By Dennis Flynn
Linda White, of the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives and Special Collections, displays the first issue of “The Greenspond Letter,” next to the most recent edition. The gap between the two entails colourful characters, remarkable reminiscences, phenomenal photographs, and spectacular stories covering more than 30 years.
“It’s been only me from the start,” Linda chuckles during an interview some years back. “From day one, this has always been purely a volunteer operation. I generally do all research, conduct interviews, compile transcripts, write articles, and whatever else is needed. “The Greenspond Letter” is a labour of love I have really enjoyed. I had no idea as founder and editor I’d still be at it over 30 years later.”
This not-for-profit journal, published quarterly, features articles on all aspects of Greenspond history and culture, including first-hand interviews, select biographies, articles, stories, poetry, genealogy and archival photographs.
So how did a resident of St. John’s start a magazine documenting Greenspond, Bonavista Bay? Colleague Colleen Quigley perhaps put it best when she described Linda as “a booster of Greenspond.”
“I started ‘The Greenspond Letter’ in April of 1994. I’d been a nurse for 20 years and travelled the world. When I returned to Newfoundland and Labrador, I continued my formal education in history and decided I was going to write the history of Greenspond, but quickly realized it was too big a project,” says Linda, who has family in the region.
“It came to me to put very interesting pieces of the information in a little newsletter instead, so I could share them. I combined history with genealogy and family trees of people connected to Greenspond, and always tried to use sources that would be difficult for regular people to locate.”
Linda’s training as an archivist proved invaluable to the project, which she described as “great fun.”
“When I started, my computer was a Tandy 8088 and I’d type and save files to a five-and-a-quarter-inch disk. The next day, I’d bring the disk to my brother-in-law, who had a personal printer. Then I lay out and scotch tape the photographs and diagrams in place by hand. Next, I would bring the finished version into Kwick Kopy on Empire Avenue in St. John’s, and he would photocopy it for me. I made 50 copies and they all sold.”
Sharing that she only charged “two or three dollars a copy to cover the costs of printing and mailing,” Linda explains that the publication is still published quarterly, all through the tireless work of volunteers, with about 150 issues produced in each run.
“People ask what I’ll do when I run out of ideas to write about on Greenspond, but I tell them not to worry, as I’ll never run out. “So many people suggest great topics about Greenspond,” she says, explaining that she was part of the founding of the Greenspond Historical Society in 1997, the Facebook page of which boasts over 7500 members as of this writing. “I’ll be fine for a long time to come.”
In 2018, Linda was awarded the prestigious Historic Sites Association’s (HSA) Manning Award in the category of “Outstanding Heritage Supporter.” The Mannings were created in 1993 to recognize and celebrate the work of individuals, communities, and organizations in preserving and presenting this province’s history and heritage. In 2025, Linda was named as a member of the “Centennial 100” in the “Creators” category. The designation celebrates 100 students, alumni, faculty, staff and supporters who have made a world of difference at Memorial University over the last century.
Linda demurs, saying, “I was quite honoured. I really appreciate all the people behind the scenes who supported me and “The Greenspond Letter’”
Linda has since donated her collection of audio tapes related to Greenspond to the MUN Folklore Archives, with back issues available through the MUN Digital Archives Initiative (DAI), MUN Centre for Newfoundland Studies (CNS), as well as Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries, even reaching as far as Wayne State University in the United States.
Perusing that very first issue, I learn that Greenspond resident Clarence Burry served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II. After the war, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Memorial College on Parade Street in St. John’s and taught school around Newfoundland.
All issues of “The Greenspond Letter” abound with further interludes into the past of a proud people and place. I have no personal connection there, but reading Linda’s eclectic mix of heritage tales, trials, tribulations and triumphs, I know the community much better.
The Greenspond Letter is a remarkable gift, over a third of a century in the making and still going strong.
As I leave, I notice a beautiful stained-glass compass behind Linda from a public art display entitled “The Voyage.” A lovely image as Linda and the Greenspond Letter continue to navigate history, saving remarkable stories on the voyage ahead.
