The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 25, 1995 - B1 =» COMMUNIT ioe SECTION B COMMUNITY JEFF NAGEL EVENTS B2 638-7283 loneer pens second book REG HORNE Family tree yields maze of branches ECENTLY, a friend of mine rented the entire video series Roots by Alex Haley and stayed up all night watching it. I remember when the novel and T.V. series first generated a great deal of interest in fam- ily history. My own interest in family history goes back even further, { can remember as a boy in Ontario, my grandmother telling me stories about her brothers and sisters, My favourite was great uncle Alfred De La Haye, who lived in Port Alberni, British Columbia. For me, this little island logging community was more intriguing than Disneyland. It was a world away, and would remain so, until long after his death. Several years ago on a business trip to Vic- toria, I took time off to drive up to Port Al- berni. I spent an afternoon walking around a cemetery looking for his grave. Ali I ‘got was wet, This past summer, while I was based in Victoria, I tried a different approach. I made same phone calls to Port Alberni and finally obtained the date of uncle Fred's death from the operators of the cemetery where he was _ buried, . With this information i in hand, I went to the university library and found a capy of his obituary. It said that he had fourteen grand- children and eighteen great grandchildren, when he died in 1973, I knew nothing about any of these relatives but was curious lo find out about them. This inspired me to phone one of the two people in the Victoria phone book with his last name. The man who answered was brief. ‘Sorry, I'm not related to him, I’m from the Channel Tslands.*’ I persisted by telling him that uncle Fred was also originally from the Channel Islands. The man then told me that his brother, John, was interested in family history. His brother in England that was, He gave me his phone number, Fortunately, my wife was in England at- tending a family reunion, so I phoned her and Family history is fun because an- cesiors multiply like rabbits. asked her to phone this potential cousin for me, I received her reply the following day. This total stranger was, in fact, the great grandson of uncle Fred’s father's brother. In other words, John and I had the same great great grandparents. Further, John was indeed interested in fam- _ ily history and had traced his, and therefore my, family back to 1700. What a terrific find! Just the type of thing to encourage someone to visit a family his- tory centre and find out more. Fortunately, Terrace has a family history centre at 1744 Kenworth and anyone can use it free of charge, They are open Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mom- ings. Family history is fun because ancestors multiply like rabbits. Your two parents give you four grand- parents, cight greal grandparents, sixteen _ great great grandparents and so on. Of the two hundred and fifty direct an- cestors I have had since 1700, with the above _ information, I now know about twenty, I have lots of people left to find without con- sidering aunts, uncles and cousins. Oh, did I mention that my wife, through a similar event, has one line of her family back to 1015 AD. That’s thirly generations or a start on a list that will include over one billion. ancestors when complete. I hope that someday my chil- dren will be as impressed with that as ]am. Dr. Reg Horne ts a member of UNBC’s Faculty of Natural Resources and Environ- mental Studies i in Terrace, PORCINE Eee eee Ep Q IEEE m9 ememe ws ERRACE pioneer Floyd Frank is putting the finish- ing touches on his second book of local history and reminiscences. His first local history book — My Valley’s Yesteryears — became a popular addition to many bookshelves after its release in 1991. The new one doesn’t have a name yet, but Moré Skeena Memories is a strong con- tender, says Floyd. The book will be about 50 pages — not nearly as thick as the first — but it is a larger format. They hoping to see it printed and in local bookstores by late February or else sometime in March. Ke got the idea after a friend was going through some of his accumulated papers and writ- ings. ‘‘He said ‘You've got enough stuff here for ancther book,’ ’” “He said ‘You've got enough — stuff here for another book.’ ” The new book describes the thrills and chills of the upriver trip by riverboat from Port Es- sington to Hazelton, passing such colourful points as Hell’s Gate rock, Hardscrabble Bar, Sheep Rapids, Devil’s Elbow, and of course the Big Canyon at Kitselas that literally tore apart one riverboat. Then there’s the mystery of the perfect stone circles in Frank’s Field. Floyd found them after he purchased his 50 acres — for $350 in 1934 — up on the bench on the west side of Kalum Lake Drive. Students powe up for 30th science YOU’LL PROBABLY sce erupting volcanos, miniature greenhouses, and a light-bulb running on potato juice. But the one subject you’re not likely to sce in a science display this week is the evolu- tion of the festival itself. Now in its 30th year, the Terrace Science Festival con- tinues to evalve and expand as a vigorous educational force in our community’s classrooms. | It alt happens the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 4 at schools across the district. One of the big events each year is the exhibilion of dis- plays students have prepared al school or home. They'll be displayed from 9:15 a.m, to 3:30 p.m. on Sat- urday Feb, 4 at Caledonia Sr. Secondary school. ‘They always show in- genuity and reflect a great va- Tiety of interests,’ says organizer Allen Wooton, ‘‘In the past, students have tested the handedness — or pawed- ness — of cats, the best way to make batteries, or tested con- sumer products.”’ This year there will be a whole new sel of discoveries. Another.popular part of the _, festival are’ the contests ‘that | fake place on Saturday. Sune FLOYD FRANK relaxes with a proof of his latest book of local history. 1 The new book should be rs local bookstores sometime this Spring. The land was virtually clean of rock, he recalls, except for small goose-egg sized rocks laid out in two large perfect circles. ‘He never found out what their purpose was.. He tilled Fest There are contests for all ages of elementary ‘students and one — the car race — that secondary students can enter too, Contest rules are in the Science Festival -booklets available at the schools. Only the car race contest re- quires a pre-built structure. The Science Festival is not limited to Saturday, Feb, 4., however. Throughout the week of Jan. 30 to Feb, 4, there will be science demonstrations and presentations in Terrace and Thornhill schools, _ The presentations will be made by about 40 local scientists, engineers, doctors, health care workers, tech- nologists and teachers. “The Science Festival Com- miteee has been very gratified by the willingness of so many people to make these presenta- tions,” Wooton added. ‘It is because of their. generous as- sistance that there will be a science ‘presentation for each K-7 class in Thornhill and Terrace."’ The speakers help inspire students and show then the relevance of what they study in the classrooms to the wider. ~ Continued Page B B4 oe soil over the rocks and planted atop them. Also included in the book are Floyd’s impressions: of the “native people in those days, the origins of Howe Creek, and. memoties of Old Gimpy. era. — the well known Kermodei bear shot last year, The book promises to give - readers a second look at some of the names, faces and places of the Skeena’ 8 8 arly pioneer lM End of the line CN RAIL OPERATOR Norm McFarland hung up his hat alter 38 years In the rail:yards and got a big retirement sendoff from co-workers this month, He got his start as-a brake man in Smithers in 1957, when the locomotives — were steam driven and communications were done with Morse Code, He's been in “Terrace since 1964. Hs plans now are to fish, hunt and ski, “Plus, my. wife has a. {ot t of chores lined ‘up f for. me,’ " he Says.