The Province from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 5

THE PROVINCE, Saturday, August Km PEOPLE by John Kirkwood 7 zcx Geoffrey Massey: Prize winning architect Raymond Massey: World renowned actor i. -J ypftz I A ah ara nxeci called Maev Ajsf I 4 lJ' r. -M Into the spacious and airy and obviously functional office on Laurel just off Broadway. Lean-looking, air of quiet dignity, spartan of furniture and pictures. Clean lines everywhere.

As an architect's office should look. Black and white blowup of Simon Fras-er campus on one wall. Erickson-Massey Architects and Planners. Winners of a trunkful of awards. Tops in Canada and the world.

For Simon Fraser University. Eight Massey Medals. Best-designed pavilion in Tnkvo International Trade Fair 1965. Pre- Geoffrey Massey. Prefers Geoff.

Age 47. Wife, Ruth. Three sons and a daughter, ages 14, 13, 12 and 8. Son of Raymond. Nephew of late Vincent.

Brother of Danie and Anna. Raymond is an actor. Vincent was scholar and statesman and former Governor-General of Canada. Daniel is an actor, Anna is an actress. Geoff is an architect.

A good one. A prize-winning one. He's terrified of public speaking but he did speak to us the other day. Casually. Informally.

Li. Boating with hit family is one of Massey favorite pastimes 5 Vincent Massey: Former Governor- uenerai Picture by Gordon Sedawit my children, for instance, because I'm only halfway-through and I can't see--, the results as yet. Have you any advice for people starting careers today? Yes. If you're dissatisfied and see no future in what you're doing, get the hell out before it's too late. Don't get stuck: Don't do anything cause it's just a job that feeds you but gives you satisfaction.

When you're young you're free to do any- thing. When you're older the less freedom you have. You get tied down. What made you go into your chosen profession? I decided in the latter, part of high school. There's was a teacher who had been an architect and he got me interested.

Then I really became more and more interested when I was in the army, during that period when I was I able to think and sort things out. I These four were very important years for me. After the army I went to Harvard because it was the best school available. But I always think, had I not gone into the army, had I gone straight to university out of high school, I might have had a very different future. My father always realized that if I wanted to go on the stage he would dis courage me because 1 would have had to have an overwhelming ambition to be successful and overcome all the obstacles.

Because of his name. Well, I never had this, though, this form of performance. Public speaking has always been a sort of terror for me. I suppose one of my re grets about myself is that i ve aiways iosi an coiui-dence in myself when I've been confronted with an audience and almost become speechless. Friendly chat over.

Geoff Massey, draining plastic coffee cup, pipe in hand, racing back to office. Morearguments with inspectors, clients perhaps. Maybe prepare a speech for TEAM. And think dark thoughts about becoming speech-fess in front of the crowd when the time comes to deliver. 28, 1971 i Geoffrey, (left) with his father and brother Daniel on their English farm in 1936 Starts speaking.

Stops. Starts again. Shrugging. No, I can't really say there is. Is there anyone, or group of people, who have helped you greatly along the way? Another long pause.

Geoff Massey, architect, meticulous and thoughtful in response to cheeky questions. Carefully weighing before speaking, finger pressed against temple. Hair falling over eyes. I don't think so. Not really.

Of course, there's always been the challenge, you know, to live up to the family name, that sort of thing. But at the same time to always do it on my own. What particular things in life make you happy? The job does. Oh, it does. My children.

Think more than anything else, my family does. What are your hobbies? How do you relax? Skiing and boating. We have a 20-foot inboard-outboard. But I have visions of something much bigger when I can afford it. We go fishing and cruising.

Skiing. We have a house at Whistler. What do you read? Technical stuff. I read all that stuff. And mostly books to do with history and biography.

Historical novels sometimes. What in particular do you like about living here? I've lived in Vancouver for about 20 years. Oh, the climate, the environment It's one of the few I do. There's so much of the world to see. Have you any heroes? Villains? Ummmm.

Well, let's see. There are a lot of villains and many right here around this part of the world. People who are busy destroying and not doing what they should be doing to make this city one of the most beautiful in the world. My prime villains are. in Victoria and in City Hall here.

Heroes? No. Can't think of any. Not one. Have you any trouble communicating with today's youth? Yes, I have problems communicating. Just like every parent has.

I try to instill some sense of accomplishment in my children to work hard, for instance, not as a puritan ethic or anything but the realization that they have to perform now if they're going to do anything with their lives. Do they understand what I'm getting at, trying to get at? I think sometimes yes, some times no. My objective has been to try and expose them to as many different things in life as possible. Yes, I'd like them to go on to university, to accomplish something in life. But I'm concerned about whatever they're doing and I hope what they're doing is something useful in society and something that will make them happy.

My eldest son's ambition at the moment is to get on Canada's national ski team. This is fine. He's happy, it makes him happy and he's good at it. I like to see them good at something. What are your views on today's social problems such as drug use and so-called sexual permissiveness? About the kids with rucksacks on their backs, the wandering kids we're seeing in the summers all across Canada.

Well, I don't think they really want to do it but they have no alternative it seems to me. The government hasn't given them the alternative. Have you read Farley Mowat's book About the youth of Russia, he says they seem to be happy and doing something really constructive whereas we in Canada are really doing nothing with ours, the government is doing little. I don't think by nature people are aimless. They want to be constructive.

I mean I don't like aimless travelling for instance. I prefer to be working at the same time. Then there's a target But these kids are frustrated in that there's nothing to do. And if you do get a job it's usually a useless bloody one or a soul-destroying one. You know, the greatest thing that happened to me in my youth was four years in the armed forces.

