{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/7m03x84d1s/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Interview with Roland Penner"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/128/original/UA_Logo_WHT_RGB_%281%29.png?1725471982","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003ca href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\"\u003eAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)\u003c/a\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Kule Folklore Centre (Creator)","Penner, Roland (Interviewee)","Pilling, Meredith (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2003-07-16 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["2 audio files; wav; 1:50:45","audio/x-wav"]}},{"label":{"en":["Identifier"]},"value":{"en":["p8418p24w (avalonid)","LC123 (other)","2003-091-302 (local)","2003-091-303 (local)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject"]},"value":{"en":["oral histories (topical)","armed forces (topical)","communism (topical)","occupations (topical)","politicians (topical)","education (topical)","Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Interview"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date First Ingested"]},"value":{"en":["2020-06-29"]}},{"label":{"en":["Note"]},"value":{"en":["Interviewee: Penner, Roland (creation/production)","Interviewer: Pilling, Meredith (creation/production)"]}}],"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003ca href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\"\u003eAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)\u003c/a\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["University of Alberta Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["University of Alberta Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/128/original/UA_Logo_WHT_RGB_%281%29.png?1725471982","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/132/661/small/Logo.png?1687989057","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 2 - 2003-091-302.wav"]},"duration":3798.43,"width":640,"height":40,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/132/661/small/Logo.png?1687989057","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-ualberta.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/132/661/original/2003-091-302.wav?1640592197","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mp3","duration":3798.43,"width":640,"height":40},"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Part 1 [Index]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Roland's family, father's life, mother's life, how parents met","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=0.0,383.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Roland was born in 1924 along with a twin sister. They were the last children born of their parents, Jacob Penner and Rose Penner. His older brothers Walter and Norman are still alive and living in Toronto. His twin sister, Ruthy, lives in Montreal. Roland's parents came from Ukraine, though they were not Ukrainian. His father's family was a Mennonite family that sold the farm and moved to operate a flour mill. Roland's father's whole family came to Winnipeg in 1904 and rented a large house in Sherbrooke. The house became a boarding house for mennonites coming into the city to shop. There were 9 children in the family and Roland's father was the eldest.\n\nRoland's father studied teaching and land surveying in Russia. While in Russia he met a number of social democrats and became a committed socialist and atheist. This was at odds with the rest of the family which was mennonite religious, though there was never a schism in the family. For 1 year,  Roland's father taught school in the german language in Altona, Manitoba. However, Roland's father wanted to be where there was political action and so came to Winnipeg, becoming employed at the Rosary Florist in 1905. He began hanging around the Labour Temple and asking after any socialists. He eventually found them and formed the Winnipeg branch of Socialist Party of Canada around 1907.\n\nRoland's mother was Jewish. She and her identical twin sister were raised by a cruel stepmother after their biological mother died when they were very young. The two of them worked in the chocolate and candy factories in Odessa and participated in the great general strike there in 1904. They then fled, leaving the family at 16 years of age, and crossed the Romanian border where they were helped by a refugee organization in Vienna. They spent a short time in London, but went to Winnipeg to live with relatives. While there, they worked in the candy factories in Winnipeg. A step-relative then founded the Galpern Candy Company where the sisters then worked.\n\nRoland's parents met at a meeting and reception hosted by anarchist Emma Goldman in 1907. The two began courting and were jointly involved in various political activities. They married in 1912 and began their family shortly after the First World War in 1919. In 1917, Roland's father, on account of being german and a radical, was fired by the Rosary. He took up employment with the Galpern Candy Company as a salesman (a job for which he was ill-suited).","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=0.0,383.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"birthplaces","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"communism","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"education","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"immigration","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"occupations","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=0.0,383.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Houses lived in, Winnipeg General Strike, schools and activities","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=383.0,1150.