"A Two Minute Game Panel Would You Please Lead Off Betty?"

Rory J. Koopmans, B. Admin., #6, 14504-108 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5N 1G8

March XXIInd, MMXVII

Hon. Dave Eggen, B. Ed., MLA, Minister of Education, New Democratic, Edmonton-Calder

Dear Dave:

I'm just advising you that its a national story & that sadly that there was loss of life in the story (like the sophisticated host/moderator Fred Davis would in his superb voice) one last time as the great Betty Kennedy, a brilliant journalist (leaving just Allan Fotheringham left as the last legendary member of the panel) on "Front Page Challenge" from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News Division has died at 91. Author & Historian Pierre Berton, Betty, excellent journalists like Gordon Sinclair, Jack Webster, & Toby Robins are all gone now.

Betty with her style of asking broadcast quality questions on radio was an absolutely perfect fit for the show & added a nice air of femininity to an otherwise all male show. 27 years as a radio host in Toronto at CFRB is a remarkable run in addition to her writing & tv appearances, newspaper columns. Definitely a quality Canadian journalist of the old school. I met Betty & the "Front Page" gang in MCMXCV (1995) when they taped one of their last sets of shows here in Edmonton. Fred Davis had a friend here in the business & he got clearance from the CBC National News Department to do something never done before in "Front Page" history & never repeated & this was to tape 4 shows back to back. It was quite enthralling to see the panel ask queries & try to pin down each of the "mystery guests." Yes Betty Kennedy, a journalist/broadcaster/writer always at her finest.

"Little Bit Of Entertainment: Little Bit Of This & That Eh?",

Rory

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Newsfile Archives: "Front Page Challenge", Post Office Box 500, Station "A", Toronto, Ontario, M5W 1E6.