Provincial Archives of Alberta
Anthony “Tony” Cashman was born April 28, 1923 in Edmonton, Alberta. In 1927 the family moved to Spokane, Washington, in 1929 to Glendale, California, in 1932 to a cottage on the Columbia River, 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon, and in 1933 to Alameda, California. The family returned to Edmonton after the death of Cashman’s father on April 1, 1934. While in Edmonton, Cashman attended Grandin School and St. Joseph’s High School. He served in the Second World War from 1942-1945 as a navigator, before studying for three years at Notre Dame University in South Bend Indiana. He returned to Edmonton in 1949 and began a career as a journalist, author and broadcaster.
In 1953, Cashman began a series of one minute broadcasts three times a week entitled, “Edmonton Stories” for CJCA radio. The stories illustrated Edmonton’s history and were soon moved to a ten minute format. They featured the voices of notable Edmontonians such as Bill Lee, Phil Lloyd, Alt Eton, and Johnny Mackin. Between 1953 and 1962, Cashman produced 726 stories for CJCA. From 1964 to 1966, Cashman produced and broadcast 275 one minute historical vignettes, written for the Life Insurance Company of Alberta, on various radio stations in Alberta. He also wrote 204 stories while hosting the radio program “Sunday Fantasia” for CJCA from 1961 – 1969.
In 1956, W. Clarence Richards of the Institute for Applied Art published his first book Edmonton Stories based on Cashman’s radio broadcasts. Since 1954, Cashman himself has written numerous books including: Singing Wires: the telephone in Alberta (1972), The Best Edmonton Stories, (1976), and Edmonton: Stories from the River City (2002).
In addition to his work as an author, Cashman worked as a station manager for CKUA radio, as a reporter for the Edmonton Journal, and as an historian and curator of the Alberta Government Telephones Museum.
Tony Cashman married Genevieve Mary Costello in August 1950 and they have three sons: Hal, Bernard, and Paul.
Edmonton Public Library audio collection: http://www.epl.ca/edmonton-history/edmonton-a-city-called-home/cashman-radio-broadcast
University of Alberta
Tony Cashman grew up in Edmonton in the heroic age of the bush pilots, some of whom were his neighbours. His Uncle George Gorman was a partner of Wop May in the city’s first attempt at commercial aviation. In World War II, Mr. Cashman trained as a navigator in the British Commonwealth Air Training plan and flew 30 sorties over Germany in Bomber Command. After studies at the University of Notre Dame, Mr. Cashman began a 20-year career in radio. A series of his broadcasts on CJCA, called The Edmonton Story, appeared in print in 1956. This book was followed by many more, including Vice Regal Cowboy and An Illustrated History of Western Canada.
University of Alberta Press
Tony Cashman wrote constantly for CJCA. His first program, broadcast on August 31, 1951, was a 30-minute special to mark the end of the streetcar era in Edmonton. During the ten years between October 12, 1951, and April 5, 1961, Cashman wrote 726
“Edmonton Stories” for CJCA.
Mary Ross Glenfield
Eight Albertans to be inducted into Alberta Order of Excellence
Edmonton Journal
May 9, 2014 5:24 PM
EDMONTON – The Alberta government has announced eight new members of the Alberta Order of Excellence.
The new Alberta Order of Excellence members chosen for investiture in 2014 are:
- Sharon Carry, Calgary
- Tony Cashman, Edmonton
- Morris Flewwelling, Red Deer
- Colin Glassco, Calgary
- Julia Hamilton, Calgary
- Willie Littlechild, Maskwacis
- Fred Mannix, Calgary
- Reinhard Muhlenfeld, Edmonton
“The Alberta Order of Excellence is about recognizing those who have made a difference, who have served Albertans with distinction, and whose contributions will stand the test of time,” Lt.-Gov. Donald S. Ethell said in a written statement.
The lieutenant-governor will preside over the investiture ceremony in Edmonton on Wednesday, October 15.
This will bring the total membership of the Alberta Order of Excellence to 140.