The Martin Street Housing Cooperative in The People’s Photo Album – Christmas giving for the Phee family
L to R: Linda Phee-McLean, Johnnie Phee, Sylvia Phee, Dorothy Lander
On Dec. 22, 2018, Johnnie and Sylvia Phee took delivery of The People’s Photo Album: A Pictorial Genealogy of the Antigonish Movement, which they will share around the extended Phee family as part of their Christmas celebrations. Siblings Linda and Johnnie Phee (Jr) grew up in the Martin Street Housing Cooperative in Antigonish. Johnnie’s wife Sylvia, next to Dorothy Lander opened the Album to the photo history of Martin St. Housing Cooperative (pp. 126-127). Sylvia and Johnnie’s children, Chantal and Jordan were the unsung heroes at the book launch on Dec. 9, 2018, because it was they who researched this family history, which is also the history of the StFX Extension Department. They chose their family history in the housing cooperative as a Heritage Day project at St. Andrews Junior School and created the poster shown above when they were in Grades 8 and 7 respectively. Their grandparents, Johnnie and Louise Phee, occupied the last of the five houses in the Cooperative. Chantal interviewed and audiotaped her Grampie (Johnnie Phee) and Great Aunt Bette Phee Salsman, whose photos appear on p. 126. Chantal passed on her gift of the Kitchen Meeting artwork from the back cover of the Album to her great aunt Joan Phee, who was the only one of her generation at the book launch and who still lives in the first of the five houses built for the Martin St. Housing Cooperative. Chantal spoke eloquently at the book launch of the importance of this history in her life. Chantal is in her third year at StFX majoring in Sociology.
L to R: Chantal Phee with her parents Sylvia and Johnnie Phee
Johnny, Sylvia & Family
A prouder moment I don’t believe there ever was than when this book chronicled the Martin street folks. I was proud to be able to call everyone on the street a friend.
Your grandparents would be so proud. Fantastic job!