Barkley Murray

Article by Kathleen Hay
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March 31, 2009

Murray Barkley loves to escape into a good book, particularly if it has anything to do with history. The proprietor of Barkley's Store, he once considered a life of academia, but decided change was in order so he returned to Avonmore. Murray is a popular speechwriter, emcee and author of several articles in his storybooks and journals.

Avonmore - History buff Murray Barkley steps back in time every day he heads of to work. He's the man behind the counter at Barkley's store in Avonmore. The business celebrated its 101st anniversary last Friday, but as Murray explains, it hasn't really changed inside for the past 50 years, and then 50 years before that.

It was begun by his grandfather, Willis, from whom he inherited his middle name. In 1981, Murray took over the reins from his father, Fred, who continued to be a familiar face at the store for the next 18 years.

Murray's mom is Florence, and he's the big brother of his sisters, Jean, a United Church minister, and Helen, a lawyer. He attended Avonmore Public School, then Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School. He headed off to Queen's University, in Kingston, to complete both his B.A. Honours (History), then his Master of Arts (History).

His master's thesis was on The Loyalist Tradition in New Brunswick, a theme he further developed while studying towards a PhD at the University of Toronto, but broadening its scope to all of Canada. Although he "more or less" finished his thesis, he decided not to submit it, opting for a change and returned to Avonmore.

Murray has always been an active supporter of all things Avonmore. He helped lead the crusade to save the village's post office, school and library. As well, he's been involved with Roxborough Community Policing, Tagwi and Roxmore school councils, Roxborough Agricultural Society and St. James United Church, plus the village's 150th anniversary in 1992. Currently, he is involved with the fundraising committee for the new Avonmore Community Centre, North Stormont Place@ Avonmore.

He is a sought-after speech writer, emcee and author. Most recently, he published Speaking of Avonmore (2006), as well as co-authoring the 150th Anniversary of Avonmore with Lily Worrall. Murray has also published numerous articles in various history books and journals, including the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Heirloom Series of Canada and Acadensis. He resides with his wife, Pilar, in Avonmore.

Q1. What was your first job in the store? When I was a kid. Bagging potatoes. I was five years old. I got so good at it I could come within a quarter of an ounce of the 10 lbs, four out of five times. The potatoes would come in 50 lb. hampers and you'd bag them up. My grandmother liked to supervise. She had a sense of propriety and what was right or wrong. I had to also fill up the gum machine and roll up the pennies in the machine. I started right at the bottom. I also put nuts on bolts. It was talent!

Q2. What do you think the store walls would say if they could talk? Everything in that store is the same as 50 years ago...It would say everything is the same inside, but outside world has intruded in so many different ways. There's as many inspectors today as there were traveling salesmen in my father's day.

Q3. What would you ask Willis Barkley if you had the opportunity?
"Tell me some of your stories!" He was very personable. He had a story for every occasion. He was a shrewd businessman, but strictly honest. He started up at zero and built a business that outlasted them all.

Q4. What amazed you most about your late father, Fred Barkley? How he could keep a secret in this town, like his scholarships and his philanthropy. He believed if you did good deeds, they lost power if you talked about them. And how he could add three columns at once. He didn't need a calculator - he would have loved the computer age. Third thing - how he had the energy. He'd work all week then teach smart asses like me and Andy Pipe in Sunday School. Boundless energy.

Q5. What's the most popular item on the shelves? It's found under LCBO. It's called B-E- E- R.

6. What's the oddest thing I you've ever heard of stocked here? I could answer in a lot of ways. They all ask for defecated coconut, but this guy a couple of years ago. His wife was doing Christmas baking and the first thing on the list was defecated coconut! I think he had a problem with his glasses or may be it was his wife's glasses. I still sell corks and I have a full box of overshoes that go over women's 1950s - styled shoes, if anyone's interested.

Q7. Would you go back and do anything differently in your life if you could? That's the tough question. The MPA? The temptation is there. You always think far away fields are greener. I made the decision when I made it, the only direction is forward.

Q8. What do you miss most there? Maybe the gossip! I loved being able to get up, have a coffee, read a book if I wanted to and be transported to that time.

Q9. What's the most important lesson to learn? Well, it's simply treat others the way you want to be treated. I find in the store if you treat others with respect and dignity, that 99 per cent of the time, they'll respond the same way. Put others first.

Q10. What's your favourite local history story? It's a long story. A man came into the store, a well-known local. He was explaining to Joe, our butcher, and some of the boys all you had to do was ask God for what you wanted. If you had faith, you'd get it. He was talking about how on a trip to Montreal he'd say ''Jesus give me green lights" and he sailed right through. "Jesus, find a parking spot" and there it was.
Joe, being the academic, says, "What if one farmer wants rain for his crop and his neighbour doesn't? " He said the rain would stop at the fence line.
Pilar was listening to this and all of a sudden the man goes, "Gee, it's lunchtime, I got to go!"

I went up to Pilar and said, do you believe all of this? She said: "Well, a few minutes ago, I would have said no, but now I'm starting to believe. I thought "Jesus, get him out of here.''

Q11. What historical character would you most love to meet? I'll tell you exactly. My great-great-great-great grandfather, Suffrenus Casselman. He was King's Royal Regiment of New York. They called him a captain. He was a spy for Loyalists, he fought in the Battle of Oriskany. He was also a historical fictional character. He's the villain of the novel Drums Along the Mohawk. According to American folklore, at the Battle of Oriskcany, he killed Sgt. John Ritter of the Tryon County militia and, in front of his Mohawk allies, he drank Ritter's blood.

Q12. What is your CD player? Pilar's got them mostly. In mine , there's Jeff Healey, in Pilar's Argentinean tangos. I'm very eclectic. I love classical. I love blues, rock. I love Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Q13. What's your fondest memory growing up in Avonmore? There's so many. It's the wind in the trees on a cool summer evening. Those Halcyon days when everything is possible when you're young.

Q14. What was your childhood ambition? I wanted to be a Mountie. In the 1950s, Mounties' were Rose Marie, Sgt. Preston and Renfrew. They stood for everything good and Canadian. The movie 49th Parallel, they have every myth in it.

Q15. What's the key to great speech writing? Col George Taylor Denison III described it to his friend, George Munro Grant. "You write a book, you make a speech, just as if you were sitting there in an armchair by the fireplace with a glass of Port and a good cigar and telling a story to a friend. You write the way you talk, and you talk informally. It has to have a structure, but the humour and the drama will come out.

Q16. What book could you not possibly live without? The Bible, not just for what it says, but how it's said and the wonderful history behind it all. It is a work of true literature. The King James version comes from the same era as Shakespeare. It is one of the most intriguing documents imaginable.

Q17. What's your favourite Oktoberfest food? I got to say I just love the
sausages there. I must be my German blood coming out. With Dusseldorf mustard if they have it.

Q18. What birthday cake makes your mouth water? Green mint icing double
chocolate cake.

Q19. What do you think present day Avonmore could learn from past day Avonmore? I think they have in large measure. We don't have the oyster suppers or strawberry socials, but we have our Oktoberfest. There's still a sense of camaraderie and fellowship. It may be somewhat different, but probably more of actually in this day and age when the whole village will come out to build the Guinness World Record of 3,079 scarecrows in 2002.

We have learned when you see the togetherness to save our post office school and library. These are the good old days.

20. Who's the greatest Canadian historian? Ha, ha, ha! Maurice Careless. He's just such a charming man, he's explained Canada's unity is its diversity.
    His biography of George Brown is a model of how to write a biography. He's just such a super, decent, fun guy.