Gladys Taylor (publisher)

Gladys Taylor
BornGladys Tall
1917
Swan River, Manitoba
DiedMay 31, 2015 (aged 97–98)
Airdrie, Alberta
Occupationnovelist, publisher, memoirist
NationalityCanadian
Period1950s–1990s
Notable worksPine Roots, The King Tree, Alone in the Australian Outback, Alone in the Boardroom

Gladys Taylor (née Tall; 1917 – May 31, 2015) was a Canadian writer and publisher.[1]

Biography

Born in Swan River, Manitoba, she trained as a teacher in Winnipeg and taught in her hometown for several years before marrying Lorne Taylor in 1940; during World War II, Lorne served in the Canadian Armed Forces while Gladys served in the Canadian Women's Army Corps.

Following the war, the couple moved to Thetford Mines, Quebec. As a mother and housewife, she began writing fiction as a hobby, and won the Ryerson Fiction Award twice in the 1950s for her novels Pine Roots in 1956[2] and The King Tree in 1958.[1] She also served for several years as editor of Canadian Bookman & Quarterly, the quarterly trade publication of the Canadian Authors Association.[3]

Following her divorce from Lorne at age 50, Taylor moved to Alberta.[4] With few immediate opportunities for work, she placed a classified advertisement to promote her services as an editor. She received a response from a man who was launching a new magazine, Western Leisure, and became an editor and investor in the magazine,[4] eventually buying out her partner and serving as the magazine's publisher. She then expanded her business by acquiring a network of community newspapers, including The Wheel and Deal, the Rocky View Five Village Weekly, the Carstairs Courier and the Airdrie Advance.[1]

In 1977, she went on a driving tour in Australia, publishing the memoir Alone in the Australian Outback in 1984;[4] the book formed the basis for the 1992 film Over the Hill.[5] In 1987, she published Alone in the Boardroom, a memoir of her experience as a woman in business at a time when that was still a relative novelty.[6]

She was also known for her editorials in her newspapers, which were harshly critical of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Alberta premier Don Getty.[7] She endorsed the Reform Party of Canada in the 1988 federal election.[7]

She ran as an independent candidate in the 1989 Alberta Senate nominee election,[7] finishing fourth of six candidates.[8]

Taylor's fifth book, Valinda, Our Daughter, was published in 1993. The book tells of the EgyptAir Flight 648 hijacking, with a focus on one of the Canadian passengers.[9]

Taylor died on May 31, 2015, in Airdrie, Alberta.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Albertan writes book on women in business; Author has gone from washing towels to heading publishing company". The Gazette, January 26, 1987.
  2. ^ "Ryerson Fiction Award". Ottawa Journal. March 14, 1959. p. 44. Retrieved August 21, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Lyn Harrington, Syllables of Recorded Time: The Story of the Canadian Authors Association 1921–1981. Dundurn Press, 1981. ISBN 9780889241121. p. 279.
  4. ^ a b c "Film company will shoot true story of woman's adventures in Australia". Toronto Star, October 24, 1988.
  5. ^ "Literary luminaries descend on Camrose". Edmonton Journal, February 10, 1990.
  6. ^ "Women's Network helps boost confidence". Toronto Star, October 27, 1987.
  7. ^ a b c "Taylor seeks Senate seat". Calgary Herald, September 14, 1989.
  8. ^ "Waters declares victory in Alberta senate vote". The Globe and Mail, October 17, 1989.
  9. ^ "Beiseker family the centre of potential Hollywood movie". Rocky View Weekly. August 30, 2013. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  10. ^ "Family and friends remember Gladys Taylor, founder of the Rocky View Weekly" Archived June 11, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Rocky View Weekly, June 8, 2015.