Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Reid, George Edmonton Arctic, 1921-1977
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Description area
Dates of existence
History
George E.A. Reid (b. 8 August 1921 in Edmonton, Alberta; d. 25 February 1977 in Toronto, Ontario) was a graphic designer, artist, illustrator and musician, born to parents Reverend Edward Reid and Bessie Ellis Reid. After his birth, the Reid family moved to the Anglican Parish of Verdun in 1922. Reverend Reid served as Incumbent of North Clarendon until 1926 in Charteris, Quebec. In 1927, Reverend Reid died of cancer, leaving his wife to care for their sons. George showed his aptitude for the fine arts at a young age through scrap-booking, drawing and sketching, and by playing and creating original musical compositions. George completed high school in 1940 while living in Shawville, Quebec. His ambitions at the end of high school were to follow a career in music and become a band leader. However, once war began, George moved to Ottawa, finding a job as a clerk with the government while trying to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force. After being rejected due to poor vision, Reid enrolled in signalman training in Montreal from June to October, 1942, going by train the following month to Fort Nelson, British Columbia. During the war, George served as a cameraman with the Royal Canadian Air Force, making 8mm films, painting and sketching extensively until his honourable discharge as Corporal. Across the Ottawa River, Olive Reid (née Wilson), born in 1923, was the daughter of lumberman Wilbert Wilson, whose father founded the Ottawa South Lumber Company. George and Olive were married later on 15 September 1945. After briefly living in Prince Edward Island and Ottawa, George and Olive moved to Toronto in January 1946. George began working for Veterans Affairs and enrolled to study commercial art at the Ontario College of Art (OCA) that September, while Olive worked as a registered nurse. In February 1947, the couple moved to Scarborough and George found a part-time job playing trumpet in a band. In the late summer, they moved to Scotia Avenue, where they raised their children, Peter and Dianne. George soon found temporary work at Rous and Mann, a job that led to a full time position offer that convinced him to discontinue his schooling at OCA. In the 1950s, the Reid family was involved in art and music; George and Olive participated in the culture of Toronto by attending ballets, the theatre, and concerts and their children studied piano. By 1959, George had left Rous and Mann to become the art director and, later, vice president at Commercial Studios under artist Bill Burns. After the birth of George and Olive's daughter Stephanie in 1960, George began painting again, even illustrating an animated cartoon film "Life with Cecil." In 1966, George accepted a position as art director at C. F. Haughton, working with more salesmen than artists. In 1973, his position was redirected to sales, causing George to resign and move to a position at Brigdens Limited. Between 1973 and 1977, George also worked freelance and completed about thirty magic realist paintings in acrylics, in what was the last phase of his artistic career. In June 1976, George was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away on 25 February 1977.