DR. TECWYN
VAUGHAN-JONES
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Dr. Tecwyn Vaughan-Jones: A Truly Remarkable Man
VANCOUVER - On May 12 the Vancouver Welsh Club lost one of its most faithful members when Dr. Tecwyn Vaughan-Jones died in Ladner, B.C. at the age of 77.
Tec, as he was known to his friends, had been a family doctor in Ladner for 35 years until he retired in 1992. Many thousands will remember him as a caring physician and a respected member of their community. Others will have known and respected him for his myriad other interests, at many of which he excelled. Tec never took up any interest without giving it his full attention.
One of his prime interests was sailing. He was a member of the Vancouver Yacht Club for many years and raced in the dragon class. He was said to be a fierce competitor and won prizes in various parts of the world as well as a silver medal in the Canada Games. Among his other passions were harness racing, flying model airplanes and bird watching.
After his retirement Tec acquired even more interests, including growing unusual primulas, propagating old roses, and dog breeding and showing. One of his friends, Edgar Dunning, a former patient, now a columnist with the Delta Optimist, maintained that he practiced these interests “with an intensity seldom seen in other men.”
Tec’s Welsh background also provided him with a love of music. He learned to play the trumpet at an early age and played in dance bands as a young man. But he will be remembered in Delta as an early member of the Community Band, now the Delta Concert Band, formed in 1964. He mastered the French horn and won prizes in several competitions.
Tecwyn Vaughan-Jones was born in Brymbo, North Wales. He obtained a degree in electrical engineering from Cambridge University and then studied medicine at London’s Royal Free Hospital. He first interned at a New York hospital before moving to Vancouver’s Children’s Hospital. He opened his practice in Ladner in 1957.
After his retirement Tec became particularly interested in his family’s geneology, making several visits back to Wales to search genealogical records and look up relatives. At the same time he sought to regain his ability to speak fluent Welsh and regularly attended the Vancouver Welsh Society’s Welsh-speaking nights as well as Welsh-language religious services.
Members of the Vancouver Welsh Society will miss Tecwyn at the Cambrian Hall, especially his obvious love for his native land and native tongue. Many were probably unaware of his other prodigious interests and achievements. In the words of Edgar Dunning, who gave the eulogy at his funeral service, “Tecwyn Vaughan-Jones was a remarkable man. Unusual is another description, perhaps extraordinary, that could be used to describe him.”
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