Walter Bruce KIPPEN

WALTER BRUCE KIPPEN On June 30th at 93, after a coura geous battle with illness, loving husband, father and grandfather Walter Bruce Kippen died on the holiday weekend he helped create.As a founding member of the Canada Committee which grew to become the Council for Canadian Unity, Bruce Kippen was among the handful of Montre alers that included Jocelyn Beau doin and Anthony Malcolm who launched a plan during the months following Expo '67 to re place what was then called Do minion Day with the national holiday we call Canada Day/ Fête du Canada. https://thewalrus.ca/ how-canada-day-got-its-name/ Starting as part of Canada Week, July 1st became known as Canada Day/ Fête du Canada during the early 1970s before officially desig nated as the national holiday in 1982. Mr. Kippen's work during this time earned him the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal.In a ca reer that included building Calga ry's first car-wash, serving as CEO of investment firm Kippen & Co. and co-founding oil exploration company First Calgary Petroleum, Mr. Kippen was also a contributor and driving force in 1967 behind publishing Option Canada: The Economic Consequences of Que bec Separatism, projecting finan cial changes that would unfold in Quebec during the 1970s and 80s.Mr. Kippen served as a pilot with the RCAF during WWII. When the European war ended before he could see action, he hopped freight trains and hitchhiked to California to join the U.S. air battle in the South Pacific. He arrived in Los Angeles just a week before the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs ended that war.During this time in Los Angeles Mr. Kip pen met Milton "Gummo" Marx - the theatrical agent among the fa mous brothers. Marx invited Mr. Kippen to his office adorned with framed photos of numerous stars and pointed out young Fred Mac Murray, saying, "You can be the next MacMurray." Instead, Kippen returned to Montreal to enroll at McGill where the admissions di rector shook a file-box listing the flood of incoming war vets say ing, "You'll end up like the rest of them. Gone by Christmas." Mr. Kippen graduated with honors.On the day he died, Bruce Kippen was writing an historic-novel call ed Lords of the Frontier about three ambitious young men from different parts of Canada at the turn of the 20th century setting out to carve big names in Ottawa, on Bay Street and building Cana da's railroads. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife Elf ride, children Alexander, Francesca and David Kippen; grandchildren Zurielle and Arabella Kippen; Cas par, Benedict and Leila Ruane. Mr. Kippen's family is especially thankful to Maude and Grace for their great skill and dedication. For any of you wishing to remember Mr. Kippen's life and his work for youth in Canada, please donate to... Student SupportEncounters with Canada1805 De Gaspé Ave nueOttawa, ON K1K 0A4 Canada. Attn: Val Amigo 613-744-1290