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Roland's family never owned a house and lived at various places on the north end of Winnipeg. Roland describes one of the houses. There were wooden sidewalks and mud roads. Roland's father always had a large sample case for candies and would set out every morning after very carefully brushing his clothing. He would frequently engage store owners and workers in political discussions, even while working. Together with Roland's mother, they would also engage in greater political activities. Roland's father was involved in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. His job during the strike was to raise funds for lawyers to defend those that would be arrested in the strike. By that time, the Russian Revolution had taken place and the Bolshevik Party had been formed. The socialist party in Canada split into what later became the CCF and the NDP. Roland's father met with some people in a bar in Guelph, Ontario and helped found the Communist Party of Canada and remained a committed communist all his life. He passed away in 1965 at the age of 85.\n\nRoland's family moved into the city. The radicals wanted Roland's father to run for city council, but to serve on city council means one has to live in the city. They lived in rented houses on two streets that Roland's mother favoured: Lansdowne Avenue and Polson Avenue. Their houses were owned on Lansdowne by Margaret Templeton. She was a large and very religious spinster. She liked nothing more than to sing hymns on Sunday, and wanted people to sing with her. Thus, she would coax Roland and his sister into joining her with the promise of grapes (which were a luxury at the time).\n\nWhen Roland was in grade 4, they moved to a very nice house on Polson Avenue, and went to Luxton School (which Roland notes is the same school that Burton Cummings and Monty Hall went to). Roland and his sister went there until grade 9. He says that, in those days (up to 1940), life was lived on the streets (in the best sense). There was no television and only a bit of radio on Sundays. They made their own fun and made their own games. Roland describes some of the game they played (variations on hide-and-go-seek and cowboys and Indians).\n\nWhen Roland was 14, they moved back to Lansdowne. Roland remembers people sitting on the boulevard and they would just talk. Wonderful discussions, sometimes furiously, about religion. They were the iconoclasts, atheists, and foreigners. Many of the houses on Lansdowne had garages, but the garages were empty because nobody owned a car. Thus, garages were converted into clubhouses. When the circus came to the prairie, just behind them, they would visit that venue.\n\nRoland later went to the famous St John's Technical High School which was very stratified. The north end of Winnipeg was the home of immigrants. Those immigrants lived in identifiable strips. The first strip was predominantly Jewish. Then there was Ukrainian, Russian, Polish. After that there was German. Roland's first wife, Addy, her parents were Polish and her first language, until she was 5, was Polish. All these different groups met at St John's Tech. Roland describes the school as having a dynamic atmosphere. He later describes some of the graduates of St John's Tech. He said that, with so many different groups coming together at the school, the kids learned to, if not respect each other's differences, at least put them aside.\n\nFunny thing about the stratification of the north end, Roland's family always lived in an area that was predominantly white Anglo-Saxon (English, Scottish, Welsh). On Lansdowne, there was only one Jewish family, which was the postman, Goldstein. There would be fights or incidents about that from time to time.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=383.0,1150.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"communism","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"education","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"ethnic diversity","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"general strikes","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"houses","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=383.0,1150.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Father's election and time as alderman, Great Depression, On-to-Ottawa Trek","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=1150.0,1730.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"They moved into the city so Roland's father could run as alderman of the city council and he was finally elected in 1933. He took office in January of 1934. By that time, he had gone from being a candy salesman to working as an accountant for the newly formed Worker's and Farmer's Coop (which later became the People's Coop which was famous for its cream cheese). It was the first decently paying job he had. However, after being elected to office, he gave up his job. The office paid 25 dollars a month which, even back then, was not enough to survive on for a family of six. To supplement income, Roland's mother, who was an excellent wrapper of Russian caramels that were popular with the Hutterites, would wrap many of these candies for the Galpern Candy Company.\n\nRoland's father was popular with the people of the area. It was during the Great Depression and the relief system, which offered vouchers for food or groceries, was often insufficient. Thus, people would come to Roland's father and his house became a drop-in centre. Roland's father would get on the phone and go to bat for the people that couldn't get by. Roland describes his father's dress and behaviours. \n\nOn a very hot day, in 1936, Roland's brother Walter occupied the best room in the house: a room on the second floor with a window facing the prairie (the only place they could get a breeze). Walter locked the door and Roland's mother nearly cut the door down with an axe.\n\nWhen Roland's father was elected, the first thing they had to get was a phone. He was listed in the phone book as Jacob Penner which, unfortunately, was the exact same name of a chimney sweep who was also in the phone book. For the first year, there were innumerable mixups for chimney sweeping and relief calls.\n\nRoland's family was always living in a political storm of one kind or another. In the middle of the Great Depression, the people that suffered the most were the young men that weren't eligible for municipal relief and were \"riding the rods\". These men organized amongst themselves and organized the On-to-Ottawa Trek which began in Vancouver and sought to travel to Ottawa to confront the extremely conservative tory government led by \"Iron Heel\" Bennett. Roland's home became a place to support the movement by feeding the people or sewing the holes in their clothes. Their immediate neighbours to the east, the Grahams who were with the Winnipeg police, did not like this development.