bulk fuel plant remain "TERRACE CO-OP employees gather with a float in front of their, store during happier times. The Co-op’s main department store closes today, ending more than 50 years of serving food _and providing other Services. The home centre and open as does the garden centre. | “Below find some memories of the Co-op. out of Africa IN RESPONSE to my good friend Brenda - ‘Silsbe’ s letter on Co-op memories, you jogged my ‘memory going back — oh, must be on 43 years now. Back then the Co-op was the main store in town for everything. Overwaitea was still called : Over-Weight-Tea (because they always put in -anextra scoop when selling their tea) located on . Kaluii: ‘actos from what is now Don Diego’s. ‘Thal ¥ was preity much Terrace. “Ev’s was there back then and the Tillicum ‘Théaire'i rin by old Charlie’ Adams was in the basement of what was later rebuilt and became the. Terrace Volunteer Bureau. The Hub Store was an ‘early version of Van’s News. © Yes,‘ kids, we were a one horse town back ‘then — now we have two of everything but the “ ‘horse died. Getting back to the Co-op, ] was about six or ‘seven and my mother, a teacher with School District 88, was shopping for our weekly grub. Back then the Co-op had oiled, plank Mooring to THE CO-OP has been called a friendly, homey mecting place and yes, it is that for sure. But what made the Co-op so unique in many ‘ways is in how it participated in the community, living up to its name — co-operative, -T-bave had the good fortune of having beca employed at the Co-op for 24 years. During this time [ have scen many people both staff and customers, come and go and handled many changes. “But the event that meant a loi to me never changed in those 24 years, -In December 1974 a few of our staff saw a ~ news clip from Vancouver where Woodwards ‘had: put on a special evening for seniors and physically and mentally challenged people. We Anew with hard work we could do the Drygoods and coal fires MANY OF the names in management and among the ‘}aff have changed over the years and many have been — stoke the heater. lease, anything coal heater and each night Corby King would go down in the middle of the night to allow loggers to walk around in their caulked boots — common architecture in snowbound country like Skeena. Any pre-1960’s pictures of the Co-op will show you that it wasn’t the ultra modern build- ing itis today. Being small as I was I noticed the exotic food on the lower shelves like canned chocolate coated grasshoppers ‘(product of Africa, the — can’s label proudly boasted) and whale meat, I ‘was amazed and pointed this out te mv mother. - “Oh, Brian,’? she said, amused. ‘‘You would like to try some chocolate coated grasshop- pers!” 1 must confess I was ambivalent. I liked chocolate but I didn’t think I liked grasshop- pers. ‘‘What shail it be,’ said Mom, ‘'The grasshoppers or the whale meat?” . “TET got a choice, I'll take the grasshoppers. At least they’re chocolate. Couldn’t I have a coffee crisp instead?”’ No, mom was adamant. We'd try the chaco- same in the Terrace Co-op and within 10 days put together the evening’s entertainment, door prizes, refreshments and special discounts. We had a great fun night with all our guests ‘on Dec. 10, 1974. That first year drew more than 400 guests, the press, TV crew and volunteers, drawing the community together. Over the years the tumouts became a litte smaller, but the enthusiasm of the staff and guests never did, despite some awful nasty winter storms, A few people who were there from the start for this special event and still at our last party were: Corby King, Sandy Sandhals, Bill Keen- lyside (our faithful MC), Vicky Parviainen, Centennial Christian School Choirs, Lavern, Corby was honoured in 1979 by the board for the service he had provided since 1951. Pee eS el " forgotten, but for me many sland out. In1945 the first president, Zed Thomas, was elected. Floyd. Frank was the first yecretary and ‘Stewart ‘Campbell was the first man- igen. . In 1947 the membership ‘ose to 150 members. More a staff continued to be hired = w the Co-op and Terrace woth continued to grow. Jan MacKinnon was hired vy manager Corby King in 952 to take charge of the Iry goods department. AVben she went to work te: first day all there was in he department was cork oots, jeans, work shirts and totk socks. Jan asiso remembers the now blowing in through the rintepa. The store was heated by a $ tont floor of the store in the . Corby awoke one night ai 44m. with the feeling that something was wrong at the store. When he drove