Gwyn Thomas (reporter)
Encyclopedia
Gwyn "Jocko" Thomas was a crime reporter with CFRB and the Toronto Star
.
Born in Toronto
, Thomas began his news career as a newsboy
at the corner of Bathurst Street
and Bloor Street
in 1925. After one year of high school, Thomas was hired by the Toronto Star
as a copyboy in 1929. He worked his way as a general reporter in the early 1930s to becoming the paper's crime reporter by 1939. In the 1960s, Thomas entered a new medium by becoming a radio crime reporter on CFRB.
Thomas' career involved covering the minor criminal activities in Toronto's suburbs, but also famous criminal stories:
Retired in 1989, Thomas died at a long care facility in North York at the age of 96.
Toronto 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...
.
Born in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Thomas began his news career as a newsboy
Newsboy
-Personal nicknames:* "Newsboy", a horse-racing tipster writing in The Daily Mirror* Jeremy Wells, a television personality-Other uses:* Newsvendor model, a demand forecasting model from operations research,...
at the corner of Bathurst Street
Bathurst Street (Toronto)
Bathurst Street is a main north-south thoroughfare in Toronto. It begins at the Lake Ontario shoreline and continues north to the Toronto boundary of Steeles Avenue...
and Bloor Street
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
in 1925. After one year of high school, Thomas was hired by the Toronto Star
Toronto 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...
as a copyboy in 1929. He worked his way as a general reporter in the early 1930s to becoming the paper's crime reporter by 1939. In the 1960s, Thomas entered a new medium by becoming a radio crime reporter on CFRB.
Thomas' career involved covering the minor criminal activities in Toronto's suburbs, but also famous criminal stories:
- Christie Pits race riotsRiot at Christie PitsThe Christie Pits riot occurred on 16 August 1933 at the Christie Pits playground in Toronto, Canada. The riot can only be understood in the context of the anti-semitism, Swastika clubs and parades and resentment of "foreigners" in Toronto, and the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in Germany in...
in 1933. - Stanley Buckowski on death row at California's San Quentin prisonSan Quentin State PrisonSan Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
(1951); and execution 1952. - Boyd GangBoyd GangThe Boyd Gang was a notorious criminal gang based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, named for member Edwin Alonzo Boyd. The gang was a favourite of the media at the time because of its sensational actions, which included bank robberies, jail breaks, beautiful women, gun fights, manhunts, and daring...
Retired in 1989, Thomas died at a long care facility in North York at the age of 96.
Awards
- National Newspaper AwardsNational Newspaper AwardsThe National Newspaper Awards are prizes awarded annually for the best work in Canadian newspapers. The awards were first given in 1949 by the Toronto Press Club, which ran the awards until 1989...
(3) - local police reporting awards (9)
- member of the Canadian News Hall of FameCanadian News Hall of FameThe Canadian News Hall of Fame is a museum that honours individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to journalism in Canada. The Hall of Fame is operated under the auspices of the Toronto Press Club and is housed within the Ontario Club at 30 Wellington St. W. in Toronto...
(1995)