[Ed note: As information becomes known to me about former Towers/Bonimart
employees, typically through Internet searches, I will include it here.
I'll also include contact information from former Towers/Bonimart
employees that have signed the Towers
Guestbook. If you would like to add
information here, please contact me at
towersdepartmentstores@gmail.com. Thanks.]
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Amy Prope
Ms. Prope started her career at Morgans, which became the Hudson’s Bay
Company. The last 10 to 15 years of her working career were spent at
Towers Department Stores as a head buyer. Amy passed away July 3, 2007,
at the age of 91, in Huntsville, Ontario. |
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Andre Roch
aroch@videotron.ca
Verdun, Quebec |
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BJ Arsenault
BJ worked for Towers at the Summerside store in the summer of 1975 when
he was 19 years old. He worked in the Records and Cameras section
because he had also been a student disc jockey (BJ the DJ on CJRW) since
the age of 15 at the local radio station CJRW. |
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Bob Clubley
rclubley@cogeco.ca
Bob worked at the Towers Rexdale store for 14 years as department
manager of Toys, Sporting Goods and Seasonal and, later, Hardware/Housewares.
He lives in Furgus, Ontario |
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Brian Hillier
brianhillier@nexicom.net
Brian worked at the Scarborough Towers store in the early '70s in
security. |
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Donald A. Beaumont
Associated with Towers since 1977, Mr. Beaumont held the positions of vice president of
marketing and executive vice-president and chief executive officer. In 1991 he
was appointed president and chief executive officer of
K Mart Canada Ltd.
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Edward
(Ed) C. Harsant
Ed Harsant held the position of vice president of Operations at Towers. He left
Towers to become vice president of merchandising for Kmart Canada. Harsant
joined The Business Depot as president in January 1995. In 2000 he took on the
position of president, North American Superstores for Staples. He now sits on
the board of directors of the Empire Company Limited - a Canadian company whose
key businesses include food retailing and related real estate. |
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Emily Twigg
twiggeh@hotmail.com
Emily worked at several stores and at the Towers Head Office for a total
of 24 years. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. |
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Jacqueline Shaftoe-Stonhill
jackston@hotmail.com
Jacqueline started at Towers Head Office in the advertising/sales
promotion department, then moved to the Mens & Boys Wear department.
Jacqueline lives in Mississauga, Ontario. |
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Jane Denison McKenzie
Jane worked at the Towers Head Office at 10 Orfus Road from 1974-1979.
She left as a Home Furnishings Buyer. |
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Jeff Sutton
jms1966@mac.com
Jeff work at Towers #27, Waterloo (Bridgeport Road), from 1984 until
1989.Moscow. Right now he's in Russia. |
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Jo-Anne Porter
jponheritage@yahoo.ca
Jo-Anne worked at Towers Head Office on on Orfus Rd and on
Airport Road, Ad Control, toys, men's wear and notions buyers. She lives
in Brampton, Ontario. |
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Laurent (Larry) Chapman
Larry Chapman worked for Towers department store and then for Zeller's
in New Minas. He passed away August 19, 2007. |
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Lois Cowick
Although Lois worked for 23 years in security at Towers department
stores (Ottawa), she always said that the proudest accomplishment was
her children. "God blessed me with wonderful kids. I couldn't have lived
through the (last) four years without them. They were always there. They
always looked after me, always there if I needed them." Lois passed away
December 29, 2004. |
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Mac Sinclair
mbsinclair@sympatico.ca
Mac worked in Owen Sound, Belleville and Kanata. He currently lives in
Guelph, Ontario. |
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Max Wolfe
Max Wolfe was a grocer and businessman born in Lithuania in 1893 and
raised near Newmarket, Ontario. At age 16, with $25 cash and a $60 loan,
he bought a horse, wagon and load of apples and went into business. In
1914, he launched Ontario Produce Co. with his brother Maurice to supply
army bases. The operation expanded to become known as the Oshawa Group
Ltd. and at his death it included IGA, Food City, Dutch Boy, Towers
Department Stores and Drug City. Mr. Wolfe passed away March 11, 2004. |
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Margaret (Hines) Sweeney
Margaret was born in Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia and lived most of her
life in New Waterford, moving to Ontario in 1968 where she was employed
with Towers Department Stores until her retirement. Margaret passed away
March 2008. |
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Marie Alfreda Bouchard
Born in Sudbury, she worked at K-Mart and Towers Department Stores.
Marie passed away June 5, 2008. |
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Mariellen Penrose
sampenrose@hotmail.com
Mariellen worked at the Towers Rexdale Store and currently lives in
Toronto, Ontario. |
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Mary Findlay
maryfindlay1@rogers.com
Mary worked at the Lawrence and Midland Towers store for 15 years, most
of the at the Courtesy Desk. She lives in Scarborough, Ontario. |
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Michel Charlebois
michelcharlebois@rogers.com
Michel started in 1968 at the Towers store in Cyrville (Ottawa) store
number 51. He worked part time in the camera and records department.
Around 1970 he became a management trainee. He left Towers/Bonimart in
the spring of 1972 and still lives in Ottawa, Ontario. |
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Martin Cato
wmcatto@yahoo.com
Martin was SVP & CFO at Towers from 1978 - 1981 and is
"...alive and well and living in Upper Nyack, New York and officially
retired as I have reached an age where I correctly appear to be
generally considered unemployable." |
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Paul Nowlan
As assistant manager in the Towers Scarborough store, Paul went on to
become managers the Westwood Mall, Charlottetown, St. Catharine’s, High
Park and Jane and Finch stores. |
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Paul Okeefe
paul-okeefe@hotmail.com
Paul worked at the Towers Kipling and Queensway store from 1980 to 1987
as a stock-boy and "paint department guy." He lives in Burlington,
Ontario. |
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Peter Christos
Peter Christos was only 16 years old when he left his native Greece for
Canada, landing in Halifax in May 1948. From there he travelled to
Belleville, where his uncle had a restaurant. It was there he got his
first introduction in running a restaurant. He also worked for seven
years as a waiter at the Royal York Hotel. Later he opened his own
restaurant, but sold it after awhile to take on the position as manager
of Towers Department Stores cafeteria. Peter passed away April 17, 2006. |
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Randall McKeown
randy.mckeown@rogers.com
Randall worked at the Villager Restaurant and the Lawrence and Midland
Towers Store starting when he was 17, over 27 years ago. He lives in
Mississauga, Ontario. |
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Ray Wolfe
In 1949, Ray Wolfe acquired what was then known as Oshawa Wholesale. A couple of
years later he brought Chicago's IGA grocery chain into Ottawa. Oshawa went
public in 1957 and entered the retail trade in 1971. It had assets of about CAD
800 million and more than 100 food stores under the banners IGA Dutch Boy, and
Food City. Ray Wolfe passed away in 1990. |
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Ron Chenier
chenier.ron@videotron.ca
Ron worked for Towers 28 years
in Ottawa, starting when he was 16 years old. He lives
Rockland, Ontario. |
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Susan Bihuniak
susan_bihuniak@hotmail.com
Susan started with Towers 1974 in the
reproduction department. She married long-time employee and buyer Bob
MacDonald and is living in Oakville, Ontario. |
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William L. Atkinson
President and CEO of Towers Department Stores.
Mr. Atkinson, now retired, is living in Oakville, Ontario.
(Photo - Toronto Star - September 11, 1980)
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Buyers and Associates
[If you can help identify the individuals in this photo, please
contact
me.] |
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Men's and Boys Wear
[If you can help identify the individuals in this photo, please
contact
me.] |
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