Title: John and Vivian Comadina collection

This record describes the John and Vivian Comadina collection.

Date: 1907 - 1980

Physical Description: ["15 photographs", "0.5 cm textual records", "1 scrapbook"]

History/Biography: John Joseph Comadina and Vivian Olive Marie Wrathall were married on October 16, 1953 in Prince Rupert. John was born on May 26,1912 in Prince Rupert to Yugoslavian immigrants Alex Valentin Komadina and Ana Comadina. John was the 49th child baptised in the Catholic Church. He loved sports and was involved with basketball, bowling, and baseball. He refereed the first two years of the 'All-Native Basketball Tournament' and became head referee for the World War II local airforce, navy, and army teams, both Canadian and American. After high school he worked for Burns Meats as a bookkeeper until he left to go into business with his wife Vivian and her brother Jack Wrathall operating as Wrathall's Photo Finishing Ltd. Vivian Wrathall was born in Prince Rupert on January 20, 1917. She was the daughter of William W. Wrathall and Lydia Haynes. The Wrathall family moved to Prince Rupert in 1912 from Hazelton where her father, William Walker Wrathall, and avid photographer, had worked as a government telegraph operator. Vivian predeceased John on April 4, 1982 at age 65 after a lengthy illness. John loved to sing in the Annunciation Church choir. As a youngster, he welcomed every bishop, priest, brother and nun that settled in Prince Rupert. He often took them out to their cabin at Prudhomme Lake for skating in the winter and swimming in the summer. In 1962 John joined the Knights of Columbus Bishop Bunoz Council 5282 and acted as financial secretary for over 25 years. John and Vivian loved the outdoors and built one of the first cabins on Prudhomme Lake. John passed away on December 27, 2001 at the age of 89.

Scope & Content: The fonds consists of photographs, slides, 8 mm films, and sound recordings depicting the Comadinas at their wedding in 1953, at work in 1970 with partner Jack Wrathall, John in Vancouver on the B.C. Electric Railways Co. Observation Car in 1947, with the staff at Burn's Meats, and the view of Prince Rupert from Summit Avenue taken after 1910. Included are photographs of Lucy Island Lighthouse taken by Vivian, early Hazelton, a portrait of William Walker Wrathall, a scene inside his shop, another at the wheel of a car with Wiggs O'Neill, children Jack and Bill Wrathall in 1912, Wiggs O'Neil driving his car with over a dozen passengers in 1912, Alex and Anna Comadina family, Web & Agnes Pierce family, John and Vivian's cabin and skating at Prudhomme Lake, members of William W. Wrathall's family, Wrathall family home on 5th Avenue West, Mary and Ken Wrathall families, Audrey Wrathall, John and Vivian's home on Graham Avenue, Highway 16 construction, Leon Blain, Charles Balagno, Theo (Bun) Fortune, Norm Kinslor, Joan Langley, IODE 60th Anniversary,Decker Lake Auto-Court, Telkwa River bridge, World War II parades on 3rd Avenue,Tona Lake cabin, friends, skiing, hiking,picnics, and scenes of the area. The textual records include a certificate of service from the Canadian Pacific Railway Company for W.W. Wrathall for length of service January 21 1901 to September 13, 1907 and a 1927 reference letter for W.W. Wrathall from the manager at Canadian National Railways. The scrapbook contains information from 1908 to 1980, including newspaper clippings, wedding invitations, and receipts.

Note: Title based on provenance of the collection. Four of the photographs of early Hazelton, are also in the Wrathall collection.

Name Access:
Comadina, John
Comadina, Vivian (nee Wrathall)
Wrathall, William Walker
Wrathall, Bill
Wrathall, Jack Richard
O'Neill, Wiggs
Mohan, Rev. O.P.
Little, Henry H.
Annunciation Church
Sons of Norway
Wrathall Photo Finishing
Third Avenue West
Fifth Avenue East
Summit Avenue
King Edward School
B.C. Electric Railway Co.
Mulvaney, Barney
Haynes, Lydia
Morison, C.F.
Morison, Odille
Canadian Fish & Cold Storage
Hays Block Fire

Subject Access:
Families

Geographic Access:
Prince Rupert, B.C.
Hazelton, B.C.
Metlakatla, B.C.
Prudhomme Lake

Accession Number: 2009-007 ; 2014-004; 2014-014

Record ID: 2019


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