BOWES PUBLISHING BROTHERS GOT THEIR START AT A SMALL DRESDEN, ONTARIO WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

An early edition of Dresden Times

When I helped my mother Grace fold newspapers in the cramped Brown Street storefront quarters of the hometown Dresden Times in 1949, little did we know that the Bowes brothers ownership team was poised to become a Canadian publishing giant. It is really a unique family success story.

In my memory, Bill Bowes was the family sparkplug in the early days of the newspaper in Dresden and older brother Jim was the guy making it happen behind the scene. Having breathed new life into their first-ever business venture, they were soon joined by younger brothers David and Howard.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves with this story.

The Bowes boys were born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Their father Harold served as principal of Moose Jaw Tech and taught French and German while their mother, Ruth, worked to raise a family of six children. The brothers' early years were touched by the same powerful forces that shaped many of their generation: the Great Depression, the pervasive effects of drought on the prairie landscape and the Second World War.

When the brothers were in or near their teens Harold went overseas to put his language skills to use monitoring enemy transmissions for the Allied Forces. Meanwhile, Ruth and the children moved to Ingersoll, Ontario to be closer to extended family. 

 William "Bill" Bowes

Bill completed his schooling and did whatever he could to earn some money, often taking on hard labour for little pay. With his father stationed in Europe and his elder brother Jim writing for the Canadian military newspaper The Maple Leaf, it wasn’t long before Bill heeded his own call to serve. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was shipped overseas as a navigator with 424 Squadron and flew from a base in England until discharged in 1946.

In addition to a commitment to military service, the Bowes family would certainly go on to enjoy a tradition of publishing. After the war, Jim returned to his work in Ontario as a journalist for the London Free Press and convinced Bill to join him in the profession. Bill set about learning the business aspects of publishing and familiarizing himself with print operations.

The Bowes Publishing chain had modest beginnings. In 1948, Bill and Jim had saved enough money to buy the small weekly newspaper in Dresden, one of two in town at the time (Dresden News being the other). Soon after, Bill heard two travelling salesmen remark that if they were younger, they’d invest in a weekly newspaper that was up for grabs in a small town called Grande Prairie, Alberta. 

The Bowes knew next to nothing about the Grande Prairie region but their curiosity had been piqued. They bought the Grande Prairie Herald Tribune in 1950 and Bill embarked on a journey that would lead him to great success as a business leader and central figure in the development of the growing community.

Meantime Howard, the youngest of the brothers, was left behind to wrap up and sell the business in Dresden, but not before he met and married a local girl, Marilyn Quick, a daughter of Orvil and Ada Quick. The newlyweds subsequently moved to Grande Prairie, and joined the other brothers and their families in the operation of the local Grande Prairie Herald Tribune.

Howard Bowes

In 1965, Howard and Marilyn moved to Leduc, Alberta and launched their own publishing company, Lynard Publishers Ltd., beginning with the purchase of the local newspaper, the Leduc Representative. Their business grew over the years to include weekly newspapers in seven communities in Alberta.

Bill, it seemed, was so busy developing the Bowes dynasty in those days that he had little time to think about getting married. But as fate would have it, from his office window, he would often see Margaret O’Brien on her way to work at a nearby car dealership and made a point of chatting with her whenever possible. They soon discovered that they were a perfect pair and were married in 1952. Over the years they welcomed four boys to their family. A devoted family man, Bill would often take time out from business and community commitments to coach his sons’ hockey and baseball teams and to support his boys in their various activities.

As the family grew so did the roster of newspapers under Bowes management. In time, the chain would expand to include over 100 weekly newspapers from Nova Scotia to the B.C. Interior. Bill would also contribute to the industry as president of the Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association and a director of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association. He began to add other business ventures to his publishing holdings, including retail, real estate and self-storage concerns. The Bowes family eventually sold the publishing chain to Sun Media in 1988.

Jim Bowes

Jim Bowes retired in 1988 but remained a Director of the company until 1990. The Toronto Sun became major shareholder with 60% ownership in 1988 then 98% in 1990. Jim passed away in March of 1997 of lung cancer.

In 2001 Sun Media Corporation consolidated its Bowes Publishing division (190 weeklies and community dailies) with those of its metropolitan dailies. Sun Media Corporation is a division of Quebecor Media Inc.

The energy and enthusiasm that Bill devoted to his businesses over the years was equalled by the commitment and generosity he invested in bettering his community. He served as a longstanding leader with a wide range of Grande Prairie organizations, including the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Industrial Development Commission, the local Music Festival Association, the Grande Prairie Regional College Foundation and the Alberta Colleges Commission. He helped to support the preservation of Peace Country history through contributions to the Grande Prairie Museum Regional Heritage Discovery Centre and was honoured for his military background through his longstanding membership in the Royal Canadian Legion and his work to preserve the local armoury as a centre for cadets and other community groups.

Bill also worked to ensure a healthier future for his fellow citizens. His contributions to health care included his service as South Peace chairman for the Provincial First Aid Community Training Program, as a member of the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital Foundation Board and as a generous donor to the hospital’s MRI facility.

Bill’s abilities as a consummate community organizer were particularly useful in his work as co-chairman of the 1995 Canada Winter Games Committee. Grande Prairie’s successful turn as host to the Games was due in no small part to the excellent work Bill and his team did to raise both funds and public enthusiasm for the event. In fact, they were so successful that Grande Prairie set a nation-wide precedent for Canada Games support and still had enough funds remaining to create a $1 million legacy that has been used to foster sports and community development for current and future generations of Peace Country residents. In addition, a significant financial contribution from Jim and Bill Bowes helped spur construction of the Bowes Family Crystal Gardens, a downtown multi-use facility that now forms part of the Canada Games Arena complex.

The tremendous dedication and reliability Bill Bowes demonstrated as a community leader led to numerous awards and honours, including Grande Prairie Citizen of the Year and “Down Towner” of the Year, the Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotary International, the Canada 125 Commemorative Medal and the Board of Governors’ Award of Distinction from Grande Prairie Regional College. He was a Member of the Venerable Order of St. John Ambulance, an Honorary Member of the Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce and was awarded a Life Membership in the Royal Canadian Legion.

Bill passed away shortly after his induction into the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2009.

Marilyn Quick Bowes

Brother Howard of Leduc, died on June 23, 2018 at the age of 87, lovingly remembered by his wife of 64 years, Marilyn, and their three children. Marilyn would pass away a year later.

It is difficult to realize that I remember the hustling young Bowes brothers getting their publishing feet wet during a few short years at the helm of the old Dresden Times and that they were destined to amass a chain of more than one hundred weekly newspapers across Canada before they were finished.

Dresden's loss all those years ago would certainly prove to be Grande Prairies' gain.

A couple of young Dresden born and bred entrepreneurs, Clause and Misselbrook, who eventually took over the business in the 1970s, didn't do bad for themselves either, as it turned out. They became "The Leader" for news in the community for several decades!

The days of making money in the newspaper business are history, much like the fascinating story of the Bowes brothers.