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Sheldon Galbraith |
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The Early
Years Master Coach, professional athlete, devoted husband and father, retired military man - all things that could be said to describe the inimitable Sheldon Galbraith. To create an accurate portrait of
the man, we have to go back to the beginning. Sheldon was born on May 24, 1922,
in Sturgeon Creek, Manitoba, Canada. He was the youngest of four children born
to William James Boyd and Mabel Agnes Frederika
While Sheldon was still an infant, his family moved for a time to Los Angeles, before settling in Tacoma, Washington in 1928. The Galbraiths were a close-knit family, always doing lots of things together, with a particular emphasis on sports, which the boys all played, becoming particularly adept at track and field. Sheldon's father William had been a
talented skater, playing amatuer hockey until his career was sidelined by the
onset of World War 1. Although not 100% sure, Sheldon believes that his father
may have played for, among other teams, what is now known as the Los Angeles
Kings. Not surprisingly, the Galbraith children were encouraged to learn how to
skate, becoming of particular interest to Sheldon and brother Murray. One
freezing cold day in Tacoma, Sheldon donned 8 pairs of socks and his father's
much too large custom-made Tackeberry-Strauss skates, while Murray wore his
m The boys skated every chance they got, including one wintry evening when they went to skate on a lake not far from their home. On his way back, Sheldon took a shortcut and ended up falling in a creek and getting completely soaked. He was able to get dried off with the exception of his skates, with the help of some kindly strangers. The next day and not wanting anyone to know, he decided to try to dry the skates out himself in a gas oven. What happened was that the sole of one of the boots split right down the middle and the skates were ruined! Although he was never spanked, being aware of his father's disappointment at his hand-made skates being destroyed was punishment enough for Sheldon. When the Depression hit, it was
keenly felt by the Galbraith family, who had to go on relief. They moved to a
much more affordable 10-acre farm. The affordable rent, due in some part to the
fact that it was on, what would be referred to in Ontario, as hazard land. Able
to become almost totally self-sufficient, the Galbraiths kept a cow, some ducks
and chickens, a well, and 2 or 3 acres devoted to gardening and vegetables.
These efforts greatly helped to reduce the costs of raising their growing
family, and the only things they needed
Life on the farm was very demanding physically, and the whole family participated in its operation. Chores were a part of daily life for the children, and as a by-product, helped them to develop a level of physical fitness and athleticism, which would stand them in good stead. As with lots of farm children, they worked hard and played hard, and could often be found when not in school or occupied with the farm work, playing tag, climbing trees or swinging from a well-used tire swing. |
Galbraith: Margaret Irene, Nelson Weaver,
Murray Cameron and then Sheldon William. 
other's Pat Qualey kangaroo
leather ones. This marked the beginning of Sheldon's fascination with the ice
and one's movement on skates across it.
to buy were meat,
flour and sugar. |
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