Dr OAA

Four years ago I wrote about losing a very close friend, and I indicated that I might have more to say later. Today is that later…
Dr. Anderson would have been 82 on July 27th (the same day my dear Auntie Ev turned 94). I phoned his widow to share another memory or two. She indicated that there were now many other family birthdays around that date due to expanding family connections. And then a bright idea came to me – why not expand my widows & widowers theatre attending program!! It would be a the way to honour our one truly Renaissance Man – making sure his widow still was able to attend the theatre.

Since I was going to be in Vancouver for a football game, I suggested we have lunch. She then indicated that one of their daughters would be preaching at University Hill United on that Sunday. So the whole plan worked out. Saturday (8th) would be for football and that was my day. Sunday I got early and drove from my hotel in Langley to UBC, arriving just in time to park behind Owen’s son (who I hadn’t seen for perhaps four years). After warm greetings, he and his wife led me down the lane to the church. After checking in (signing an offering card, etc.) I found a seat in the back row… shortly thereafter a person sat behind me – it was Linda.

We chatted only briefly as the service shortly thereafter started. Several of the extended Anderson clan took various parts, but it was led by Robin. She is now very natural in the pulpit and I know her father would be so exuberant in this transition. [I discovered that she is now working on a theological degree at Vancouver School of Theology (VST) while continuing to teach part time.] I won’t repeat her sermon but trust me, it was a thoughtful and spiritually relevant piece of theological discourse. She was not theatrical, she kept on point. She was not condescending, she was reflective. It was a good moment to be at church. As well, she had picked some glorious hymns that ensured that the sanctuary would be filled with good music (just as her father would want).

After church, Linda and I headed to Bard on the Beach where we had a mini-picnic lunch prior to the matinee performance of Macbeth. The food was quite tasty and there was a goodly amount so the picnic worked. Then we went into the Main Stage tent. Our seats as usual had great sight-lines and there was an energetic crowd. And I should probably just leave it at that; but, I must say that this performance of Macbeth rivals one put on over twenty years ago at Stratford by Des (I now forget his last name but was in his farewell season as Artistic Director) as perhaps the worst adaptation of that great masterpiece of Shakespeare’s. We sat through it to the end, hopeful that each next scene would be better – it wasn’t!!

We laughed as I drove her home prior to my return to the Okanagan that Owen himself would likely have left at intermission! Maybe that was the entire purpose of the moment – to remind us that this day in remembrance showed us another wonderful trait of the late Dr. Anderson: he did not suffer fools gladly; if something wasn’t up to standard and there was no way to immediately correct it, then go home and do something different. Besides, church had been good…

As I said in my original memorial, Thank you Owen for being such a gracious friend and colleague. May your soul rejoice in its new journey, while we rejoice in having had you in our lives for so long. And now you don’t have to worry about attending a bad performance of Macbeth!!

As always,
g.w.