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=1150.0,1730.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"elections","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"government aid","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"occupations","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"protest","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=1150.0,1730.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Challenges, Spanish Civil War and the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=1730.0,2196.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Roland remembers that despite the times being difficult politically and ethnically, they were happy times. Despite being on the edge of poverty, Roland's mother was a great cook and could prepare anything. In 1935, not having done so previously, Roland's mother decided to learn English and she set about teaching herself. She later ran for a position on the school board.\n\nRoland talks about marching and singing with the Young Pioneers with the radicals.\n\nRoland talks about the Spanish Civil War. The fascists under Franco with direct support from Hitler and the indirect support from France and Britain, mounted an army in Morocco and invaded Spain. Hitler tried out the bombing of civilian populations. Many of the western countries had volunteers that wanted to support the Spanish republicans and formed the International Brigades. The one from the United States was called the Lincoln Battalion. The one from Germany was called the Thalmann Battalion. The Canadian battalion was called the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. An individual named Bill Kardash (W.A. Kardash) served in the battalion and lost his leg as a tank commander. When he came back, he was elected in the legislature and later became a general manager of the people's coop. The most famous member of the battalion was Dr Norman Bethune. When the Spanish Civil War started, he conceived the concept for a mobile blood bank. He came to speak after the events of the Spanish Civil War in Winnipeg. He later died in China supporting communist forces.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=1730.0,2196.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"civil war","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"communism","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"fascism","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=1730.0,2196.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"World War 2, father's internment, police raids","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=2196.0,2602.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"In September 1939, the Second World War began. Roland was a Free Press Courier. Roland was excited because Canada was going to fight the fascists and Roland's family was extremely anti-fascist. In the 1930s, Roland and his siblings would go door-to-door selling magazines called \"Against War and Fascism\". However, the Communist Party of Canada thought the war was a \"phoney war\" that was really aimed at the destruction of the Soviet Union. The Communist Party thus adopted an anti-war stance. The Soviet Union had entered into a non-aggression pact with Hitler, with the enemy. In 1940, under the War Measures Act, a number of organizations were declared illegal, including the Communist Party and a number of others. In May of 1940, 8 or 10 police officers appeared at Roland's household. At the time, a person had to be 6 feet or taller to be a police officer. Roland's father was arrested as a \"potential threat\" and he was interned.\n\nHe was interned in Kananaskis, Alberta and subsequently moved to Ontario. He was interned for a couple years. Roland's mother fought a bitter battle traveling to Ottawa to demand better treatment as the communists were interned with fascist internees. This was a problem because many of the fascist internees, mostly german nationalists, threatened to kill the communist internees. Eventually, the government agreed and the two groups were separately interned. Roland and his siblings had to live with that when they went to high school.\n\nIn July 1942, Roland's father was released from internment. He was greeted at the train station in Winnipeg by 5000 people. In the fall election, he was reelected to the city council with the largest number of votes he had ever received. He served until his retirement in 1962.\n\nSaturday afternoon opera was a tradition in Roland's family as his parents loved the opera. Some time after his father had been interned, Roland's older brother Norman, who was the most political of them, was considered suspect. At one point, when his mother was off in Ottawa, Roland and his sister were listening to opera when there was a knock at the door and a number of large police officers entered the house with a warrant to search the property. One of the officers tried to turn off the radio, but Roland's sister pushed the officer aside and informed him that he would not turn the opera off in this house. The officer left it on.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=2196.0,2602.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"communism","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"fascism","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"internment","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"war (aggression)","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=2196.0,2602.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"WW II","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Keywords"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=2196.0,2602.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Joining the army, theatre and work before the war, choosing religions for the army","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=2602.0,3177.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"In 1943, Norman, Ruthy, and Roland all joined the army. Ruthy was in the Canadian Women Army Corps. Roland joined the artillery and became an artillery survey person, serving overseas in Normandy, Belgium, Holland, and Germany throughout the war, as did his brother Norman. In 1945, after the end of hostilities, Roland and his brother, who was in another unit, got leave to visit Paris where they met up. It was June and they were witness to the victory parade led by Charles de Gaulle. It was a Saturday morning and Norman and Roland went to see Picasso's art at an exhibition. Roland, as a result of successful gambling in Paris, had thousands of francs on him and could have purchased one of the pieces, but he didn't.