Eye Opener Bob: The Story of Bob Edwards

by Grant MacEwan, James Martin (Editor)

Forty-six years later those words still ring true: there has since been no book that has brought to life early Calgary the way that Eye Opener Bob does. Perhaps more importantly, it's the closest we'll ever get to Robert Chambers Edwards—Eye Opener Bob —the irrepressible editor of Calgary's most singular newspaper, and the city's most singular denizen.

Bob Edwards was a true Canadian original, the prototypical hard-drinking, pull-no-punches editor of the Calgary Eye Opener—at the time the largest paper between Vancouver and Toronto, with a circulation of over 30,000 copies. A paper with the power to elect or dethrone governments, to bring the mighty CPR to reform its ways, and to skewer the pretensions of society like few before or since. Eye Opener Bob brings this fascinating character to life in all his glorious self-contradictions.

MacEwan arrived in the city at just the right time to write Eye Opener Bob—the old Sandstone City hadn't yet been whitewashed over by the new money from the Leduc gusher, and there were still living people who had known Edwards. MacEwan ferreted out their stories as only he could do, combined the interviews with hard research, and the result is Grant MacEwan's best book by a country mile.

Eye Opener Bob can be enjoyed on its own or as a companion piece to the new compilation of Edwards's writing, Irresponsible Freaks, Highball Guzzlers, and Unabashed Grafters: A Bob Edwards Chrestomathy.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2004

About the author

John Walter Grant MacEwan, best known as Grant MacEwan (August 12, 1902 – June 15, 2000) was a farmer, Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Dean of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, the 28th Mayor of Calgary and both a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Canada.

MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta and the MacEwan Student Centre at the University of Calgary as well as the neighbourhoods of MacEwan Glen in Calgary and MacEwan in Edmonton are named after him.

Reviews

[Mark Lisac · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a collection of anecdotes, and more especially as a biography of an interesting soul making his way through life, this should rate 4 stars. Downgrading it to 3 stars because of technical weaknesses. Aside from dates given for quotes from Bob Edwards' newspaper, the Eye Opener, none of the stories told in here has a footnote, and more than 95% have no other kind of indication of provenance. Many sound like tall or at least improved tales.
There are also holes that begged to be filled. Why is the death of Edwards' brother Jack simply attributed to picking up the "wrong bottle" at a drinking party (wood alcohol? something else? how could it happen?) Edwards married late in life but his wife, who was much younger, must have known she was taking on alcoholic with only passing regard for money; she gets only a few paragraphs. He is described as writing serious reviews of musical performances along with his usual output of tall tales and scathing satire of local society and politics in Calgary and Alberta in the early 1900s, but no examples are given. After winning a libel case that he launched, he also took to heart the judge's admonition to be less reckless in his writing and promised in print to do so, but the admiring MacEwan did not feel disposed to show how Edwards may have stepped over acceptable lines and how often it happened. And some more.
It's a useful and entertaining glimpse of local history. But MacEwan was much more interested in telling good stories quickly than in creating a finished product. Originally released in 1957 by the publishing arm of the Western Producer agricultural newspaper, the book does serve as an example of how the country and readers benefit from having small presses providing work that major publishers likely won't pick up.

[Bill Leach · Rating 4 out of 5]

MacEwan tells the story of Robert Chambers Edwards who published newspapers in smaller Alberta towns, but became most famous for his Calgary newspaper "The Eye Opener" which he produced from 1903 until his death in 1922. Eye Opener Bob was known for the entertaining and humourous content of his papers, but as well for the social and political commentary. The book includes many anecdotes from the Eye Opener editions which give insight into life in Calgary in those days.

MacEwan includes much fascinating material on early Calgarians including the lawyer Paddy Nolan, the fire chief James "Cappy" Smart and Mary "Mother" Fulham, who raised pigs in the city. Common at the time were the "remittance men" - sons of wealthy Englishmen who were sent out West to establish themselves, but often wasting their regular stipends.

Edwards was an alcoholic and tried to reform, in the end becoming a supporter of prohibition.

In the early 1900's, Edwards fought the Methodist Church prohibition on Sunday sports, which was incorporated into law through the Lord's Day Profanation Act. He thought it unequal that golfing was allowed, but baseball and shooting were not.

He served one term as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, but his impact as a writer was probably greater than his role in the government.

[Kenneth McMahon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Told in that folksy "Didja ever hear the one about..." style that I'm not a fan of. Would've much preferred a straight up biography about this interesting character.