Chapleau Moments created a 'dominant sound' in Michael's life for 10 years in Chapleau Express

As newspaper reporter 1960s

I am one of those most blessed people who have never really worked one day because I have been able to spend it living, in the words of Reynolds Price, the American writer, with the sound of story as the dominant sound in my life.

Since I was a child growing up in Chapleau, story has been central to me whether I was playing in the living room or creating my own plays for the Junior Red Cross Society performances in Grade 4 at Chapleau Public School.

Thanks to my mother, Muriel E (Hunt) Morris, who instilled a love of reading in me before I could hardly walk, and gave me the freedom to explore all the great children's literature of my time, story has been the place where I have lived. My grandfather George Hunt taught me the story of England while I was playing on the living room floor and my other grandfather Harry Morris, the story of the Canadian Pacific Railway from train timetables.

When I was attending Chapleau Public School, along with Alison (McMillan) McMullen, Brian and Teddy Demers we  did a play, a real swashbuckler which we wrote, produced and acted for the Junior Red Cross Society. Mrs. Madeleine Pellow was our teacher. Mrs Marianne Demers created the costumes.

Before I go any further let me explain. On July 18, I will have been writing Chapleau Moments for 10 years in the Chapleau Express. Publisher Mario Lafreniere sent me an email asking if I would consider writing a column. I agreed thinking it would run its course within six months or so.

But here we are 10 years later thanks to some awesome people who have provided assistance. In the beginning, I had my mother's (Muriel E (Hunt) Morris) book of clippings, and shortly thereafter, I inherited four boxes of Chapleau files from my aunt Marion (Morris) Kennedy.

I am forever indebted to the late Anne (Zufelt) McGoldrick and the late Doug Greig who were always there when I needed information. 

My best friend from childhood and throughout my life the late Harry 'Butch' Pellow was always there to provide assistance as well as contributing some of his Chapleau moments in articles. 

Harry Pellow 2012 at CHS reunion

Michael McMullen, my cousin, and Ian Macdonald, retired head of the department of architecture at the University of Manitoba have been awesome column contributors and researchers. Thanks so much.

Little did I realize that my experience as the Chapleau High School reporter for the long gone Mid North News with Joy (Evans) Heft, and a television program on CHAP TV in 1958/1959 would lead to a lifetime spent telling stories and talking about the stories of others in classrooms in Ontario and British Columbia. And people even hired me to write stories about people and events for daily newspapers, television, magazines and the internet.

at Cocoa Beach FL a Michael Pelzer photo

I recently calculated that I have been doing and teaching communications, journalism, media and  creative writing for about 61 years. It seems like only a moment has passed.

I  worked as a reporter and/or editor at several daily newspapers including the Star-Phoenix (Saskatoon), Kingston Whig-Standard, Timmins Daily Press, Chatham Daily News, Brampton Times, Calgary Albertan  and was northern Ontario correspondent for the Toronto Star.

And yes, as any of my students would  tell you, I loved to tell stories. Not all were necessarily appreciated of course and I was once criticized in student evaluations when I was at College of the Rockies for talking too much about my beloved cat Buckwheat. A student wrote that he/she got nothing from my course because "All he ever did was tell stories about his cat Buckwheat." Even I could not spend 15 entire weeks of a semester talking only about my cat. On second thought .... !!!

And yes, I admit that I told hockey stories while I was at Chapleau High School but only when we won!!!!

in my office at COTR 

At College of the Rockies I was so privileged to have been part of the founding of a graduate New (Social) Media Communications Program which would seem pretty old fashioned today, but in 1995 was on the leading edge of the biggest revolution in communications since Gutenberg's printing press. Since retiring I have continued to indulge my passion for communications -- for storytelling, both mine and others.

For example, I  listen to the voices of so many former students who are taking time to share part of their stories with me on Facebook, and telling stories about me too.  Yes, for old times sake I still write for a print publication the Chapleau Express.

at Rocky View Ranch  a Jim Roberts photo

I agree with Reynolds Price, the writer, that to "tell and hear stories is essential" -- and he argues it comes second after nourishment and before love and shelter. "Millions survive without love or home, almost none in silence; the opposite of silence leads quickly to narrative, and the sound of story is the dominant sound of our lives, from the small accounts of our day's events to the vast incommunicable constructs of psychopaths."

I agree totally.

In my life for sure, in the brightest and darkest moments, the sound of story is the dominant sound. Think about it. Now I am off for a walk to hear more of the sound of the  story on Main Street.

Thank you Mario for giving me the freedom to write Chapleau Moments. Thank you as well to all the people I have heard from over the past 10 years. Totally awesome. Next week I will share some of the sounds of Chapleau! My email is mj.morris@live.ca