Monday 10 March 2008

30 - Art Holland

Updated re Peter Worthington's farewell to Art and a TSF Memories of Art posting

Art Holland
, the Toronto Sun's Day One office manager who doubled as a furniture mover to get the tabloid started, died Saturday. He was 94.

Visitation is Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the Church of the Master, 3385 Lawrence Ave. East, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. Reception to follow.

As noted in Jean Sonmor's The Little Paper That Grew, Art was one of the 62 out-of-work Toronto Telegram employees who launched the Toronto Sun on Nov. 1, 1971.

Art was instrumental in moving anything that wasn't tied down at the defunct Telegram to the Eclipse Building at King and John Streets in the two days after the Tely folded.

"Art Holland, the office manager, bought a few old mahogany desks and second-hand steno chairs, but almost everything else they'd 'liberated' from the Tely, except the packing boxes most were using as chairs," Jean wrote.

Art and other former Tely staffers felt a little guilty about the pilfering until they learned what they left at the Tely was tossed in the garbage before the Globe and Mail moved in.

In a farewell tribute column, Peter Worthington says:

"When the Tely folded . . . and the Sun was born . . ., Art joined us as office manager and revealed a hitherto undetected streak of larceny.

"He managed to bring masses of copy paper, pens and pencils, even a typewriter (or two or three), plus office stuff that we couldn't afford and the Tely no longer needed. His loyalties were transferred immediately."

Peter says "while others got accolades at the Sun, it was Art Holland who kept the internal workings of the paper harmonious."

The Eclipse Building, home to the Sun for four years, was also a work of Art. He and Bob McMillan, working on a limited budget, managed to rent two floors of the downtown building.

Columnist Paul Rimstead never let Art - and readers - forget that he was typing his columns while sitting on a packing crate at the Eclipse Building across from Farb's Car Wash.

To share your memories of Art Holland, e-mail TSF.

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