To the editor:
I had the great pleasure of being raised by someone we lovingly called The Pagoda Man.
My father, Paul Bentz, paid homage to the Thunder Bay Pagoda by replicating it as birdhouses, bird feeders, even trinket boxes, earrings and keychains.
All, of course, were adorned with polka dots.
He pieced together his Pagodas by hand, creating prototype after prototype until everything – including the tricky slope of the roof – was bang on.
As a Pagoda “activist,” he even made a presentation to the Heritage Advisory Committee championing a return to a polka-dotted roof with ideas on how to do it.
So, on the occasion of Thunder Bay’s most recognizable structure being honoured as a building of national historical significance, I give a shout-out to Dad who would’ve loved to have been around to see his old friend get the recognition it deserves.
Paula Bentz