Really, that experience gave me some direction in life. I was doing very badly in school and I came to Canada and joined up and the experience changed me completely. Seems to me one of the drawbacks in our society now is this business of youngsters going straight from high school into university. They graduate with a degree at age 23 or 24, say. Their whole lives so far have been spent in an academic environment Now they're into a career.

But they still really don't have a stressed Concrete institute Award 1966 and 1967. Vancouver Citation Award 1955 and 1966. Top Architectural Award for design of the Canadian Pavilion at Japan's Expo '70, winner out of 77 countries for the psychedelic mirrored and timbered creation the swinging Japanese youth immediately christened the "Young Pavilion" and which attracted more visitors than any other pavilion at the fair. Geoff Massey, pipe in hand, in shirtsleeves, sweeping grey hair out of his eyes, appearing suddenly from office somewhere in the back, hurrying down the stairs, faintly frantic, ushering into an ante-room with sliding door pulled firmly shut. Settling comfortably at round table.

Would you rather be something else? No. I'm happy being an architect. Despite, that is, the fact of being very mad at a particular person at this particular moment. No, I'm happy. Other than your job what do you think you would be good at? An actor? No.

Never. Ummmm. Probably something to do with the theatre, though. That world. Yes, probably in making movies.

A director or cameraman perhaps. The creative end of movies. you find the most challenging; the most enjoyable? I think well, it's hard to put into words. Yes, the management of people. Putting the projects together.

The actual design, I don't do much of it. It's the most agonizing part of the job until it works, until everything comes together. I like or-. ganizing the team, if you like. The overall view of the job, putting it all together.

Do you have any one great goal or ambition in life? One's goals when you're young seem to sort of evaporate as one realizes one's own limitations. As you get older. At this point I suppose my ambition in life is to see my children grow up along a track which I hope is going to be fruitful for them. Do you have any one overriding philosophy? Long thoughtful pause. Geoff Massey nibbling on pipe stem.

Frowning. places in the world where you can live in a big city and still be on the edge of the wilderness. But, again, it's not such a big city that it has all the problems and the turmoil. When I first saw this city it just struck me as the place I wanted to go. It's the place I want to be.

A place, it seemed to me, where things were obviously going to happen, are going to happen. One time I was offered a job in New York but I just couldn't see myself living there, in that environment. Is there anything you fear in life? Well, I don't like the thought of growing old any more than the next person does. But what bothers me mainly is will I have the time to do all these things I want to do? I love to travel but often it's not the kind of travelling I like, I have to vryr iiv cial level. There should be rural states and city states.

This isn't something new at all. I think Hellyer is on the right track for once. But it's not going to happen, I'm afraid. It's too bad but civic politics always attract the lesser lights of our society. Have you ever failed at anything important to you? Geoff Massey suddenly rushing out for an im portant appointment with a caller.

Arguments overheard in the hall about city building regulations. Returning, still frantic, slowly settling. Coffee served in plastic cups. Laughing. Musing.

Chin in hand. Frowning. Concentrating. Whether one should admit one's own defeats or not? Uhhhh. Well.

Yes. Yes, I suppose. Yes, I regret it's only in recent years I've become involved in major, let's say significant projects as far as my profession goes. But, again, when I was in my 30s there were no opportunities. So what can you do? What could I have done? Your productive life is only so long so therefore one squanders it.

You tend to feel if only you could have done this or that 10 years ago. So you could be doing something else now. That's what I feel, regret. Do you feel you have any prejudices? No, I can't think of any. If there are any they must be in my subconscious.

But I don't admit to any. Have you any frustrations that bother you? Yes. Definitely. People who don't seem to be doing things the way they should. In general, people one deals with all the time.

Staff, partners, children, wife, inspectors, politicians. Do you consider your life a "successful" one? Not yet No, not yet It's only halfway through. I hope. No, I don't feel I've been personally responsible for a lot of things I'd like to have been responsible for. As yet I can't say I'm completely happy with direction.

They really haven't had the opportu-. nity to see what the world is all about. Mind you, I'm not saying the army is the answer. Far from it. But there should be some form of employment, some opportunity for people to do something useful between the stages of their education.

This is something the government could be doing. Drugs. The whole thing is abhorrent to me. The whole idea, the practice is abhorrent. Totally.

Completely. No, I've never taken any myself and I have no intention of taking any. I just don't believe in legalizing marijuana or any other drugs, anything else. The constant fear when one has children is that they'll go onto drugs. Mine aren't And, hopefully, thank God, they'll stay that way.

Are you worried about events in Canada today such as U.S. investment; the threat of Quebec separatism? I'm concerned, very much concerned with many things. The U.S. involvement in Vietnam. It's regrettable.

One can see how it came about, but what I fail to see is once the government recognizes its mistakes in getting involved, why don't they disengage themselves? Why carry on in desperation perpetuating that mistake? This baffles me. No, national pride and prestige don't really concern me. I'm not an ardent nationalist for instance. But on the other hand I'd hate to see Canada absorbed into the U.S. We have something here, a way of life, that's a hell of a lot better than in the U.S.

I'm concerned, too, greatly, about the threat of separatism, Quebec. But frankly I just don't understand what it's all about I'm mainly concerned about the problems of the cities in Canada. I'm a director of TEAM. I feel the real problem of the cities will be solved, perhaps, by that level of government, the municipal level, and not by the senior governments. The great problem of government here is the breakdown at the provin- Massey 's home in West Vancouver.