\n\nRoland says neither he nor his siblings had any idea of going to University. They all did well in high school, though Roland did not do well in grade 12 due to the disruption in family life. By that time, Roland had been asked to join the Winnipeg New Theatre, which was a semi-professional theatre group. As so many men had gone off to war, they needed some people to join the group. Roland joined and received favourable reviews for his performances. Roland says he enjoyed his life in the theatre and wanted to pursue a career in that.\n\nRoland managed to get a job in a garment factory as a shipper. At the end of a year he was earning 9 dollars a week and approached his boss for 1 week of unpaid vacation. Roland's request was refused, so Roland quit. It took the employer 3 months to replace Roland and the replacement started at 25 dollars a week.\n\nRoland then went to work for General Steel Wares. His job was to make stove pipes by hand. Roland was making 38 cents an hour and asked his employer what he could do to earn some more money. He was told there would be a bonus if he could make more than 800 stovepipes in a day. The best Roland could do was 600 and it almost killed him. The other job he had there was to mark any leaks in the 5 gallon milk cans they produced. However, the minute Roland turned 18, he joined the army. He asked to join the artillery and was permitted to as he had completed high school math and could do trigonometry. They asked Roland for his religion and said he couldn't pick \"no religion\". When Roland asked why, he was told it was so they knew how to bury him if he were to die. So Roland asked for what religions they had and eventually picked United Church. He switched to Catholicism because they had their religious ceremonies earlier in the day. Thus, Roland was Catholic for 2 months. He occasionally became an Anglican when it suited his time in the army.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=2602.0,3177.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"armed forces","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"artillery","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"occupations","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"religion","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=2602.0,3177.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"WW II","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Keywords"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=2602.0,3177.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Battle of Falaise Gap, friendly fire","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=3177.0,3379.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"He went to basic training in Canada, mustered in England, and landed in Normandy some time after the initial assault (he doesn't remember how many days after D Day it was). Roland would participate in the Battle of Falaise Gap. On the 1st of August, 1944, it was the job of the Canadian Army to break out of the Falaise Gap and push the German Army out so the American Army to the south could then sweep around. It was a stubborn battle with a lot of artillery work, and Roland's group was shelled from time to time. Roland's captain called everyone together and told them that the German's were holed up in a quarry and that American flying fortresses are going to come and blast them out of there. Saturday afternoon, around noon, they started hearing bombs dropping way behind them. Roland and his friend had built an elaborate shelter and dove for the shelter where they waited for about an hour. 4 Canadian soldiers had died in the attack. Later, the British tried with the Lancaster Bombers and again, Roland's group heard the bombs landing behind them. It was a scene of devastation, though no one died this time (one was severely injured).","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=3177.0,3379.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"artillery","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"bombers (aircraft)","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"war (aggression)","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=3177.0,3379.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"WW II","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Keywords"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=3177.0,3379.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Language, university education","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=3379.0,3798.43"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Roland and his siblings had the wonderful opportunity to learn Russian, German, or Yiddish languages, but instead learned none of them. When his parents wanted to speak to each other in confidence, they spoke in Russian. Roland's parents enjoyed going to banquets at the Ukrainian Labour Temple. Thus, Roland learned quite of bit of the Ukrainian language, learned bits of the Jewish and Russian languages. They used to sing Russian folk songs in the house and Roland still remembers some of the verses.\n\nAs Roland had joined later into the war, he was to be on one of the later transports home. To get out of Holland, he applied to and attended the Khaki College just north of London, England. He was able to get the credits he was missing to go to University. He came back to Canada in 1946 and started 2nd year university. He'd wanted to take drama, but changed his plans after participating in university life. By the time he left university, he was married with a 3rd child on the way.