A basic principle, that Lawrence related to me was that, in his family, working hard was something that was understood well. Perhaps the Doukhobor religious tenet “Toil and Peaceful Life” meant exactly that to them.
The Popoffs lived in Buchanan, Saskatchewan on a quarter section of land. Lawrence’s grandparents met in Buchanan and married in 1914. Lawrence’s parents met in British Columbia and married in 1938.
The stories that Lawrence remembers were that of the drought years of the ’30s when meagre crop yields were coupled with poor wheat prices and so a decision to follow other Doukhobor families to British Columbia became an alternative.
All their holdings of equipment, animals and land were capitalized to provide the funds necessary to purchase a small plot of land in Castlegar, B.C., and the family moved. The first source of income was splitting logs for fence posts at a property in the Pass Creek area. A dangerous occupation for grandfather and Lawrence’s father, Sidney, as both had no prior logging experience.
Other occupations included digging ditches, for the first water lines in Castlegar as well as excavating house basements with shovel and wheel barrow.
An opportunity became available to purchase a small farm near Taghum so that the family could contribute to the basics while Lawrence’s father found work in a Planer Mill as well as driving trucks for Blue Line Freight and others.
Lawrence was born in 1942 at Nelson Hospital, while the family was still in Taghum. It was at this farm in Taghum, that Lawrence’s earliest memories were recalled, “I followed my grandfather everywhere as he could no longer work.. One day we went to the furthest corner of the farm, far beyond the sight of houses. My grandfather collapsed and was not able to walk home and asked me to go and get help. At the age of four, I found my way through the thick bushes and trees to raise the alarm.”
“I recall riding horseback as the horse pulled the plow handled by my father as he tilled the garden areas,” as he smiled in this memory.
Steady employment as a Hard Rock Miner and Blaster became available at a mine near Salmo and so the family moved to Ymir in 1948.
“I started school in Ymir in a two-room school with one classroom teaching grades one through four while the other taught grades five and six. I enjoyed the multi-grade classroom as the Teacher instructed us to print letters of the alphabet while she taught lessons to the other grades,” he reminisced . ” It was interesting to listen to what the other students were being instructed.”
“I managed to get myself into trouble quite easily and was rewarded with a spanking when my Father returned home from the mines,” Lawrence smiled, ” getting the belt was bad enough but he would tell me to go get my favorite and only belt, with beaded western scenes on it. Somehow getting ‘smacked’ with my own belt was more traumatic.”
“Our family was not well off and everything had to be shared with my older sister. Ymir was in the snow belt area and skiing was very popular. So you can imagine my excitement when my Father brought home a pair of wooden skis with leather straps that would wrap around my rubber boots,” he smiled at this memory. “I didn’t get any formal lessons but I was not going to be left behind when the older kids went cross-country skiing. I managed to get through most of the day without problems until we came to the edge of town and had to ski down a hill studded with tree stumps sticking up through the snow. The older kids skied, swerving in and around the stumps while I aimed my path between the stumps. What I did not notice was a solid board fence at the end of my ill-fated run. My plan now changed to fall off the skis before the fence but the straps held me to the skis and I went right through the fence. My sister never got a chance to use the skis as they were in pieces after that run. That pretty well ended my skiing career.”
“Sleighing down the streets in Ymir was another popular pursuit except that all streets went downhill to the main street which was the original highway”, Lawrence went on. “We had lookouts for on-coming cars and once the main street was crossed, there was a huge bank of snow to stop the sleigh. My parents warned me not to participate in this dangerous game but I still did it. One evening as I was to take off on the ‘all clear signal’, the sleigh took off but I was suspended. I realized then that my father had come to get me and so he did. I got the infamous belt,” Lawrence shook his head in memory.
The rock dust and moisture took their toll on Sidney and Lawrence’s Father developed Silicosis. The need for a drier climate resulted in another move was chosen to Grand Forks and the “Sunshine Valley” , rather the Okanagan Valley in 1951.
