
Sinclair's eldest son, "Gord" Sinclair (1928-2002), was also a successful and respected radio journalist in Montreal, as well as the majority owner of CFOX (AM)
.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, FRGS
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
(June 3, 1900 – May 17, 1984) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and commentator.
Early life
Sinclair was born in the CabbagetownCabbagetown, Toronto
Cabbagetown is a neighbourhood located on the east side of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It comprises "the largest continuous area of preserved Victorian housing in all of North America", according to the Cabbagetown Preservation Association....
neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. In 1916, before finishing his first year of high school, Sinclair dropped out to take a job with the Bank of Nova Scotia
Scotiabank
The Bank of Nova Scotia , commonly known as Scotiabank , is the third largest bank in Canada by deposits and market capitalization. It serves some 18.6 million customers in more than 50 countries around the world and offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial,...
. After a few months, he was fired and started working in the administrative office of Eaton's
Eaton's
The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Sinclair served as a part-time soldier in a militia unit of the 48th Highlanders of Canada
48th Highlanders of Canada
The 48th Highlanders of Canada is a Canadian Forces Primary Reserve infantry regiment based in Toronto, parading out of Moss Park Armoury. The regiment is part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group....
. After being fired from Eaton's, Sinclair took a junior bookkeeping job with Gutta Percha and Rubber Manufacturing Company, starting in April 1920. It was there that he met co-worker Gladys Prewett. After an off-and-on relationship, the two were married on May 8, 1926.
International reporter for the Star
Early in 1922, Sinclair applied for a reporting job at all four Toronto newspapers. The only offer he received was from the Toronto StarToronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, where Sinclair started working in February 1922, hired on the same day as Foster Hewitt
Foster Hewitt
Foster William Hewitt, OC was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for Hockey Night in Canada. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt.-Early life and career:...
, who was the son of the Stars sports editor.
Sinclair was given routine assignments at the Star for seven years before he received his first byline. His breakthrough was a series of articles written after living among a group of homeless people, which Sinclair called "Toronto's hobo club" From that point, Sinclair rose to become one of the paper's star reporters, spending most of the next decade travelling the world, filing reports from exotic locations. During an Asian tour in 1932, Sinclair spent four months in India and, after returning home, wrote his first book, Foot-loose In India. It was published in October 1932 and became a best-seller in Canada, with the first edition selling out on the first day of release.
Before the end of the year, Sinclair announced that his next trip would be to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. A public farewell was held on January 13, 1933 filling Massey Hall
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765....
, with the Star estimating that an additional 6,500 people were turned away. His experiences on that trip were collected in Sinclair's second book, Cannibal Quest, which was a best-seller in Canada and also reached #9 on the U.S. best-seller list. That was followed by a series from Devil's Island
Devil's Island
Devil's Island is the smallest and northernmost island of the three Îles du Salut located about 6 nautical miles off the coast of French Guiana . It has an area of 14 ha . It was a small part of the notorious French penal colony in French Guiana until 1952...
, which was also turned into a book, Loose Among the Devils, published in 1935.
Later that year, Sinclair was fired by the Star after failing to get the story on the outbreak of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
in Ethiopia. The Star reported that Sinclair was leaving journalism to take a job in advertising. The Star wrote that Sinclair had travelled 340,000 miles in 73 countries for the newspaper. At the time, he was working on his fourth book, Khyber Caravan, based on his travels in Afghanistan.
Doubts were frequently raised by readers that Sinclair had actually experienced the incidents he reported. His Khyber series was so widely questioned that the Star assigned another reporter to investigate Sinclair's claims.
Sinclair's time away from journalism was short-lived. Three months after joining the staff of Maclaren Advertising, Sinclair returned to the Star, this time as a sports columnist. Sinclair was hired shortly after the sudden death of Star sports editor Lou Marsh
Lou Marsh
Lewis Edwin "Lou" Marsh was a Canadian athlete and referee, and one of the pioneers of sports journalism in Canada, working at the Toronto Star for 43 years....
, who had been one of Canada's best-known sports journalists. According to sportswriter Scott Young, Sinclair's transition to sports was "monumentally unsuccessful."
After a year in sports, Sinclair returned to general reporting and late in 1938 he again went on an Asian tour. He remained at home during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was not accredited as a war correspondent.