\n\nIn 1954, some of the radicals wanted to establish a left-wing bookstore called the Coop Bookstore and asked Roland to be the manager. It was a hand to mouth existence. They brought in Russian and Ukrainian literature, which helped them to survive. They also brought in some of the first folk records over. He later brought over many of the folk singers. ","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=3379.0,3798.43"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661/index/52418/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"education","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"language","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"occupations","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132661#t=3379.0,3798.43"}]}]},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 2 of 2 - 2003-091-303.wav"]},"duration":2847.881,"width":640,"height":40,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/132/662/small/Logo.png?1687989068","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/content/2/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-ualberta.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/132/662/original/2003-091-303.wav?1660927998","type":"Audio","format":"audio/wav","duration":2847.881,"width":640,"height":40},"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Part 2 [Index]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Competition for parking income as children","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=0.0,250.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Pete Seegar stayed with Roland and his family in Lansdowne. Seegar took Roland's bamboo rake and turned it into a recorder which he played at a show.\n\nWhen they lived in Lansdowne in the 30s, their house was near a popular soccer stadium. Huge crowds would come to see the local sides. People who would come to see the soccer games would come by car and needed a place to park. There was an empty lot and Roland's and his friends made a sign that said \"parking 10 cents\". Another group of kids thought to get in on the parking action and the two groups starting competing to see who could get to the empty lot first. It got to the point where Roland's group had to pitch a tent. When Roland mentioned this to his father, his father told him it was a city owned lot and suggested Roland take out a gardening permit. Roland went down, paid 2 dollars, got a gardening permit, and planted 1 row of potatoes against the fence. Roland's group stopped trying to get to the lot first and simply produced the permit to the other group of kids. The other group was furious and tried to call the cops, but the cops sided with Roland's group as they had the permit for the lot. Thus, Roland's enterprise continued.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=0.0,250.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"children","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"commerce","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=0.0,250.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Identity, ethnic and political discrimination, barred from the United States","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=250.0,1012.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Roland's family didn't identify ethnically, but they were identified. His father always had heavily accented English and his mother was known to be Jewish and thus would be the target of some antisemitism. Roland's mother had a very well-to-do sister who lived in Los Angeles that would try to help Roland's family in any way they could. Occasionally, they would receive a huge box of clothing. It was good stuff, but more than they could use. Roland's mother made a deal with Mrs Anderson down the street to trade some of the dresses that were too large for Ruthy for 5 dollars. Mrs Anderson said that she didn't have the money now, but she could pay later. However, \"later\" never came. One day, Roland's mother asked Ruthy to go down to Mrs Anderson and collect the 30 dollars. Ruthy did this but heard Mrs Anderson saying \"dirty Jews want nothing but money\" and Ruthy came home in tears.\n\nMost disagreements were of a political nature. Roland remembers that religious and racial differences don't mean as much to kids as they do to the parents. During the federal election of 1935, the leader of the Communist Party was nominated to run for officer in Winnipeg. Roland's home became the headquarters for that campaign and was the target of many thrown tomatoes.\n\nWinnipeg, because of its diversity, people learn to get along. There was a level of toleration. Ruthy and Roland were discriminated against later on, not because of ethnicity or identity, but because of politics. When Ruth got out of the army and went to university for a degree in social work, she couldn't get a job. Roland was barred from the United States due to his subscription to a number of magazines that were either communist or too close to communist. Roland was the head of a delegation of Canadian students First World Youth Festival in Prague in 1947. They volunteered to help build a youth railway in Yugoslavia. They were given a 2 month holiday in Dubrovnik, before heading home. Unbeknownst to them, the owners of the ship home had taken a side deal to take a load of ore to New York. They were to stop in New York for 5 days. There were 5 people on the ship that didn't have visas, Roland included. American immigration officials refused the 5 people visas and so they were stuck on the boat and couldn't take the chartered bus to Canada. The officials continued to be unfair.\n\nThere was to be a debate in North Dakota and Roland was to attend. American authorities got wind of this and informed the president of the University of Manitoba that Roland could not attend. Roland decided to make a point of principle about it and go. The president of the university came to the north end and knocked on Roland's door and begged Roland not to go and Roland acquiesced. The debate team decided to have some fun and told the American authorities that Roland Penner was on one of the buses in disguise. Everyone was ordered off the buses and the buses were searched up and down.\n\nWhen Roland was elected to office and became attorney-general, the then American consul in Winnipeg came to see him. She asked him about some agreements to sound Roland out. She must have determined that he wasn't anti-American because Roland was finally granted a visa as long as he was in office. Roland flew to Vancouver en-route to San Francisco, but was denied entry into the United States. Roland got around this by renting a car, driving to Seattle, then flying to San Francisco. Traveling now is not a problem.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=250.0,1012.