THE FORESTER, Wednesday, January 21, 2009 A11

A N G L E R S & H U N T E R SI n s u r a n c e P r o g r a m

Call us today for a quote.

(800) 263-6976 (705) 789-9667

Special Home and Auto Insurance Rates available for O.F.A.H. members exclusively through Canada Brokerlink.

110 North Kinton Avenue, Unit 1 Huntsville, OntarioCanada Brokerlink (Ontarios) Inc.

H O M E & AU TO I N S U R A N C E P RO G R A M

t!

For all event information visit our websitewww.skihiddenvalley.on.ca

Or call us at 1-800-398-9555

Sunday, February 1, 2009Carve up the Slopes for the day

Watch the Superbowl on a 52” TV“By Coincidence” performing top 40s

Cheerleaders • Prizes Prizes Prizes • Lots of Great FoodGet your tickets today!!!

Full Day Ski Pass & Superbowl$50.00 + GST

Superbowl$25.00 + GST

Call Paula at 705-789-1773 x 29 (Tickets are limited)

Sponsored by Sleemans Brewery“Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area

creating fun and exciting winter experiences since 1965”HVHSA EVENT CALENDAR

Feb. 1, 2009 - Ski and Super BowlFeb. 13, 2009 - Men’s Day • Feb. 27, 2009 - Ladies’ Day

- MEMBER EVENT -Member Guest Day January 17, 2009

The Tuxedo’s & Toga’s Gala Event (January 17, 2009)

Sleeman’s Ski &

Super Bowl XVIII

BY LAURA MACLEANHUNTSVILLE FORESTER

The life of Huntsville resident Douglas Cole could make for an intriguing movie.

Cole, 83, who is currently in Costa Rica “roaming around the country,” was in com-plete shock when he recently learned he had been selected as a recipient for an Order of Canada award.

The Governor General presents honours and awards on behalf of all Canadians to recognize individuals who have demon-strated excellence, courage or exceptional dedication to service in ways that bring spe-cial credit to the country.

Cole will officially be presented with the Order of Canada at Rideau Hall in Ottawa; however, a ceremony date to offi-cially acknowledge award recipients has yet to be determined.

Cole will receive the award for his involvement in the Toronto entertainment and music business for 34 years.

“It feels wonderful,” he said of the news of being an award recipient. “There’s no higher award in Canada. I consider it a great honour and a thrill. It certainly was unex-pected.”

Before retiring and moving to Muskoka 20 years ago, Cole spent the majority of his life in Toronto. In 1956, he bought George’s Hotel Toronto Limited, a corporation that operated restaurants, lounges, pizza delivery outlets, dinner theatres, bars and cabarets.

What made Cole so well-known was the fact that those outlets became renowned for the music that inspired him: jazz.

His job entailed recruiting the best musi-cians from around the world to perform at various outlets owned by the company.

Aside from opening the highly popular George’s Spaghetti House, which became the longest-running jazz club in Canada, Cole also opened the Abbey Road Pub in 1971, which featured fine Canadian talent including the band Rush.

In the late 1950s, upon opening Pizza

Patrol, Cole became the first person to deliver a pizza in Toronto.

“I loved it,” he said of his job. “We would bring in the top musicians from not just Canada, but from around the world. Many records were made out of the restaurants and lounges. I would organize dinner caba-rets and produce plays, some of which won awards. I was involved in producing records and many of my alumni also have the Order of Canada.”

Born in Montreal, Cole moved to Toronto when he was four years old. Described as an energetic, quintessential beatnik entre-preneur, Cole could engage people to do the things he needed to have done. He was the type of creative person who was always in motion and once he became involved in something he stuck with it until the end.

As the owner of the hugely successful George’s Spaghetti House, Cole was able to bring in top-notch musicians that included the likes of Ed Bickert, Moe Koffman (the club’s booking agent), Doug Riley and con-temporary jazz group Time Warp.

“That was a magical place for me at the time,” said Cole’s son Kenneth, co-owner of The Great Vine, a natural health food store on Main Street. “At the time the Italian immi-grant community was huge and many Italian immigrants worked there. It was a great environment with a broad racial mixture. There was a point where he (Cole) was the largest employer of musicians in Canada. He had so many outlets that he developed and opened to the public. I remember when he opened up the Abbey Road Pub because the drinking age had been lowered from 21 to 18 and he knew there would be a huge market to service. Abbey Road was on the forefront of rock and roll in Canada, bringing in bands like Brave Belt, Rush and Max Webster.”

In between 1957 and 1975 George’s Spa-ghetti House was the place to be. Cole was good friends with the hockey players from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were frequent customers of the restaurant.

Award recognizes lifetime achievement“Johnny Bauer, Carl Brewer and Bobby

(Boomer) Baun were constant customers after practice,” said Kenneth, who, at the time, was in his early 20s and working as a waiter at the popular restaurant. “You would see dads and sons come in and the kids would all have their autograph pads and pens in hand.”

There is no doubt that being such a suc-

cess required long hours of work. But to Cole, it was a labour of love. It was some-thing that he thrived on. He genuinely loved what he was doing.

“There were a lot of good times,” Cole said with a laugh. “Much of what took place was simply because of great musical minds emerging. I have many, many wonderful memories.”

A STORY TO TELL: Being a successful businessman in the Toronto entertainment and music scene for 34 years has earned Huntsville resident Doug Cole (left) a prestigious Order of Canada Award. Here, he is seen with his lifelong friend and business partner Chuck Penstone. Photo submitted