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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31,,1976, PAGE 9 Ernie and Charlie Stafford will be celebrating 30 years in business as monument makers in Whitby tomorrow. In those 30 years the Stafford brothers have done everything from making grave stones and cornerstones to sandbîasting antique belis and cannons. Both are long-time members of thie Masonic Lodge and have made numerous contributions to their community. Free Press Photo Stafford Brothers Monuments Thirty years i*n business By BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer Thirty years ago Thursday two brothers set up a monument business on Dun- das Street East in Wh-itby and ma.naged to seli their first monument before their shop was even open. Today the business is stili going strong with sales being made from coast bo coast in Canada and to such far awvay places, as Holland, Germany, Malta and many places in the United States. The brothers are Charles and Ernest Stafford, who are the fourth generation of a monumenî-making family. Their great grandfather was a building and store mason who enimigrated froni England and settled in Scarborough before---moving to Elora Ontario in the 1 9th century. Their grandfather, Tom Stafford was in the monument trade in Toronto and their father operaled a monument works near Almonds churcb in Whitby from 1924 to about 1950. The family tradition is be- ing carried on by Ernie Staf- ford's daughter Barbara Thisson and his grandson Dale Thisson whu work for the company. Shorîly after opening their own monument business ou April 1, 1946 in an old dairy building, the Stafford hrothers boughh ouI their father, and in the iutervening years, exlended the original building' and addod a uew workshop in a separate building. Their basis work is making mionuments, grave stones, corner stones for buildings, carving and letter- ing, and indusîrial saîîd blast iug. lu 30 years of business, ilie Stafford brothers have doue nauy 'jobs inl tIre Wliithy-Osliîawa area, wliicli niost pccp)Ile dcriot know5 a re die ireSit s of, tlicir Vor irriance tlîcy designed th1e gates for C r nia t ni Park ini i1953 and lca rvcd tire iriscriptu orsisn lîese gales wlrîclo Lare a rucrionîcrîlt lu curri r er rîcra te tbe ('urroria- ti n c oflee n lAita be tii Ol le r J(obs i ncurde ilIre corrrto,1rocs Or date stories l'or tihe Wlitbiy Legicr i i l (lie WFi tby Town Mi11a, tire prolessioil building, tbe Wliîtîby Un ited Chu rclîI -lu, Si. dclinithie Evaugolisi Church, the Ajax Presbyter- ian Church and numerous schools in the Whitby and Oshawa area. Somne of their larger jobs have included designing and carving the stonework on the front of the Whitby Masonic Hall and the Hebrew Congre- gational Climrch in Oshawa. "We do ail types of lettering: 'Pussian, Chînese Polish, Slovak, Dutch and Hebrew", says Enie Stafford. "We can do il in any language at aIl". Somne of the lettering jobs the Stafford brothers have done have been rather unusual. For instance, the Depart- ment of Highways shortly after they opcned their business asked them to change the date of 1941 on ail the Highway 401 bridges betwecn Highland Creek and Oshawa lu 1947. Also, because: of a political conlroversy, tbey were 'asked to reniove the namne "Tbickson Road" froni the Thicksbon Road bridge over lîighway 401. One of the in miost controversial projecîs was a statue for Lakeview Park in Oshawa ordered hy the city council in 1959. The Stafford brothiers designed a rude statue of a cbild ho place in a fountain in'the park, and il was carved iii ltaly, using a niue-year-old girl as a niodel. Charlie Stafford remienbers tbere was quite a bit of con troversy in the press at tbe timne about the appropriate- uess of a nude statue ini a city park, and Canadian papers as far away as Winnipeg rcported on it. A less con trîîvcrsial projecc tbe Stafford broîhers pro- duced was the old Wbitby town bell monument in front cf the lowu hall.