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"discrimination","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"ethnic diversity","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"identity","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"political identity","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=250.0,1012.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Family's identity, participation in ethnic events, foods prepared at home","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=1012.0,1357.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Roland's family did not identify as mennonite. His family never attended any church, and they never identified as mennonite or Jewish.\n\nConcert life and banquet life was important to his family. Thus, they would go to Ukrainian events (which were the big ones as they had the big hall), Russian events, and sometimes to Jewish events. The Jewish Liberty Temple had events. The temple had a nursery school where Roland and Addy sent their 3 children. Many of the left wing Jewish kids went to a school called Peretz School, but Roland's family went to the regular schools.\n\nRoland and his siblings went with his parents to the Ukrainian events as there were no babysitters. The events were banquets. Women would spend the entire day making food for the banquet, there would be some concert items, and a mandolin orchestra with dancing.\n\nAt home, most of the food was Russian. His mother didn't do kosher meat as draining the blood meant most of the value was gone. She would cook beef stroganoff and ham and cabbage borscht. She also made something called knish which was ground meat, wrapped in a potato, then fried. Roland's mother had a bizarre sense of humour. She would joke about the suppers she made.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=1012.0,1357.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"ethnic foods","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"meals","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"special events","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=1012.0,1357.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"School life, Norman's life and work, law school, legal career, teaching career","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=1357.0,2310.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"School life was happy. Ruthy and Roland were always in the same class and they always did well. They skipped a grade and had some marvellous homeroom teachers. In grade 9, their teacher was Sybil Inkster, the daughter of Sheriff Inkster. Roland says she was a mean person. She punished Roland and Ruthy for giggling during an Armistice Day silence. Another teacher had Ruthy and Roland punished via strap, which their mother threatened the principal over.\n\nNorman made his first public address at the age of 13, the address was written about in the newspaper. When he left the army, he became a full-time official of the Communist Party of Canada. In the 1950s, the true story of Stalin was finally revealed. Norman put forward a motion with the central committee of the Communist Party of Canada to expel the leader, Tim Buck. The motion passed, but was later reversed. Norman left the party at that point and became bitterly anti-communist party at that point, but not anti-socialist. He was opposed to their devotion to the Soviet Union. Norman then had to get a number of jobs to support his family. Around age 40, Norman went to university and was able to acquire a doctorate and secured a position with York University.\n\nRoland worked at the bookstore which was a dead end job as he had 3 children to support. His family persuaded him to go to law school and at age 33, he attended law school. It was a 4 year course at the time: courses in the morning, apprenticeship in the afternoon. He passed the bar and formed a partnership with a fellow communist. He practiced law until 1968 when the dean of the law school had to fire someone teaching criminal law because the person was solely interested in sex crimes. Roland was well known as a criminal defence lawyer and participated in some notorious trials, so the dean asked Roland to teach one course as a sessional teacher for 1500 dollars. After a year of teaching as a sessional teacher, he was offered a full-time teaching position and was still allowed to practice law. When the newly elected NDP government decided to implement a legal aid system, Roland was asked to chair the board for it.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=1357.0,2310.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"communism","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"corporal punishment","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"education","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"occupations","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=1357.0,2310.0"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Family history, tributes to father, debating career","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=2310.0,2847.881"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Roland has decided to do a family history called \"Penners of Winnipeg\". It will be a family history and personal memoir.\n\nHe talks about how he got the park named after his father and the commemoration of his father. There was a banquet styled after those that used to be hosted at the labour temple.\n\nHe talks about some of the debates he used to have as part of those competitions. One in particular, was the debate surrounding a constitutional bill of rights. They had to argue for both sides of the argument, and managed to convince the judges with the argument against having a bill of rights. He talks more about his days debating. ","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=2310.0,2847.881"},{"id":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662/index/52417/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"commemorations","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}},{"type":"TextualBody","value":"family histories","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Subjects"]}}],"target":"https://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1776/collection_resources/58586/file/132662#t=2310.0,2847.881"}]}]}]}