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Antigonish Review # 149
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George Sanderson
as Editor
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Cover
Family Photo by Brendan Sanderson
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With a bottle of scotch
to tune the mind…
George Thompson |
In the early 70's,
as I was starting my second assignment at McLuhan's Center for
Culture and Technology, I saw many visitors, from the Prime Minister
to the pizza boy. One of those visitors was George Sanderson.
At that time the activities at the Coach House were quite hectic.
There was much intellectual and social interaction taking place.
From the beginning George and I formed a congenial relationship.
In those years George would visit often, and he
and I and others had great "after hours" discussions on technology
and its effects. Of course, being the philosopher that he was,
George would give the discussions a philosophical bent. Many of
these discussions would continue into the night at George's suite
at the Park Plaza - with a bottle of Scotch, to tune the mind!
Later, following McLuhan's death, there was an
undertaking to establish a McLuhan Foundation with the purpose
to promote the works and ideas of McLuhan. The original signators
were Corrine McLuhan, Frank Macdonald, myself and, of course,
George. The Foundation gave the opportunity to him to establish
forums through print and electronic media to study the problems
and perceptions that McLuhan raised.
This work gave me the chance (the privilege) of
visiting with George and Gert through many summers at their home
in Lanark, near Antigonish. Their hospitality was unbounded. My
memories of wonderful visits there are very dear to me. George
would give me the use of his car which allowed me to roam the
interesting countryside of that area. Other times we played with
the dogs on their 28 acres. I still remember Bear and Tippy who
were my constant companions. Many evenings George, Gert, and I
would reminisce - with, of course, a bottle of Scotch to tune
our thoughts. They made me feel a part of their family.
When George called me some years ago to contribute
a piece for a planned special edition of The Antigonish Review
dedicated to McLuhan, I accepted with pleasure.
George and I maintained regular contact with each
other. I came to expect on a regular basis a series of political
cartoons drawn by his son, an accomplished artist. I will always
remember George with a special fondness.
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