Tony Cashman

The author of this biography, Tony Cashman, went on to receive the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2014. It was the latest in a long line of awards including 'Edmontonian of the Century' in 2004, the Historical Society of Alberta annual award in 2010, and having a new Edmonton neighborhood named after him in 2011. Mr. Cashman passed away in 2018 at the age of 95, beloved and admired of many. The above picture is of Mr. Cashman in 1956, near the time of his writing this biographical sketch.Tony...See more

The author of this biography, Tony Cashman, went on to receive the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2014. It was the latest in a long line of awards including 'Edmontonian of the Century' in 2004, the Historical Society of Alberta annual award in 2010, and having a new Edmonton neighborhood named after him in 2011. Mr. Cashman passed away in 2018 at the age of 95, beloved and admired of many. The above picture is of Mr. Cashman in 1956, near the time of his writing this biographical sketch.Tony Cashman was born in 1923 in Edmonton and went on to serve in the Canadian Air Force during WW II as a navigator on a Halifax bomber completing 30 missions over continental Europe. Some of his stories are recorded on the internet and available for the interested reader to look up.After the war he attended Notre Dame University and returned to Edmonton to conduct his career as a journalist, author and broadcaster. He was noted for building a rapport with people, winning their confidence so they would share their life stories. No doubt this quality of Mr. Cashman's character played a large part in the Biographical Sketch he made of Premier Manning in 1958. Mr. Manning trusted him to produce a fair and honest description of his life. Mr. Cashman desired to bring history to life and he did that with E. C. Manning, at a time when the Premier was so little known except in the public arena. By preserving the Premier's story, the reader can better appreciate the vibrant history of Alberta during the Manning years, and know the man who helped make it happen. He brought Mr. Manning to life in this short booklet and with a touch of humor - helping the people of Alberta to know their Premier up-front and personal - making him real, transparent and human.Tony Cashman retired in 1983 and went on to continue authoring books and eventually to writing plays about history. He had a profound belief in making history 'come to life, ' in his plays and books. He eventually published sixteen books and ten plays bringing to life many aspects of Edmonton's and Alberta's history. He truly deserved the accolades given him by the people of Edmonton and Alberta. We are fortunate that it was he who wrote the first biography on E. C. Manning because he knew the Premier in person and witnessed his leadership in the Alberta Legislature for years. See less