Jack & Thelma Hutchinson Collection (1933-1945)

Contents 

Jack's file of letters, documents, and papers. Pertaining mainly to the Cypress Bowl area, Hollyburn's cabin community, and the promotion of skiing in B.C., its significance was only fully realized within the last few years. The assembled record in its entirety attests to Jack's two decades of volunteer work, dedication, and leadership on behalf of local skiers. Other items relevant to the time are also included.

Thelma's photographs. Preserved in several albums, they chronicle cabin life, the various participants in Hollyburn's year-round social scene, local competitions, and skiing trips. Thelma developed them herself in a tiny hall closet converted to a darkroom in the family home. She also included some professionally taken shots which are credited where possible.

Thelma's captions and page notes.

Additional captions by Thelma's mother, Kathleen Stevens, with Kathleen's related photos, are included on the final page of photographs (P. 10, Hutchinson Photo Groups 32 and 33, 1940's album 3).

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Don Grant, Archivist / Historian of the Hollyburn Heritage Society and the Hollyburn Ridge Association, devoted countless hours throughout many months between September 2018 and March 2020 to the preservation of this collection intact in digital form.

Don collated and scanned all the original papers, and included articles written by Jack or Thelma, that he located in various archived 1930's and '40's publications. He also added more recent items, such as the 1976 'Sentimental Journey' memoir by Naomi Wilson MacInnis that he chose for the Prologue, the June Gillrie 'Memory Lane' recollections by Laura Anderson, published in the North Shore News, September 2016, and his own article, 'Hollyburn and a Special Family Cabin', published January 2019 in The Beacon, West Vancouver's community newspaper. 

Don scanned all the photographs, and electronically cleaned, edited, and restored them where necessary. He also converted images to original black and white while preserving sepia tones. He transcribed all the handwritten captions, including notes on the backs of the photographs. These steps involved the delicate operation of removing each photo from its mounting corners, and then replacing it, in the now-fragile albums. When necessary, he added clarifications in brackets. (Thelma's occasional bracketed comments are mostly humorous.) See final page re: asterisks. 

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The family is deeply grateful for Don's timely assistance and willingness to shoulder such a huge commitment. His kind interest, generosity, and expertise are appreciated beyond words.

Thanks to Don's gift, Jack and Thelma's gift lives on.

On behalf of my brothers, our spouses, Thelma and Jack's grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren, I am proud to share my parents' legacy with everyone interested in the history of Vancouver, their beloved home.                                                                             

Ruth (Hutchinson) Alsemgeest, March 2020.

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Note Regarding Hutchinson Photo Captions

The captions in the digital photo galleries below have been transcribed from those appearing in the original photo albums. This includes handwritten captions that appear in the photo albums and in many cases remarks on the backs of individual photos. Editorial changes and clarifications are noted in parenthesis. Note, this remains a work in progress with possible updates as needed.

Examples of captions and notes in original photo album.