CFRB and Front Page Challenge
Following the unsuccessful Dieppe RaidDieppe Raid
The Dieppe Raid, also known as the Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM and by 10:50 AM the Allied...
in 1942, Sinclair was asked by Red Foster, a news broadcaster at Toronto radio station CFRB
CFRB (AM)
CFRB, Newstalk 1010, is an AM radio clear-channel station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, broadcasting on 1010 kHz, with a shortwave radio simulcast by CFRX-SW on 6.070 MHz. The station broadcasts a mix of talk and news throughout the day from its transmitter located in the community of...
, to provide some narration for a broadcast on Canadians at Dieppe. Sinclair ended up writing the story as well as reading it on the air, and continued to contribute brief reports to the station. Several months after he started, his radio work came to the attention of his bosses at the Star, which had a policy prohibiting its reporters from regularly writing reports for other outlets. Once again, Sinclair was fired.
In February 1943, he formally joined the CFRB team, becoming part-owner of the station the following year. He would continue to be associated with CFRB for over 40 years until his death.
He returned to the Star in 1949—this time as a freelancer—for one final international tour, which included his coverage of the end of the Berlin Blockade
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War and the first resulting in casualties. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied...
. He remained a contributor to the paper, writing a radio and TV column, until December 1962.
In 1957, Sinclair also began a career in television, as a panelist on the CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
series Front Page Challenge
Front Page Challenge
Front Page Challenge was a long-running Canadian panel game about current events and history. Created by comedy writer/performer John Aylesworth and produced and aired by CBC Television, the series ran from 1957 to 1995.-Synopsis:The series featured notable journalists attempting to guess the...
. He would hold that position for 27 years until his death. While Sinclair was often controversial, he caused an uproar in 1969 when he asked Canadian Olympic swimmer Elaine Tanner
Elaine Tanner
Elaine Tanner-Watt, OC is a retired Canadian swimmer.-Career:Nicknamed "Mighty Mouse" partly because of her small stature and partly due to her competitive drive, Tanner had a large impact on Canadian swimming and is considered one of the top performers in the sport.During the 1966 Commonwealth...
if menstruation interfered with her training.
Sinclair was a vocal opponent of water fluoridation
Water fluoridation
Water fluoridation is the controlled addition of fluoride to a public water supply to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water has fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by adding fluoride...
(calling it "rat poison" in 1958), the singing of God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
, medicare and taxes. Although he was raised as a Methodist and taught Bible class as a youth, Sinclair became a forceful critic of religion and the church. "I had 31 years of being a Christian, and it was enough," he said in 1969.
Sinclair had invested his earnings in the Depression-era stock market and was independently wealthy by the end of the Second World War. In 1960, he boasted that he earned more than $50,000 a year. By the end of his life, Sinclair reportedly had liquid assets of more than $2 million. He bought a Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
in 1961 and drove it for 11 years.
Sinclair's autobiography, Will the Real Gordon Sinclair Please Stand Up was published in 1966, followed in 1975 by a sequel, Will Gordon Sinclair Please Sit Down.
The Americans
On June 5, 1973, following news that the American Red Cross had run out of money as a result of aid efforts for recent natural disasters, Sinclair recorded what would become his most famous radio editorial, "The AmericansThe Americans (commentary)
"The Americans" is a famous commentary by Canadian broadcaster Gordon Sinclair. Originally written for a regular broadcast on CFRB radio in Toronto on June 5, 1973, it became a media and public phenomenon, replayed several times a day by some United States radio stations, released as a hit audio...
." While paying tribute to American success, ingenuity, and generosity to people in need abroad, Sinclair decried that when America faced crisis itself, it often seemed to face that crisis alone.
At the time, Sinclair considered the piece to be nothing more than one of his usual items. But when U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
published a full transcript, the magazine was flooded with requests for copies. Radio station WWDC-AM in Washington, D.C. started playing a recording of Sinclair's commentary with Bridge Over Troubled Water
Bridge over Troubled Water (song)
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969, released in 2008. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at...
playing in the background. Sinclair told the Star in November 1973 that he had received 8,000 letters about his commentary.
With the strong response generated by the editorial, a recording of Sinclair's commentary was sold as a single with all profits going to the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
. "The Americans (A Canadian's Opinion)" went to #24 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, making the 73-year-old Sinclair the 2nd-oldest living person ever to have a Billboard U.S. Top 40 hit (75-year-old Moms Mabley
Moms Mabley
Jackie "Moms" Mabley, born Loretta Mary Aiken , was an American standup comedian and a pioneer of the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit" of African-American vaudeville.-Early years:...
had a Top 40 hit in 1969 with "Abraham, Martin & John").
