Bonisteel, Roy

Person

Bonisteel, Roy

May 29, 1930 - Aug. 16, 2013

Born in 1930, Roy Bonisteel attended the Hogle School on Aikens Road and Allen School, both in Sidney Township in Eastern Ontario. He received his first two years of secondary education at Stirling High School before moving to Port Colborne.

Roy's career in journalism began when he worked as a reporter for The Intelligencer in Belleville and for the Trenton Courier-Advocate (later called the Trentonian). He then moved to broadcasting with CJBQ in Belleville in 1951 and worked for a number of subsequent years in St. Catherines, Ontario. In the 1960's Roy Bonisteel went to Vancouver as Director of Broadcasting for the United Church of Canada. Subsequently he was made Canadian head of radio operation for the Anglican, Roman Catholic and United Churches. The first ecumenical appointment of its kind.

In 1967 Roy Bonisteel became the host of "Man Alive" on CBC television and for 22 years saw the program become one of the most respected and watched current affairs productions in Canadian broadcasting history. With a weekly audience of a million and a half, Roy circled the globe for his interviews with world figures.

Roy is the recipient of six Honourary Doctorates from Canadian Universities. He has written two books about his Man Alive experiences, "In Search of Man Alive"and "Man Alive the Human Journey". He is the co-author of "Themes for All Times", a Grade 12 Literature text book. He has written regular columns for magazines and newspapers and is involved in a number of television and radio projects. His book of memoirs, entitled "There Was a Time", describing his growing up years enjoyed a long run on the Best Seller list. An audio recording of the book was also released. His latest book to date is entitled "All Things Considered". He is currently working on Part Two of his memoirs.

Roy Bonisteel has been the recipient of many awards and honours. He received the Governor General's "Canada 125" medal in 1992 and was given the Distinguished Canadian Award in 1994 by the University of Regina. In 1995 Roy Bonisteel received the country’s highest honour, the Order of Canada. In addition to this he has won many broadcasting honours including two ACTRA awards, the Gordon Sinclair award for "Excellence in Broadcast Journalism", and the award for "The Best Television Host in Canada". Roy Bonisteel was made an Honourary Colonel of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1995 and in 1998 he was appointed a Citizenship Court Judge by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. Bonisteel passed away in 2013.

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