Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, vol. 4, ed. by Thomas Melville Bailey (review)

Book Reviews 725 Dictionary ofHamilton Biography, vol. 4. Editor-in-chiefTHOMAS MELVILLE BAILEY. Hamilton: Seldon Graphics 1999. Pp. x, 284, illus. $50.00 Moy Seto left his family in China in 1912 and, having worked at odd jobs across Canada, arrived in Hamilton in 1943. There he found work as a dishwasher at the Pagoda Chop Suey House for about fifteen years, and remained in Hamilton until his death in 1981. Although he was able to return to China only once before his death, he sent home the money he earned 'to support a family he barely knew.' Bill Fraser raised his family in his hometown, Hamilton, driving a garbage truck in the 1930s. He collected sacks of peach pits from a local canner, burning them as fuel instead ofthe coal he could not afford. Neither hard work nor ingenuity could save two ofhis three children, who died ofpneumonia and chicken pox during the Depression. Mary Eileen Van Riley grew up in Hamilton and worked as a textile analyst in one ofthe city's factories. She dreamed of flying, and in 1928 became the first Canadian women to receive a pilot's licence. The former Hamilton beauty queen enjoyed a briefcareer as an 'aviatrix,' appearing in air shows across North America, before marrying and raising a family in New York. The stories of Seto, Fraser, and Van Riley are among the gems one can find in volume 4 ofthe Dictionary ofHamilton Biography. While the Dictionary profiles famous individuals with connections to Hamilton, such as radio priest Charles Coughlin, British Columbia judge and social activist Helen Gregory McGill, and Second World War General H.D.G. Crerar, it excels in highlighting lesser-known and local historical figures. The range oflocal personalities included in the volume is extraordinary and eclectic, from murderers and the victims of unsolved murders to prominent local religious, political, and business leaders. At their best, like the stories of Seto, Fraser, and Van Riley, these biographies provide glimpses into Hamilton society in the first six decades of the century. The reader is introduced to the history of Hamilton's black community in Paul Mercer's biography of minister John Holland, to the suburban development of Westdale in Pat Ingraham's account of realtor Frank Hamilton, to the operations of a rolling mill in Haig Leckie's profile ofmill superintendent James Leckie, to the world of entertainment in Paul Mercer's biography of the Brant Inn's impresario John Murray Anderson, and to the development of McMaster University in Charles M. Johnston's fine portrait ofone ofthe university's presidents, George Gilmour. Those interested in urban politics from the 1920s until the 1950s will find lengthy and valuable biographies, detailing the careers of three key Hamilton figures, NoraFrances Henderson (Molly Pulvar Ungar), Sam Lawrence (Craig Heron), and Thomas McQuesten (John C. Best). Those who are also seeking 726 The Canadian Historical Review· racier biographies may be disappointed that Evelyn Dick does not rate her own entry, but those in the know will soon tum to Paul Mercer's profile ofEvelyn's father, Donald Maclean, the only person convicted in the infamous Torso murder of1946. Those not in the know will find the index decidedly unhelpful; the listing for Evelyn Dick refers readers to . entries to two less central figures, including the local coroner, but not to the entry on her father. Like previous volumes in the series, this one has been modelled on the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, and the DCB's Robert L. Fraser even provided crucial editorial assistance. Some entries have been written by interested academic and amateur historians, while others come from summer students. Unlike previous volumes, volume 4 had to be produced in the face ofsignificant cutbacks in government assistance, and its publication is a tribute to a dedicated group of local Hamilton historians led by T. Melville Bailey. Not surprisingly, the biographies vary in quality and depth, depending greatly on the background and interest of the contributor. Religious, educational, and political. figures seem to have inspired good biographies , but the same cannot be said for the business community. Given his importance to the city, DOFASCO's Frank Sherman, for example, deserves more than a...