Philip J. Thomas
Encyclopedia
Philip James Thomas was a Canadian
teacher, musician and folklorist.
, British Columbia
, Canada
, Thomas entered the RCAF near the outbreak of World War II. With the Air Force, he was engaged in development of Canada’s radar technology. He saw service in Europe and India.
on discharge from the RCAF, Thomas returned to BC. He studied education at the University of British Columbia
. His first teaching assignment in 1949 was in Pender Harbour
. Through contact with local residents he developed an interest in folklore and storytelling through song. In 1953 he was hired by the Vancouver School Board as an art teacher.
His 1979 book, Songs of the Pacific Northwest, is “of particular interest because it is the first sizeable collection of Canadian songs from anywhere west of Ontario”.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
teacher, musician and folklorist.
Military
Born in VictoriaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Thomas entered the RCAF near the outbreak of World War II. With the Air Force, he was engaged in development of Canada’s radar technology. He saw service in Europe and India.
Teaching
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
on discharge from the RCAF, Thomas returned to BC. He studied education at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
. His first teaching assignment in 1949 was in Pender Harbour
Pender Harbour, British Columbia
“”Pender Harbour is a large, multi-inleted bay on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, on the east side of Malaspina Strait. Once a steamer stop, a fishing village and an important logging and medical waypoint, it is now an unincorporated community within the Sunshine Coast Regional District .Pender...
. Through contact with local residents he developed an interest in folklore and storytelling through song. In 1953 he was hired by the Vancouver School Board as an art teacher.
Archivist
Thomas developed his own philosophy of children’s art education that “honoured the child and how the child makes art.” In 1959 he co-founded the Vancouver Folk Song Circle (later the Vancouver Folk Song Society), which became a vehicle to collect additional material. The Song Circle is the oldest folk music society in Canada.His 1979 book, Songs of the Pacific Northwest, is “of particular interest because it is the first sizeable collection of Canadian songs from anywhere west of Ontario”.
Music
He played both guitar and banjo, and he and his wife Hilda (1928–2005) often performed together at folk festivals in British Columbia and western Canada.Publications
- Cariboo Wagon Road 1858-1868 (1964)
- Songs of the Pacific Northwest (1979; second revised and expanded edition, 2006)
- Twenty-Five Songs for Vancouver 1886-1986 (1985)
- "Both “Stanley G. Triggs”: A Recollection" Canadian Folklore Bulletin, 1996
Recordings
- Phil Thomas and Friends: Live at Folklife Expo 86
- Where the Fraser River Flows and other Songs of the Pacific Northwest
- The Young Man from Canada: B.C. Songs from the P.J. Thomas Collection (performed by Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat)
Honours and awards
- G.A. Ferguson Prize, from the B.C. Teachers Federation
- Honorary Life Member of the B.C. Art Teachers Association
- Honorary President and Life Member of the Canadian Society for Traditional Music
- Marius Barbeau Award