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Zipporah Ritchie Woodward

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Zipporah Ritchie Woodward (July 23, 1885 - July 26, 1976).[1] was a theatre director, writer and supporter of the arts community in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from the 1920s to the 1970s.[2] She was described as the "Grand Dame" of Vancouver's establishment by Vancouver Life Magazine.[3]

Zipporah Ritchie Woodward (Mrs. Ernest Woodward) 1945. University of British Columbia Archives

Early history

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Woodward, whose maiden name was Ritchie, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended Wells College in Aurora, New York, USA, in the early 1900's.[4] After marriage, she became known as "Mrs. E.A. Woodward" or "Mrs. Ernest Woodward".[4]

Drama career

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Woodward directed numerous plays for the Vancouver Little Theatre on Vancouver's Commercial Drive in the 1920s and 1930s.[5][6] Her direction of "The Second Man" at the Vancouver Little Theatre in 1931 was described in the Vancouver Sun as "sure and deft".[7]

In 1945 she directed the University of British Columbia Alumni Players Club production "Claudia"[8] at the UBC Auditorium.

She was president of the BC Drama Association (now known as Theatre BC) from 1948 to 1950[9] and appeared as a Panelist on Canadian Playwriting at the Frederic Wood Theatre at UBC in March 1956.[10]

Personal

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Woodward was known as a prolific letter writer, who would often share special quotations.[11] Her husband Ernest Austin Woodward ran a successful grain business on the Vancouver Waterfront, known as Columbia Grain Elevator.[12] In the 1920s, the family moved to Vancouver, residing on the city's affluent Point Grey Road in a home called "Seagate Manor".[13] Woodward was survived by her three children: Geoffrey Woodward, Shirley Woodward Grauer Owen,[1] and Peter Woodward[1].[14][failed verification] Upon her death, Vancouver columnist Mamie Moloney mourned her friend's loss to the city, describing her as "one of the last great ladies".[15]

Prominent family

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Woodward's artist[16] daughter Shirley Woodward married Vancouver intellectual and businessman Dal Grauer, who became president of the BC Electric Company. Dal Grauer died in 1961.[17] Shirley Woodward Grauer subsequently married Walter S. Owen,[18] a lawyer who was appointed BC's Lieutenant Governor in 1973.[19]

Her granddaughter is artist Sherry Grauer.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Deaths: Woodward, Zipporah Ritchie". The Province Newspaper. July 27, 1976. p. 24. ProQuest 2380150037.
  2. ^ Wallace, Pat (July 23, 1975). "What people are doing". The Province newspaper. p. 33. ProQuest 2380086913.
  3. ^ Holt, James (March 1968). "Vancouver Establishment: What it's like underneath". Vancouver Life Magazine. Vol. 3, no. 6. p. 23.
  4. ^ a b "Chatterbox at the Breakfast Table". The Minneapolis Tribune. April 21, 1907. p. 18. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub from the Minnesota Historical Society.
  5. ^ Nesbitt, Carol Dell (1992). History of the Vancouver Little Theatre Association (MA thesis). University of British Columbia. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  6. ^ "A Tribute to the Little Theatre". The Vancouver Sun. March 3, 1934. p. 15. ProQuest 2239915148.
  7. ^ B, RD (December 18, 1931). "Sex Problem Features Play - 'The Second Man' Proving Most Enjoyable Performance". The Vancouver Sun. p. 7. ProQuest 2239951852.
  8. ^ "UBC Students Star in Play". The Vancouver Sun. May 7, 1945. p. 25. ProQuest 2240062722.
  9. ^ "TheatreBC: Our History". theatreBC. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  10. ^ "Canadian Playwriting to be discussed here". The Vancouver Sun. March 1, 1956. p. 23. ProQuest 2240178510.
  11. ^ "Mamie Moloney". The Vancouver Sun. October 14, 1977. p. 26. ProQuest 2241315305.
  12. ^ "Ernest Woodward, Grain Expert, Dies". The Vancouver Province. April 19, 1954. p. 5. ProQuest 2369025890.
  13. ^ "Future of Stately Residence Problem for Parks Planners". The Vancouver Province. March 12, 1973. p. 12. ProQuest 2380071128.
  14. ^ "Peter C. Woodward". The Chilliwack Progress. 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  15. ^ "Mamie Moloney". The Vancouver Sun. August 20, 1976. p. 14. ProQuest 2241108348.
  16. ^ Godley, Elizabeth (November 7, 1987). "Through a screen brightly: It's the unique art of Sherry Grauer". The Vancouver Sun. p. 39. ProQuest 2243743076.
  17. ^ Buchanan, Kari. "A.E. "Dal" Grauer, LL.D. (Hon) (1906 – 1961)". Business Laureates of BC. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  18. ^ "Walter Steward Owen". Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M. 2003-07-15. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  19. ^ "The Walter S. Owen Lecture". Peter A. Allard School of Law. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
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