Larry Maloney retired in 1978, after 34 years in the oil industry, to winter in Florida. A fourth generation Canadian, Larry claims that he lacks the personality, temperment or aesthetic bent of a true Irishman. But, with time on his hands, the blarney has been pouring out of his fingertips and into a computer keyboard for almost two decades now.
Larry was raised with two brothers and three sisters n the Montreal suburb of Cartierville and in the Toronto 'Beaches district' where his father was a tradesman and general contractor.
An RCAF radar operator in Bagotville and overseas during World War II, Larry married Helen Phillips in 1944, and together they raised six sons.
Larry is a member of the Canadian Authors Association in Toronto and Pinellas Authors and Writers Organization, in St. Petersberg, Florida.
Larry Maloney is the author of "A Coat Tale of Two Cities” published by Muzmo Communication Inc.
"Since the days when one was called Mount Royal and the other was known as Muddy York, there has been an intense rivalry between Canada's two largest cities. Now known as Montreal and Toronto respectively, they continue to be adversaries in every field of endeavor. There are no holds barred when natives extol the virtues of their own city or criticize the shortcomings of the other. And one of the most frequent subjects for discussion or ridicule is the weather.
"Because I have spent some thirty years in one and forty in the other, I can speak with some authority about the relative merits of each city including the weather.
"I can respect opinions that others may have on certain issues, concerning these cities, and can even debate them in a civilized manner. But where winter weather is concerned, there can be no argument. Montreal's winter is brutal by comparison. Temperatures are continuously much lower than Toronto and among all cities in the world, Montreal's annual snowfall is exceeded only by Russia's St. Petersburg. I can recall many times when snowstorms shut down public transportation, closed the bridges and crippled the city for days. Storms could come as early as mid-October, and as late as the end of April. That makes for a long winter especially because Montreal doesn't get periodic relief, like Calgary's mild Chinook winds or Toronto's January thaw. "
An Excerpt from "A Coat Tale of Two Cities”
This web page is maintained by Murray Maloney.