there, Corby found the wooden floor under the heater al- ready burning and managed to put the fire out before it could spread. George Manary, who worked the gas station, was remembered as the person looking after shoplifters. He would often walk over to the beer parlour at the Terrace Hotel to find Co-op merchandise being sold, ¥vonne Moen, Terrace Thanks, Corby AS A former employce of the Co-op for 27 years, starting in 1952, I would like to thank Corby King, manager for- those years for being such a wonderful, understanding and caring person to the staff and all. He always took time to listen to our staff problems and personal ones, too. i will always remember our wonderful and happy gather- ings we enjoyed together, picnics, campout, ball games, culing and other functions, Most of all, we will miss the times we spent gathering in the cafeteria with friends and members. Those were happy times, hristmases made late coated grasshoppers, even though they were really expensive. The manager was handling the ill that day. “Why, Mrs. Gregg,’’ he said, ‘I didn’t know you weut in for this kind of exotic food!’’ Mom smiled and said, ‘‘Brian wanted to try it!’ I ‘waited (o say, ““Wait a minute, It seems to me I just pointed the stuff out — it was mom who in- sisted,” but I never gol to say a word. Mom asked the manager: “‘Do you really sell exotic food like this??? The manager chuckled and said, ‘‘Actually, there’s a missionary couple who apparently acquired a taste for grasshopp- ers over in Africa. They wanted it so we ordered itin.” Thank you, John the Baptist! We went home and ate chocolate coated grasshoppers for the one and only time in my life. And that’s my first really big memory of shopping at ihe Co-op. Brian Gregg, Terrace B.C. special Don, Theo, Judy and many others. Last Christmas we promiscd our guests the biggest party yet in Dececember 1998, which would have been our silver anniversary of this eveut. I ami sorry that we cannot keep that promise due to circumstances beyond our control, But we won’t forget the goad times we had. And to all of you who were involved in one way or another in that special event every Christnas at the Co-op, I say a big thank you. John Wiebenga, Terrace B.C. (A baker at the Co-op, John Wiebenga is get- ung together with other employees from the bakery departnent to open their own bakery thes fall) LONG TIME Co-op employee Jan Mackinnon with Jan MacKinnon, Terrace, BC manager Corbin King. This pleture is from 1972. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 1, 1998 - A5 NOW 94, Floyd Frank, the man who Inspired the creation of Terrace Co-op in the 1940s, livas at Terraceview Lodge on the bench. Floyd Frank Started it all FLOYD FRANK is disappointed that it had to end this. way. Frank, age 94 and nearly blind, is the holder of mem- bership Number One at the Terrace Co-op and is one of its founders. When word spread that the main department store . was closing, many members thought of the effect on Frank, who now lives at Terraceview Lodge. “T was the big push behind It,’* said Frank during an interview last week in recalling how he originally helped spread the co-op idea in Terrace. “A man from the co-op came up to Rupert and I had him come up here at a great big meeting,’” he says. Frank helped raise the money for the new building in 1947 when he and two other board members took out a $300 loan from the credit union. The credit union would then move into the other half of the building, Frank was the Co-op board’s sccretaiy for many years and attended meetings as recently as eight years ago. “T think he’s just regretting the fact that people haven’t been supporting it,’’ says his witc, Aileen, of her husband’s feelings. “It’s been Floyd’s lifeline almost. We've talked nothing else than the Co-op,” she says, He and Aileen also took advantage of the Co-op’s s0- cial role, allending the picnics and Christmas functions held annually, “The Co-op meant a lot to the community,’’ said Frank. Floyd’s father, Henry Frank, was one of the original members of the Kitsumkalum Farmers’ Institute, the Co-ap’s predecessor founded in 1911, Frank's son, Norman, still sits on the board, Kind to seniors A big thank you to the Terrace Co-operalive for their kindness to seniors. How we will miss those Thursday seniors shopping days when we meet with other seniors and have a chat between the aisles! Also for the enjoyment we have had at te Christmas shopping event. It just won’t be the samel From a senior who appreciated 53 years of shopping at the Co-op, Alleen Frank, Terrace B.C,