As a youth setting out from Winnipeg to find work during the depression, he experienced to the full the agonies of that period. Later, in family life, his sensitivity to the basic needs of children came strongly to the fore. Since his retirement, with the help of his wife and many subscribers, he has made his home at Islington, Ontario, the headquarters for providing "slumber kit" -basic bedding kits - for thousands of children in underdeveloped countries.