BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Ira Dilworth

March 25 1894 - November 23 1962

Victoria High School (English Teacher 1915-34, Principal 1926-34)
University of British Columbia (Associate Professor 1934-38)
BC Teacher's Federation (elected President 1930 & __?)
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (various positions 1938-retirement, see below)
Federation of Canadian Artists (Founding member 1941)
Vancouver Community Arts Council (Founding President 1945)


Ira Dilworth, although not an exhibiting artist to the Editor's knowledge, deserves to be listed in BC Artists as much or more than most of the artists herein. His support of the arts was significant and long-lasting, not just in BC but across Canada with the CBC, and he continually rose to new and higher positions in organizations where he could leverage his enthusiasm and hard work into improving the common cultural good for everyone.

Dilworth was born in High Bluff, Manitoba, but grew up on a 5,000 acre ranch in the Okanagan valley, BC. After graduating from Kelowna High School in 1909, he studied at Victoria High School (VHS), and graduated from McGill University in 1915.

He returned to Victoria, and taught at VHS until 1934, being appointed Principal from 1926-34. He was elected President of the BC Teacher's Federation in 1930. He moved to Vancouver and taught at UBC starting 1934, where he was later a member of the Senate for three years.

He was on a list of Instructors for UBC Summer Session courses, held from July 3 to August 17 1935, teaching English 16.

He went for work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1938, where he held the position of CBC Western Regional Director from 1938-1947, was appointed General Manager CBC International Service 1947, Director Programme Production Toronto 1951, Director Ontario 1953, and Director of all CBC English Networks from 1956 until his retirement.

Dilworth was awarded an honorary degree by UBC in 1948-49. He already had a B.A. and an M.A.

In addition to this significant workload, Dilworth was also a prolific writer and editor. Some of his numerous publications are listed below. He was also a tireless supporter of Emily Carr, and edited or wrote introductions to some of her books. He also lectured on Carr's work for the Vancouver Institute in 1942.

Editor's note: Dilworth was the most ubiquitous, ever-present, in-the-background person that I kept coming across in my research on early BC Artists. His publications and correspondence files fill libraries and archives across the country. I have his picture in the November 1930 journal of the BC Teacher's Federation on the desk beside me now, ready to scan as the 400th image for BC Artists, and this new biography being the 1,400th. Hopefully it will be a fitting tribute.

References - BIBLIOGRAPHY

Twentieth Century Verse, An Anthology
     date?, publisher?

Scenes From Shakespeare
     1930, Copp Clark, Toronto ON

President's Address
     1930, The B.C. Teacher Vol. X, No. 4 November, pgs. 8-9.

Nineteenth Century Poetry
     1931, Copp Clark, Toronto ON

An Address by Emily Carr
     1955, Oxford

FROM DESOLATION TO SPLENDOUR (refer to FDTS77)

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (refer to EBC00)

Refer also to Carr BIBLIO.

Clippings

"PROFESSOR IRA DILWORTH. We are pleased to announce that Professor Ira Dilworth of the University of British Columbia has kindly accepted the Council's invitation to him to be present at the Annual Meeting on May 16th. Mr. Dilworth will speak on "Music Appreciation" illustrated with gramaphone records."
      From Vancouver Art Gallery Bulletin, Vol. 5 No. 9 May 1938

" ... The Reeve oficially opened the show, followed by speeches from Mr. Ira Dilworth and Mr. W.P. Weston, thus making it one of the outstanding social, as well as cultural, events of the year. ... "
      From "Letter re West Vancouver Sketch Club"
      Personal correspondence, March 15 1948


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