It was in Grand Forks that Lawrence matured at a greater rate than usual for people his age. The “work hard” message became a reality and at twelve years of age, he was working in the Texaco Bulk Station office where Sidney had obtained a franchise. That meant marketing, deliveries to Loggers, Service Stations, residential housing that utilized oil and gas; wherever the demand for fuels was necessary. Lawrence could not legally drive and learned accounting quickly. There were receipts to write, records to keep and essentially manage the station while his Father, Sidney, made the deliveries. Once he reached the legal driving age of sixteen, Lawrence was now “on the road”.
These are some of the “hair-raising experiences as Lawrence recalled:
1. The Logging Contractors were in the mountains where the trees were obviously. It was necessary to deliver along a narrow access roads gouged out along a mountain, “switch backs” and all. The Truckers were equipped with CBs and were synchronized at twelve (12) minute intervals so each unit would find a suitable siding to permit an oncoming unit to pass safely. The fuel truck driver with no CB connection, had to do the best which meant being precariously perched on whatever siding could be found. A young driver had to learn to think and plan quickly
2. A delivery to Anachist Mountain near Osoyoos was to be coordinated with the crew on site as the road grade would be too steep to climb without assistance of a caterpillar or a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Lawrence was to wait at the bottom of the hill for such support. There seemed to be many hills on the way up and it was difficult to determine which hill it was to wait by. Wanting to be a solution and not a problem, Lawrence slipped the truck into bull low and started climbing the steep grade. Just as he negotiated the last leg of the road, he was met by a pickup that seemed to not have any wheels. When all stopped and got out, Lawrence sunk to his knees in volcanic ash which was the road surface.
3. A friend came along on a trip up Christian Valley on a weekend when snow, ice and severe winter road conditions became a challenge. They chained up and just as the brow of the hill was in sight, the truck began slipping backwards on the treacherous road. Lawrence shouted to his friend, “keep your door open and jump when I give the signal.” Lawrence knew that the switch back behind them would not permit any chance of stopping the truck in its slide. Fortunately the chained wheels dug through the ice and snow and the forward movement continued.
4. Typically, left fenders on Logging Trucks were significantly missing as the narrow logging road and a slipping truck were combinations that meant side-swiping or a more serious accident would take place.
5. Fuel unloading safety at an incident at Kingsley Camp in Christina Lake was probably the most potentially dangerous of all his trips. Lawrence was unloading fuel with a hose connected to the fuel tank for this boat landing. The elderly Owner, smoking a pipe, was descending down from the store. Neither Lawrence nor the man felt there was any danger except that it was a hot day
and the fumes were drifting upward to the smoking person. There many campers in the a area at that time. Suddenly a flame connected the hose and the man and the grass caught fire. Lawrence was able to quickly shut off the fuel pump, disconnect the hose and throw it unto the grass while replacing the cap on the burning fill line to the fuel tank. It was noon and all of the tents were having lunch or were within their campers as no one noticed how close to a disaster thy had been at that time.
Unfortunately, Sports, Fishing and Swimming had to be fitted in between what the business could offer in “down times”. What is usually considered accepted Teenager’s recreation and pursuits were compromised with the family need for survival. Swimming in the rivers after work and playing fastball on teams that were formed in the many Doukhobor Villages were some of the activities were enjoyable.
In Grand Forks, the rural community all had animals. Popoffs had a cow, some chickens, pigs. etc., which helped to supplement the basic needs of a family. Lawrence’s mother was not well, which challenged her efforts around the farm. This meant that Lawrence was a cow-milker, sprinkler-mover and many of the handy man jobs that were always necessary.
A plucky rooster would meet Lawrence in the Chicken Coop as he gathered eggs. This would result in a game where Lawrence and the rooster would charge each other. Neither of them hurt each other but it became a daily ritual. One day Lawrence’s sister had to get the eggs as Lawrence was away. The rooster was ready to do his part of the game but the sister did not understand her role. This became a frightening experience for her which included crying and a complaint. Lawrence admitted that the rooster was a good loser when he was served on the table that night.
A Root Cellar was necessary and a salvaged building became the source of building materials including straightening the nails for reuse. This was further augmented with “cull” 2x4s from local sawmills.
Excavation was a shovel and wheelbarrow. Lawrence paced himself at digging a 6″ lift a day, in his preteen years, until the sun became too hot in the afternoon. Then he would sneak off with his friends to go swimming or whatever else was on the agenda. The Root Cellar was completed with laminated 2x4s and whatever else could be salvaged in the process.
