Chicken farmer, cinema owner, sculptor - one Shields man had all these talents
Not many people can claim to have been an award-winning sculptor, cinema owner, chicken farmer and oil engineer - but one South Shields man could.
His name was John Guthrie and he was living in the USA when his achievements gained headlines in his hometown newspaper in 1962.
‘Everything Mr Guthrie turned his hand to was a success’
Our story at the time said: “Everything Mr Guthrie turned his hand to was a success, whether it be chicken farming at Corbridge or sinking oil wells in Persia.
“In 1962, he was 67 and working in an airy studio built on to his attractively-styled colonial house in New London, Ohio.
“He had taken up sculpting only five years earlier, but had already received a host of awards for his work, which included a distinctive bust of Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev.”
A family with bags of talent
But to anyone who knew him, John’s success was no surprise at all as his family was packed with talents of various kinds.
Mr Guthrie was the tenth child of a South Shields painter and decorator, who lived off Sunderland Road.
His father occasionally painted landscapes, and his elder brother once worked on a clay bust of the Greek philosopher Aristotle.
Kathy Kirby at the Beach Club
If it’s more of a clue of life in 1962 that you are after, here’s a snippet or two.
Kathy Kirby was performing in the Whit Cabaret at the Beach Club on the South Foreshore.
Bullocks shoe shop in Prince Edward Road had all sorts of offers on for the discerning shopper including Clarks ‘Flotillas’ for men at 57/6 and Norvic Top Flight shoes for women at 69/11.
Tell us about a member of your family with an amazing history to boast of. Email [email protected]