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| There was a standing room only crowd at Sean Rossiter's Celebration of Life on Thursday January 15, 2015. I just wish Sean had been there to enjoy the kind words from friends from so many different walks of life. |
“The pen is
mightier than the sword.”
So wrote
English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his 1839 play Richelieu: Or the
Conspiracy, although seventh century BC Assyrian sage Ahigar is reported to
have written “The word is mightier than the sword.”
I have
been thinking about these quotations over the past week as a result of the
tragic Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris and other related events. I cannot help
but admire the bravery of the journalists who were murdered and the phenomenal
response by people around the world. On Sunday, the sight of world leaders
marching arm in arm in front of more than a million people through the streets
of Paris is something I will never forget.
We can
only hope that this tragedy will lead to a better understanding of the concerns
of Muslims, Christians and Jews in France and greater world harmony. However, I
am not overly optimistic that this will happen in my lifetime.
Last week
we lost another great journalist. Vancouver writer Sean Rossiter died after a
decade-long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
As
repeatedly noted in other obituaries, Sean was universally regarded as a great
writer, but more importantly, a true gentleman. He
authored 26 books on various topics but was best known to many of us in the
architectural, planning and development community as the author of the “Twelfth
and Cambie” column, which appeared monthly in Vancouver Magazine from summer
1975 until fall 1991.
In one of
his last columns in June 1991, “City Hall Wins One For The Bureaucrats,” he
wrote about the Bayshore project and my failed attempt to get permission to
develop a residential tower on piers in the marina in return for extending a
public pier at the end of Denman Street, linking it to the shoreline with an
Amsterdam bridge.
As he
wrote, “One reason the planner gave for turning thumbs-down on the
tower-in-the-water was that there aren’t a lot of examples of towers on
waterfront in Vancouver. No wonder! It is noteworthy that the only alderman who
voted for it was the only newcomer to civic politics, the only truly open-mind
on council, Tung Chan.”
Twenty
four years later, I still think it is a shame Vancouver does not have a lively
public pier and more places to gather along the waterfront.
During
the ’70s and ’80s, Sean was the only Vancouver journalist regularly writing
about architecture and urban issues. Each month, architects around the city
would eagerly await the next issue of Vancouver Magazine to see what topic he
was tackling. He often wrote about the importance of protecting older buildings
while saluting visionary architects and planners.
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| Former Vancouver Mayor and BC Premier and recovering politician, Mike Harcourt was one of many who spoke about Sean's special qualities as a cartoonist, writer, hockey player, and true gentleman |
In 2007,
in one of his last books, Sean collaborated with Mike Harcourt and Ken Cameron
on City Making in Paradise: Nine Decisions that Saved Vancouver. For those who
have not yet read it, the book describes, amongst other things, the efforts to
save Strathcona, the creation of the Agricultural Land Reserve, Expo ’86 and
the remaking of False Creek, and the important role played by the GVRD and
Regional Planning.
Sean was
one of the founding directors of Vancouver’s Urbanarium Society, along with
former chief planner Ray Spaxman, architects Richard Henriquez and Frank
Musson, landscape architect Jane Durante and others. The goal of the society
was to create a special museum similar to those found in Singapore and
Shanghai, housing a large model of the city and other displays. It would be a
place where one could discuss future projects and plans and important urban
topics.
With
Sean’s help, the Urbanarium Society launched the Builders of Vancouver series,
which profiled architects, engineers and other personalities who helped create
our city.
Today,
former Urbanarium directors, along with Leslie Van Duzer, head of the UBC
School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, are continuing to explore
the feasibility of creating an Urbanarium for Vancouver.
I hope
they succeed so we can one day wander through the Sean Rossiter Gallery.
Sean
Rossiter leaves behind his wife, Terri Wershler, and other family members. A
memorial service is being held tomorrow (Jan. 15) at 4:30 p.m. at Dr. Sun Yat
Sen Garden. Rest in
peace, Sean.
- See
more at:
http://www.vancourier.com/opinion/opinion-writer-sean-rossiter-built-a-legacy-covering-vancouver-1.1729668#sthash.LjzwlNzQ.dpuf
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