Lawrence also looked after preparing firewood. The sources of this was slab wood from nearby sawmills. Splitting wood and kindling was a steady chore. A large house furnace burned sawdust from the mill as well. This needed regular stoking in the winter. One time the furnace accumulated too much methane gas from the sawdust which ignited and an explosion was the result. The danger was not that great but the basement cleanup after was significant.
Farmers needed potato diggers and sorters. When Lawrence was too small to lift sacks of potatoes, he would work on the Potato Digger, culling and sorting potatoes. He also remembers assembling boxes for one cent a box.
Sidney purchased a 1924 three ton truck that was converted into a tractor. The tires were filled with sand and the unit was used to plough fields at home. Lawrence and his friend tested to see how fast this “unit” could go. Just when they got up to an exciting speed, one back wheel flew off due to loose nuts. There was a jack of course, but the sand was too loose under the truck to support the jack. The boys did a Physics experiment with a pole and a large block of wood to lever the rear high enough to get the wheel back on. The field was finished harrowing and nobody had to be told. Yes, the belt was not used that time.
Sidney and his brother-in-law were backfilling a basement with the converted 1924 “tractor”, when the father of Lawrence’s friend came over and said that he had just bought a new Pony Massey Harris tractor and he would show him how it it’s done, claiming that the ole conversion should be retired. They hooked up the Pony tractor to the scoop and it would not move it with dirt at all. He thought he was going to show off his new purchase and show up the old “tractor” and was totally disappointed in the turn of events. They rehitched the old “tractor” to the scoop and finished filling the excavation.
Every Saturday, it was customary for the rural community to travel to Grand Forks to stock up on supplies and visit with each other. Well that was when the swine decided that an opportunity was appropriate to leave their pig pens and visit the neighborhood. There were no phones or texting privileges available except for a mother hollering for help. A posse was formed to convince the pigs to return to their home base. Those of you who have herded swine will smile at the experience. Lawrence was small enough in size at that time, to crawl under the log floor barn to coax the hiding rascals out. The space was confined and the pigs had no other alternative but to charge Lawrence who was just lucky enough to lean over and make room for the squealing animals. The Saturday entertainment ended upon sale of all the pigs.
At age eighteen, Lawrence’s parents went on a well deserved cross-Canada trip leaving him in charge of the operations. As is typical in this situation, the Texaco Auditor scheduled a trip to inspect the business. The typical records that were kept by the Franchisee were:
1. Inserting a level gauge into the bulk tanks above ground to note:
a. Top level of fuel
b. Bottom level of fuel
c. Level of water under the fuel. This was achieved by installing a brass weight at the bottom of the probe. The water level would be indicated by the difference in color on the probe due to the chemical action.
2. All paperwork with sales and invoices
3. All had to be cross-checked against the supplies by Texaco
Firstly, all the books had to be brought up to date in advance of the visit. Then when the Auditor arrived, it meant that the entire mornings were devoted to providing all the detail requested by the Auditor and then all afternoon and evening, all the deliveries and customer needs took place. It was a busy and challenging time to be sure.
After graduating from grade twelve from grade 12, university and a higher training was not possible nor practical, as the business was being cultured for a future take over from father to son. This was the cultural practise in those years and the business required full attention of both men.
Lawrence remembers this shy girl from grade five who filled in with Lawrence and the students in grade six to complete a “Maple Dance” ensemble. Not many boys wanted to dance in those days and so the need for girls was a matter of convenience. Lawrence didn’t think much of it except when in grade 11, and it was a necessity to ask a girl to the school dance, he shyly resorted to a familiar face in the hallway and got the courage to ask her out. It appears that he caught Kathy off guard as she agreed to go. Later, she asked a friend “who is that guy?” After courting for three (3) years,. they are now married now for 53 years but that is how it all started.
Unfortunately the fuel business “dropped off” in the sixties with the reduction in demand for forest products and the corresponding price reductions. This led to less Loggers and thus a smaller share of the market for which four Bulk Dealers were competing in the Valley. A Texaco Service Station was added to the total business enterprise but even that did not make ends meet as by this time Lawrence found a real partner with Kathy joining him to start their personal family.
