Charles Templeton
An Anecdotal Memoir

"Few individuals have been at the centre of so many arenas -- a lively retelling of a remarkable life." -- Barbara Frum

This site contains the full text of Charles Templeton's Anecdotal Memoir published in 1982. Rather than write a traditional autobiography, he decided to tell the stories of the people he met and the worlds he moved in during his nine different careers.

For a shorter biography and bibliography, see his Obituary or home page.

In his different careers he managed to encounter many of the movers and shakers of Canadian and world society, and to be one of those movers himself. If you like good stories or are curious about the media in Canada, or the rise of evangelism in the USA and the world, you will enjoy these. Some of the important history of these fields is documented here.

Please note: There may still be a few proofing errors in this online version.

Dedication

Foreword

Beginnings

Inside Sports

Inside Evangelism - Toronto

Inside Evangelism - with Billy Graham

Inside Evangelism - at Princeton

Inside TV - CBS & CBC

Inside TV - At CTV

Inside the Toronto Star

Inside Politics - Beginning

Inside Politics - Leadership of the Liberal Party

Inside Politics - Aftermath

Inside Maclean's Magazine

Inside Inventing

Inside Radio

Inside Books

Etc. Etc.

Postscript by Brad Templeton

Photo Gallery

In here you'll read what happened...

• when Templeton and Pierre Berton "blew the whistle" on leaks of tax information at the Department of National Revenue and the Prime Minister said, "Put 'em in jail."
• when Charles Templeton and Billy Graham were picked up by two B-Girls in a Paris night club and Billy Graham earned the sobriquet, "The Midnight Runner"?
• when the Globe sports department decided to initiate the new sports cartoonist with an unorthodox use of glue and paper?
• at Maclean's magazine when it was discovered that the office built for the new editor was eight inches larger than the president's?
• when a poltergeist turned up during an interview with Aldous Huxley?
• behind the scenes when a neophyte Pierre Tudeau was pitted against Stanfield, Douglas and Caouette in the first Great Debate?
• in the process of running as an outsider for leadership of the Liberal Party of Ontario, barely losing and then turning down victory when it's offered?

Some of the people you'll read about in these stories:

You may also want to consider notes on How to Read an Electronic Book