Fitz Clarence St. John Jr., known as Clarence, was born in North Vancouver in 1912. His father, Fitz Clarence St. John Sr., known to many as “Fitz” or “Old St. John,” was born in Barbados and moved to North Vancouver in 1909.
Fitz worked as a longshoreman on the North Shore for 51 years, and played a central role in the formation of one of the first longshoreman unions on the waterfront.
In this photo ca. 1930s, we see Clarence standing in front of his St. John’s Barber Shop, which was located at 23rd and Lonsdale. Holley’s Meat Market is located on the right. He met his future wife, Edna, while volunteering as an organ player at St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church in the 1930s. Clarence died in 1992 in North Vancouver.
Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to plan your visit to MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver, now open at 115 West Esplanade in The Shipyards.
Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver, at 3203 Institute Road in Lynn Valley, is open by appointment only. Contact: archives@monova.ca
Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.