- The Staffords designed flic cairni, did ihelc cIteri ng l'or tlire plague, and saudblasted thie bell. Tlîey also rescued and saridblasted fotir catsi iron g'argovlecs fr n 11ie ()IdItcwnl bzill vlicli are iicutiied con tIhe caýir. Sanllaý,st iig metafl lbas bec n aCormoi 11(1ccii rt c n for thre Sta flbids. liIn 964 t bey sai d! Haste d tflic (01( Cami ions a t thîe Durlian Regicrial Court I brise aller tbe)y lad beeu inîoved frin tIhe oId court lîcîse ori Ceritre Street. lunI1967 tbey sand- blastcd flic bell froinithe nId Ccn t rcStreet United Cburchi which is mnounted beside the Rundie Tower in Oshawa. Their work has even included sandblasting white- wash and plaster off the log cabins during the restoration of Black Creek Pioneer Village in T.jronto. The buik of the Stafford brothers' work is making gravestones, the store coming fromn Italy, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, South Amierica and the United States- as well as from Canada. On some occasions they have even made gravestones for anim-aIs, and they have produced graves of Taylor's cemietery. the markers horses at Winclfields for the E. P. Farni Not Ail hlîir work is doue in stone Iîowever, for onue order was for carvirug battle nicruorial plagues in'pine for the Ontario Regimen h lu mouint in Ille Osbawa a rmîories. Botiî Urnie and Chiarlie Stafford have been inrebers cf fice Nasonie Lodge for uiany years and are past niasters offlHie Composite Lodgc, past principals cf the Keysîorie Chapter and past precep tors of St. Johinfice Aimioner Ireceptory. Bolli are mlemibers cf.thc Shirine Club. Charlie Stafford bas beeri iuvolved in comnmuuity affairs ini W'hitby l'or nuariy years, baving served 10O years oniftbe town planiniig board anid two years on the couinittee )I* adjtîstmneut. lIe svas direclor of tIhe Cbiaunber cf'Cmmrierce tfor niany years, and xvas respori- sible for starhiîg thie St. Johin Ambulance brigade and division iri wbitby. lu tribute fcorIis services lu tbe St. JobhnAmulanice M r. Stafford \vas designirted a Scrvig Irotber cf' hie Order of, St. I(Abi, by tIre Queeln, andî r ecemved a cer ti ticate Iroiri hIe late ( iverrior-Gener al George Vaurier. île was Lrl5o tire wimrei of tire Peter 'e rry Awar d as Wlîmîby's cOUtStarrdirrg Citizen cf 195 8. The Stafford Brotbers are flirrîiliar I igircrs ii tire Towni cf Wlibly anid h lie jr sv rk iiay be sero iniu a y places ini tIre ccrnrr1Imnity nltrisI n Curi rclion \Vi tlb thIe iubusinless but ini burniaritariari work Las well. 9:20/10:20/11 :2OAM/1 :20 /2:2OPM YOU MAY WIN! $1 3.50 EVERY GAME $67.50 EVERY DAY UP TO $337.50 EVERY WEEK A GRAND TOTAL 0F $39375-00 CASH ! MON. TO FR!. -5 .1 2 241'4159 61 223 _55 64 4 28 ~FREET46 14 16134157162 6 ý3032148 66 Any full ligie ueins Duplicale *nners slidi pie Wmneîu musi caII stalion etOn 30 mnutes and alnrwer queston correci 00eie ud uhefe phibile by lie lois CARDIS FREI , NO0PUPCHAS[ R[QUIRED 5 OPU GMS I MNDFI I A*I PICK UP AT TIMES PER DAY AT, List cf Winners Mrs R uthlournuer, Osliava, $310.50) Mrs. Isoliell lutins. Oshorwr.$27.111 Mr. Ilarry Ilogeinboor, Wiîittby, $189.001 Mrs. Sîrcila Ogdcni, Oshawva, $67.511 Mrs. Juscpli Po.tcrs, Oslia\vwa, $54.00t Ms. 1)nrotiuy Dorrirriki, Osîa'va. $27.00t Nir., KLrye cityre, Ostiorv o, $94.51) M rs. Mar orelurrdages. Osirowor, $94.511 Mrs. Mlvary Altison. Oslorsvoi. $12 1.511 Mrs. Miarie Kelly. Whitby, $27.111 YOU.R FREE BINGO CARD ANY 0F THESE STORES: Il SKIN RUIIOINS 3 1 ICI%('R IAN FA'\ 1 NS (;l()01)1-S & JACKSO>N P Ig)N1I\)N 1ARI)WARI, ILllNRY BIJILDIAI tUR 11V & IVI-JIl I)RIGS KANIIINGlNIIII) 1-1 l'iN C; t 1N 1-INIl'il t) NI & S IG1IOI.(II I ANI>VRI MARY 13R0\N'S VIRGINIA UI 111) (I IlIKI N M 1I'I'l R 1) 0N L[VI P'A RKWA YTL'lVI1SIOiN l'AI & NMIES 1ISII ANDIP llS RAN('II SLJ11I>RNIARKI F'i S'FEl'DMANS )IAFEN'I()I SI'UT'lS >IARMACY Nlidtuo i aIt, Ostrawio (Oshaw\a Cleur (I cwer tevel. i(,lo init irre Dcpr.l 'FhikmnCLrRu.S. WtiitlîandI StîrhahnCMa >ceing O)shawa, Whthv .air (Cou rticc ()slurvsa, \VthyFo, OimOnS îanvitlaHc uIl o I us\ inle Rd.Ncrîth i strawa 377 Strevenosolo Rd. Nort, l. Jioast5 l'arîrroan Rd- I Orsi.iOlowa 321 Brock Sr. Souith, Whi 11w 11 10 irrrcîîuN. & (6510 KingE. slF- : () 18S Sm icu'.Si. Nourthl, Ohaiowa Pl' Ilazia, R osstarod &Ilcoup. lt ie. 10 15 K ingr St. [-ast, Oshrawar 1 1 Sirnrer î St. Sou Ir, ()sluiv a Oshawa andorutiWiuithy, atI locations 15 Rinig West, BI3ivalrvi lic Orono