Person

Dilworth, Ira

1894-1962

Ira Dilworth was born in High Bluff, Manitoba March 25, 1894. He moved with his family to the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. He did his undergraduate study at McGill University in Quebec, receiving his B. A. in 1915. He did his Masters degree at Harvard (1920). He returned to British Columbia. He was a teacher of English Literature between 1915-1938. After that he was an administrator with the CBC, the literary executor of the writings of the painter Emily Carr, and the first president (1946) of the Community Arts Council of Vancouver. He worked especially during the 1920s and 1930s for the recognition of music in the province's schools. Besides teaching English (1934-1938) at the University of British Columbia, he taught music appreciation, lectured on music throughout the province, was responsible for the university's collection of scores and records, and established its Carnegie Foundation Recorded Library. Between 1930-1934 he conducted the Ladies' Choir of Victoria and between 1935-1940 the Vancouver Bach Choir. In 1938 he joined the CBC, working first (1938-1947) in Vancouver as British Columbia regional representative and manager of station CBR, where he encouraged the development of the CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, then between 1947-1951 in Montreal as director of the International Service, and finally in Toronto as director of program production between 1951-1953 and director of radio for the province of Ontario 1953-1956. In 1956 he assumed responsibility for the CBC's English network and in 1958 he became director of program evaluation. Ira Dilworth passed away in Vancouver, British Columbia November 23, 1962.

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