A transcript of the commentary was also recorded by Byron MacGregor
Byron MacGregor
Byron MacGregor was a Canadian news anchor and news director.-Career:Born Gary Lachlan Mack in Calgary, Alberta, by the age of nineteen, he became the youngest news director at the AM radio station, CKLW in Windsor, Ontario, which also served Detroit, Michigan as well as Toledo and Cleveland in...
, news director of Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
radio station CKLW (AM), and it became an even bigger hit in the U.S., climbing to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Sinclair was said to be annoyed by MacGregor's recording, which was released as a single before Sinclair's authorized version. At the time, CKLW was owned by Toronto media baron John Bassett
John Bassett
John White Hughes Bassett, was a Canadian publisher and media baron.Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he was the son of John Bassett , publisher of the Montreal Gazette, and Margaret Avery. Bassett attended Ashbury College and graduated from Bishop's University with a BA in 1936...
. In Canada, Sinclair's version peaked at #30, topping McGregor's, which missed the top 40, stalling at #42.
In May 1974, Sinclair told The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
that he was "sick of hearing" the recording and embarrassed by some of the inaccuracies it contained, but that he would still write the same editorial over again.
In 1981, when Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
made his first state visit to Canada, he praised Sinclair as a figure who had given the United States a wonderful and inspiring tribute in one of its darkest hours.
The Americans was widely revived on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, radio and newspapers in 2001, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, and again in 2005 in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. Some revivals of the message incorrectly state that it was newly written as a direct response to recent crises; in this question of its authorship alone, the address has become a part of urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
.
Final years and Death
Sinclair was made an Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 1979. Up to the time of his death, he was doing 14 broadcasts a week for CFRB and also appearing on Front Page Challenge.
In his final commentary, broadcast on May 15, 1984, he discussed passing his annual driver's test, which was compulsory for drivers over the age of 80. That day, Sinclair—who had had a series of heart attacks dating back to 1970—had a massive attack, going into a coma and suffering irreversible brain damage. He died two days later at age 83 after life support systems were discontinued. He was buried at Park Lawn Cemetery
Park Lawn Cemetery
Park Lawn Cemetery is a large cemetery in the western Etobicoke section of Toronto, Canada. It currently has some 22,000 graves. It is managed by the Park Lawn Income Trust, which also runs five other cemeteries in Toronto. Controversy arose in 1995 when the company had re-zoned a section of the...
in Toronto.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10479
Sinclair's eldest son, "Gord" Sinclair (1928-2002), was also a successful and respected radio journalist in Montreal, as well as the majority owner of CFOX (AM)
CFOX (AM)
CKO/CFOX was an English language Canadian AM radio station located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec from 1960 to 1989. The station's callsign was CFOX from 1960 to 1977 and it later operated as CKO, the Montreal station of the news network of the same name, from 1977 until 1989.-History:With studios based...
.
Published works
- Foot-loose in India: adventures of a news chaser from Khyber's grim gash of death to the tiger jungles of Bengal and the Burmese battle ground of the black cobra. 1933. Oxford University Press.
- Cannibal Quest. 1935. Doubleday, Doran & Gundy.
- Loose Among Devils: a voyage from Devil's Island to those jungles of West Africa labelled "the white man's grave. 1935. Doubleday, Doran & Gundy.
- Khyber Caravan: through Kashmir, Waziristan, Afghanistan, Baluchistan and Northern India 1936. Simon & Schuster of Canada. ISBN 0-671-80178-3
- Bright Paths to Adventure. 1945. McClelland & Stewart.
- Will the Real Gordon Sinclair Please Stand Up. 1966. McClelland & Stewart.
- Will Gordon Sinclair Please Sit Down. 1975. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-8163-4
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | CAN Country | US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
||
| 1974 | "The Americans The Americans (commentary) "The Americans" is a famous commentary by Canadian broadcaster Gordon Sinclair. Originally written for a regular broadcast on CFRB radio in Toronto on June 5, 1973, it became a media and public phenomenon, replayed several times a day by some United States radio stations, released as a hit audio... " |
30 | 38 | 40 | 24 |