Linsky by Lansdale
Toronto. Look at our web site header and you will see my note “founded 1974”. Did you ever wonder why I chose that year to display as our founding year?
Issue 25-2 of our journal explains it all in an article by then editor, Bob Lansdale who interviewed the society’s founding president, John Linsky. Bob illustrates his article with numerous photos covering the first quarter century of our society.
The article begins, “Talk with any of the founding officers and members of the PHSC and they will tell you that the past twenty-five years have slipped by too fast; but that quarter century has left a trail of valuable memories as the Society has moved from project to project, from success to success.
“It all started in the summer of 1974 when John Linsky, while strolling on Eglinton Ave. West, spotted a collection of old cameras displayed in the window of the Canadian School of Photography. Intrigued, he introduced himself to the proprietor, Larry Boccioletti and found they had a mutual interest in collecting photographic memorabilia and saw the need for a collectors society in Toronto.
“Weeks later, John brought fellow collector, Morris Fischtein, into the circle who offered to support the idea of forming a club.
“As Larry recalls the events, ‘I had the experience of forming the Photographic Historical Society of New York in 1969 so could see the real benefits of pulling together a group of like-interested camera collectors here in Canada.
“As fate would have it, my school of photography ‘went down the tube’ so I had a lot of free time on my hands. In discussions with Morris we laid down the basic plan of attack; Morris was too busy to offer time for the project but agreed to bank roll the initial expenses with a cheque for $100 – a tidy sum which I certainly wasn’t capable of covering in my circumstances.
“I set to work each day, phoning people I thought might be interested in such a club, asking if they knew any others with similar interests. Pretty soon there was a list of some 150 names from which were selected 100 to receive a letter explaining our aims and inviting them to a meeting at the Constellation Hotel in Rexdale (northwest Toronto). Newspaper ads also promoted the founding meeting of October 23rd, 1974’”.
Want to see and read more about the founding and first quarter century of our society? It’s all there in the 25-2 pdf file on the free members-only DVD/memory stick. Join today with cheque (see above) or PayPal account/credit card (see right). Just see “Membership” and follow the instructions. Send an email to Lilianne at member@phsc.ca if you have any questions.
NB. The post title is from a booklet I once had called “1066 and All That“. It is a spoof on English history.