A friend was working for Boundary Electric and invited Lawrence to meet the Owners as the operation in Castlegar needed someone to work in the retail store. Much as the Popoff family would have preferred a different route, it was obvious that Lawrence needed more security in employment and so the offer was accepted and Lawrence left the family business.
Work in sales and operating the desk was well within the expertise of the young Popoff and Lawrence started by commuting initially and then, moved his new family to Castlegar. It was obvious that the Tradesmen were being paid considerable amount more that the office personnel in the business and Lawrence was requesting an opportunity to get into the Trades for Electrical or Plumbing as a preference. Entry into the respective unions was very difficult as membership was closely controlled at that time.
Lawrence did get opportunities to go on projects with those Tradesmen as a Helper. Although the preference was otherwise, an opportunity did become available in the Sheet Metal Trade and Lawrence accepted this right away. Again, a compromise took place when Boundary needed assistance in the Office, Lawrence was taken away from the tools; however, his skills in procurement, and other associated office processes made his talents invaluable to the Estimators as here was experience in actual cost control from projects that was also part of Lawrence’s knowledge.
Lawrence received his Interprovincial Sheet Metal Trades Certificate in 1976. By this juncture, Boundary had expanded to separate divisions of Electrical, Mechanical, Structural as well as Machine Shop. The Mechanical Division was where Lawrence became proficient at:
• Buyer
• Purchasing Agent
• Invoicing and Accounts Payable
• General Office Procedures
• Estimating and Cost Accounting on various contracts
Unfortunately. working on the tools was something that many capable Tradesmen did not accomplish but the need for adequate paperwork in a business of this nature becomes essential to the success of the operation and Lawrence was called back to the Office. Lawrence did get some opportunities to lead crews unto jobsites to many local projects.
Some projects that were within those jobsites are as listed:
• Mine Developments
o Westmin Mines
o Kaiser Resources
o Line Creek
o Fording Coal
o Greenhills
• B.C Hydro
o Seven Mile
o Kootenay Canal
o Hugh Keenleyside
o Mica Creek Relocation
• Buildings
o Hospitals
o Extended Care Homes
o Colleges
o Schools
o Breweries
o Many Commercial & Residential Buildings throughout the East and West Kootenay areas
With Dag System Inc., Lawrence performed similar work at:
• Fisheries and Oceans Laboratories
• Nelson House Secondary School & Teacherages
o there was a necessity to set up a credit at a Mechanical supply house in Winnipeg. Lawrence recalls a major process to bypass the Credit Manager and meet the President himself to convince him that Dag was a credible Mechanical Contractor
• Tadoule lake Airport
This was followed by employment with Martina Enterprises in Surrey. Responsibilities here were similar to that at Boundary and Dag.
An incident at Martina was the case of non-delivery of materials to a jobsite at Cordova Street in Vancouver. Materials left the offices but did not seem to reach the site. Debates ensued (office to site) until finally, the Superintendent paid a visit to an adjacent Pawn Shop and discovered equipment and materials with identification marking from Martina. The Skid Row habitants were the culprits and a construction fence was the final solution.
Lawrence was always interested in spirituality and it was within the six week trade yearly academic sessions on the Coast, that he met a Land Lady who also shared this interest. He had already shown a thirst for reading starting with the typical Western pocket books of Luke Short, and later become interested in expanding his knowledge in a variety of subject matter that lead to spiritual Writers like:
• Edgar Cayce
• Arthur Ford
• Other Writers of psychic phenomena
Mrs Kozak found Lawrence a good listener as she shared her spirituality interests and the discussions would carry on much after the supper table. It was here that the Land Lady suggested that he might want to visit a group in Washington State that would hold Spiritual discussions at Leander and Lawrence’s curiosity was aroused. He decided there was no reason why he could not attend as he had spare time available and who knows, he might gain some additional learnings.
