Peter Worthington
(1927–2013), journalist,
honourable member of the Urban Book Circle
(1927–2013), journalist,
honourable member of the Urban Book Circle
Peter John Vickers Worthington (February 16, 1927 – May 12, 2013), renowned Canadian journalist and soldier. Worthington was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His father was the legendary Major General F. F. Worthington.
A foreign correspondent with the Toronto Telegram newspaper from 1956, Worthington was an eyewitness to the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963, and can be seen in photographs of the event. He remained with the Telegram until it folded in 1971. Worthington was the founding editor of the Toronto Sun newspaper, which was created by former Telegram employees upon that newspaper going defunct.
Peter Worthington was a veteran of both the Second World War and the Korean War. He joined the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) in 1944, at the age of 17, and served as an air gunner in the Fleet Air Arm, and briefly in the United Kingdom, until his discharge in 1946 with the rank of Sub-Lieutenant. From there he went to the University of British Columbia. Worthington left the university before completing his degree and joined Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry as a Lieutenant in 1950.
In the Korean War he was a platoon commander, then battalion intelligence officer in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) in Korea, and ended the war with the U.S. Air Force, 6147 Mosquito Squadron, directing air strikes at enemy targets.
After his discharge, he returned to the University of British Columbia, completing his B.A., and proceeded to earn a Bachelor's in journalism from what is now Carleton University in Ottawa.
On assignment for the Telegram, Worthington was in Dallas on November 25, 1963, where he was an eyewitness to the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald. He covered the trial of Jack Ruby in February 1964. Worthington covered the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970 in a series of reports that resulted in his second of four National Newspaper Awards and a National Newspaper Citation.
On September 18, 1971 the Telegram announced it was closing. Joining former employees of the Telegram, a new paper was started (the Toronto Sun), the first edition appearing November 1, 1971, a day after the last edition of the Telegram. Worthington was the new paper’s founding editor-in-chief.
Worthington resigned from the Sun’s Board of Directors and as editor in 1982 after the board voted to accept an offer by Maclean-Hunter to purchase the Sun chain; fearing that the newspaper would lose its independence, he cast the sole dissenting vote against the sale.
After a short career in politics, Worthington returned as a columnist for the Toronto Sun and its sister newspapers. In 1989, he was hired to be founding editor of the Ottawa Sun for a year, when that paper was relaunched as a daily, and returned to the Toronto Sun and the Sun chain as a columnist.
In 1996, Worthington was inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame. In 2012, Peter Worthington was awarded the Knight of the Urban Book Circle order by the Urban Book Circle of which he was an honourable member.
Worthington passed away in Toronto on May 12, 2013. He is interred in Toronto’s Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
A foreign correspondent with the Toronto Telegram newspaper from 1956, Worthington was an eyewitness to the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963, and can be seen in photographs of the event. He remained with the Telegram until it folded in 1971. Worthington was the founding editor of the Toronto Sun newspaper, which was created by former Telegram employees upon that newspaper going defunct.
Peter Worthington was a veteran of both the Second World War and the Korean War. He joined the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) in 1944, at the age of 17, and served as an air gunner in the Fleet Air Arm, and briefly in the United Kingdom, until his discharge in 1946 with the rank of Sub-Lieutenant. From there he went to the University of British Columbia. Worthington left the university before completing his degree and joined Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry as a Lieutenant in 1950.
In the Korean War he was a platoon commander, then battalion intelligence officer in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) in Korea, and ended the war with the U.S. Air Force, 6147 Mosquito Squadron, directing air strikes at enemy targets.
After his discharge, he returned to the University of British Columbia, completing his B.A., and proceeded to earn a Bachelor's in journalism from what is now Carleton University in Ottawa.
On assignment for the Telegram, Worthington was in Dallas on November 25, 1963, where he was an eyewitness to the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald. He covered the trial of Jack Ruby in February 1964. Worthington covered the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970 in a series of reports that resulted in his second of four National Newspaper Awards and a National Newspaper Citation.
On September 18, 1971 the Telegram announced it was closing. Joining former employees of the Telegram, a new paper was started (the Toronto Sun), the first edition appearing November 1, 1971, a day after the last edition of the Telegram. Worthington was the new paper’s founding editor-in-chief.
Worthington resigned from the Sun’s Board of Directors and as editor in 1982 after the board voted to accept an offer by Maclean-Hunter to purchase the Sun chain; fearing that the newspaper would lose its independence, he cast the sole dissenting vote against the sale.
After a short career in politics, Worthington returned as a columnist for the Toronto Sun and its sister newspapers. In 1989, he was hired to be founding editor of the Ottawa Sun for a year, when that paper was relaunched as a daily, and returned to the Toronto Sun and the Sun chain as a columnist.
In 1996, Worthington was inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame. In 2012, Peter Worthington was awarded the Knight of the Urban Book Circle order by the Urban Book Circle of which he was an honourable member.
Worthington passed away in Toronto on May 12, 2013. He is interred in Toronto’s Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
- Circle UBC® – an online magazine of applied literature and traditional arts – of the Urban Book Circle® publishes works by Peter Worthington – journalist – with his blessing.
“If you are reading this, I am dead” is the last column of Peter John Vickers Worthington (February 16, 1927 – May 12, 2013), renowned Canadian journalist, member of the Canadian News Hall of Fame, Knight of the Urban Book Circle and honourable member of the Urban Book Circle.
- In 2012, Peter Worthington was awarded the Knight of the Urban Book Circle order by the Urban Book Circle (of which he was an honourable member). The Knight of the Urban Book Circle is awarded annually by the UBC to writers and artists for their life achievement. Urban Book Circle (UBC), a representative and cultural society, awards the Knight of the Urban Book Circle order to those with synchronized action in visual arts and literature who are spreading the truth about culture and cultural activity with their life’s work and their written word.
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· Peter Worthington – photo / All rights reserved. Copyright © Peter Worthington ·
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Last updated on September 6, 2018.
Published by Urban Book Circle on February 14, 2012 Urban Book Circle® (UBC) |
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Deidre McAuliffe and Prvoslav “Pearse” Vujcic ·
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· Illustrated by Sarah Riordan and Deidre McAuliffe ·
All rights reserved. Copyright © Urban Book Circle®
Deidre McAuliffe and Prvoslav “Pearse” Vujcic ·
· Design & Artwork by Prvoslav “Pearse” Vujcic and Djuradj “George” Vujcic ·
· Illustrated by Sarah Riordan and Deidre McAuliffe ·
All rights reserved. Copyright © Urban Book Circle®
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