Harry J. Boyle
Harry Joseph Boyle (October 7, 1915 in St. Augustine, Ontario - January 22, 2005 in Toronto, Ontario) was a Canadian broadcaster and writer. He began his career in media working for a local radio station during the 1930s and later as district editor for the "Stratford Beacon Herald". During this time he was also contributing articles to the "London Free Press", "Globe and Mail" and the "Toronto Telegram". In 1942, he began working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as its farm commentator as well as the director of the "National Farm Radio Forum". In 1947, he launched "CBC  Wednesday Night", a three hour commercial-free block of music, opera, plays, and other high-brow entertainment. In 1968, Boyle was appointed vice-chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and in August 1975 became its chairman. He held this position until 1977. After leaving the CRTC, he became a member of faculty at the Banff School of Arts and a member of the Ontario Arts Council (1979–1982). Boyle's writing was primarily autobiographical fiction dealing with life in rural southern Ontario during the interwar period. Two of his books were awarded the Stephen Leacock Medal for  Humour: "Homebrew and Patches" in 1964 and "Luck of the Irish" in 1976. In 1978, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. The same year he received an honorary doctorate from Concordia University.