A white-haired British Lady was in a group that would spirit herself into a trance that made have her speak through a medium from another time and person, a slave “Beulah”. She invited Lawrence to a private session. This became something that was both frightening and at the same time very interesting. Lawrence’s skepticism was shared in his session reviews with Mrs Kozak. She suggested that he take the opportunity and create a list of questions to ask “Beulah” so that he would not be awed and lose perspective during the session.
So Lawrence listed forty-four questions and off he went to Leander Washington, very skeptical and obviously nervous about this meeting. “Beulah” started with prayers and eventually fell into a trance that caused her to speak with a Southern accent, distinct with the Southern States and totally different from her normal British accent.. He was allowed to have a tape-recorder and so the session began.
1. She answered his questions on:
a. Reincarnation
b. Life after death
c. Dream analysis
2. Lawrence then found that she would be answering questions further down on his list that he had not yet asked. This impressed him.
3. He was able to record two hours of this session and found that he forgot to flip the tape which he eventually was able to do
4. Lawrence felt a shiver and felt a presence behind him
a. “Beulah” told him that he had a native American Indian Guide “Nakeem” standing behind him
b. That he would always accompany Lawrence for his entire life as a Spiritual Guide
c. That everyone has a Spiritual Guide in this life
d. “Nakeem” would be riding a horse alongside Lawrence no matter what mode of transport he was using
e. Lawrence could not see ‘Nakeem” but felt his presence
5. “Beulah” charged $10 for this personal interview but he was so moved he paid twice that
Mrs Kozak eventually suggested some special volumes of books written by Baird T. Spalding on his experiences in the Far East in the late 1800s which are entitled Life & Teaching of the Masters of the Far East. An excellent source of spirituality that takes one to a higher plane. Lawrence was able to purchase the entire volume by special order from Hudson’s Bay store.
Lawrence has now revealed his inner self that takes him beyond the materialistic life we all live and has built his character that will unfold as we write this chronicle.
Lawrence always had interest in people and the community. While at Grand Forks High School he participated in:
• Student Council
• Stage School Dances
• Staged drama and related events
• This always involved accounting for monies raised and the necessity to have bills paid
While in Grand Forks, he served on the Supervisory Committee for the Grand Forks Credit Union. This provided an insight into the complexity in operating a financial institution.
In Castlegar, Lawrence was invited to work with the Junior Chamber of Commerce (JCs). Along with Andy Boolinoff and many other local young men, they all felt comfortable promoting Castlegar as well as working at making the community a better place to live in. Lawrence served as Secretary and the JCs partial list of achievements included:
• Travelling to different communities to visit JCs there and learn about the economies in those areas
• The JCs raised funds and purchased the first set of Xmas lights as well as stringing them across the Castlegar streets late at night when there was little or no traffic
• Many other local projects
The Lions Club was suggested as a service club that could benefit Castlegar and so Lawrence was a founding member and part of the Charter Executive. He served as the first Vice-President followed by filling all the other offices during his time with the Club. Achievements partial list included:
• Organizing the first Trade Fair that was extremely successful and raised a great deal of funds that were invested into the community
• Sponsored Rodeos, RCMP Rides and other major entertainment events for appreciation of the public
• Participated in Tel-a-tons to raise money for handicapped children
• The Lions financed and developed Kinnaird Park, an extensive park with ball diamonds and recreational areas.
He joined the Doukhobor Cultural Association (DCA)
• Served on all the executive positions
• The DCA was able to raise funds by sponsoring
o Doukhobor Sports Day
• Organized, Conducted and participated in many Doukhobor spiritual and educational seminars and workshops
• Raised funds to support many local endeavours
o Red Cross
o Health and Care Equipment
o Other
• Raised the initial startup funds for the DHRS #1999
• Raised the initial startup funds for the KCSHC
Became associated with the Doukhobor Benevolent Society:
• Served on many of the executive positions
• Participated and developed the following projects
o Grand Forks, Parkside Villa, 25 units
o Castlegar, Rosewood Manor 20 units
o Delta, Whitebirch Manor 48 units
Lawrence was a founding member of the Doukhobor Heritage Retreat Society #1999 (DHRS #1999)
• Served on all the executive positions
• Developed the following project:
o Raised funds to purchase two parcels of land at Whatshan Lake totaling 209 acres
o Rezoning the land and removing it from the Agricultural Reserve
o Raising funds to construct:
Retreat Centre
Eight (8) cabins
Caretakers Offices and Quarters
Acoustical Stage
Washroom and Conscession Building
175 campsites
A substantial Infrastructure system with power, water and sewers
• Sponsor Freedom Quest (FQ) Youth Drug and Alcohol Treatment operating in all the West Kootenay communities
o Continues to serve on the Liaison Committee DHRS #1999 to FQ
Joined the Doukhobor Historical Society
• Served on the Directorship
o Maintained a reconstructed a full size Doukhobor Village
Founded and sponsored the Kootenay Columbia Seniors Housing Cooperative (KCSHC) that developed 60 acres of land in Castlegar for seniors.
