Optimist marks 90th anniversary

 

 
The Delta Optimist April 3, 2012
 
 
 
The front cover of the Optimist's special 90th anniversary magazine.
 

The front cover of the Optimist's special 90th anniversary magazine.

Photograph by: File , Delta Optimist

Click here to see the full edition in PDF: Optimist marks 90th anniversary

Last Friday, the Delta Optimist celebrated the 90th anniversary of its first issue.

Published on March 23, 1922, about 500 copies of that first edition of what was then known as The Weekly Optimist hit the streets.

This week's Optimist contains a special magazine to commemorate the milestone.

Over the past nine decades, the Optimist has chronicled Delta's evolution from sleepy village to vibrant municipality.

The special anniversary magazine showcases not only the evolution of the paper but the community as well.

In it, you'll find information about the history of the paper, stories about significant events from decades past, as well as advertisements and photos that provide a look back on the day-to-day life of years gone by.

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The front cover of the Optimist's special 90th anniversary magazine.
 

The front cover of the Optimist's special 90th anniversary magazine.

Photograph by: File , Delta Optimist

 
The front cover of the Optimist's special 90th anniversary magazine.
One of the Optimist's readers catches up on some news during a Business Improvement Association of Tsawwassen's Outdoor Movie Night series event. The paper sponsors and provides coverage for the annual summer series.
The Tsawwassen First Nation has big development plans, including two major malls.
The Optimist's website has an array of features.
Harness racing ceased at Paterson Park in the late 1960s.
Port expansion was just one area of concern.
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (left) and Premier W.A.C. Bennett were on hand for the opening of the Roberts Bank superport.
Ernie and Bea Bexley spent time in Hawaii after selling the Optimist in 1990.
Publisher Lori Chalmers
A Second World War air training field was established at what's now known as Boundary Bay Airport.
Publisher Lori Chalmers is flanked by former publishers Tom Siba (right) and Edgar Dunning.
Residents rallied against a 1989 housing proposal.
Queen Elizabeth II was here in 1959 for the opening of the tunnel.
Gertrude Dunning is shown in this photograph from the 1940s with her three sons: Edgar (left), Bill (middle) and Eric (right).
Vincent Dunning
Gertrude Dunning
Edgar Dunning officially began working for the Optimist in 1930.
When he was editor of the Optimist in 1955, Edgar Dunning was interviewed for the CBC Radio program Canadian Scene. He described life in what was then the small rural town of Delta. Dunning witnessed and reported on the many changes in Delta, including the dramatic transformation that began following the opening of the George Massey Tunnel four years after that radio interview.
Edgar Dunning became an iconic figure in Delta for both his work at the newspaper and in the community.
This October 25, 1928 edition of the Weekly Optimist is typical of that era. The front page features display and classified ads, no photographs and small headlines.
The Ladner Optimist, as the paper was known in this July 10, 1947 edition, still doesn't include any photos, although ads have disappeared and headlines have become larger. The front page features a whopping 17 articles.
Photographs are the most obvious change in this July 15, 1964 edition of the Optimist. In addition to four black-and-white photos, this era's front page features bolder headlines.
This February 1, 1985 edition of the Delta Optimist Week Ender marked a switch to a tabloid format as well as the introduction of spot colour.
This February 24, 2012 edition of the Delta Optimist is typical of present-day production, complete with colour photos, large headlines and teasers that highlight articles inside the paper.
Sales rep John Gallinger talks to a client.
Reporter Dave Willis asking a question during an interview.
Photographer Chung Chow working at his desk.
Editor Ted Murphy working at his desk.
The Optimist is printed at Kodiak Press.
Carrier William Bancroft on his paper route.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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