• Raised $50,000 feasibility funds to start the developement
• Lawrence chose not move to that project but many of his friends now reside in this development
Lawrence continues with his cultural background by participating in the Kootenay Mens Choir that strives to learn Russian hymns and songs. The Choir Participates in entertaining many local functions.
He also works with the Kootenay Mens Group that manufactures wood products along with wooden caskets.
School District 20 was Lawrence’s final career position as Assistant Maintenance Superintendent located in Castleagr, B.C. His previous experience in the construction industry made him a natural administrator as all the Mechanical, Electrical and Building issues that came to his attention were very familiar and could be handled efficiently along with the expertise that was common knowledge to him. Interesting to note that Lawrence had applied for a similar position in Clearwater but had opted for an interview in Castlegar. Clearwater advised him later that he would have had the job there had he showed up for the job interview.
During this tenure, Lawrence became involved in the following:
• Provincial Secretary for the Association of School Transportation Supervisors of British Columbia
• School Plant Officials Association of British Columbia
o Became involved in the examination process for all Building Maintenance Personnel
• Served on the Safety Council
• Travelled extensively in Alberta as well as in British Columbia
• Attended numerous Conferences and Training Sessions
• Survived the difficult amalgamation process of the neighboring School Districts of Castlegar with Trail with bussing increases and school closures.
• He was in charge of organizing the bussing at the B.C. Summer Games when 50 Greyhound buses were added to the School District fleet to distribute the athletes to venues at Castleagr, Trail and Nelson.
It is time to interpret all the above into a manner with which the character of Lawrence Popoff was developed and became the impetus for his untiring effort in his work, family and all the extra-curriculum involvements. These are the current thoughts of this writer:
1. There is no question that an upbringing of hard and devoted attention to hard work in the family influenced his development to become what he was in his adult life
2. Honesty came from family example and was to become a fundamental part of all that he did
3. A feeling of comraderie with childhood friends became a standard search for same in all that Lawrence became involved and was subsequently found in each endeavour. He relished that desire and expounded this enthusiastically.
4. He saw a need to community peace and tried to influence this comfort to that end in each and every effort
5. He never commanded a return for his volunteerism as the satisfaction in creating and delivering every project and effort was all that he expected. Waiting for honors and gratitude was not on his agenda.,
6. Although Lawrence does not consider himself religious, he did participate in Doukhobor activities whenever he is able.
7. His search for an understanding of his spirit has caused him to read many volumes in this regard. This has brought him into an understanding of Quantum Physics and deep appreciation of all living things on the Earth and a conviction the past is trying to communicate with us but we still do not have the understanding as to how to understand the message at this time.
8. There is a depth within this person that only Lawrence can measure. Perhaps this quotation from one of the Doukhobor philosophical Leaders may describe him best:
“Do not believe everything you hear.
Do not desire everything you see.
Do not proceed to do everything you are able to.
Do not proclaim everything you know,
but only that that should be proclaimed.
That which you do not know, do not affirm or deny;
Best of all – inquire;
then will thou be discreet – Ilarion Pobrirokin”
So this is a chronicle on Lawrence Popoff, a man I have got to know well – my friend.
Written by Elmer Verigin May 05, 2015.
The process involved interviews with Lawrence Popoff over a period of time.
1. April 17, 2015
2. April 25, 2015
3. April 30, 2015
4. May 05, 2015
5. May 20, 2015
The final draught was subsequently approved by Lawrence for publishing in this blog
Elmer Verigin 