I received an email from a reader last week asking about a body found at Spanish Banks Feb. 4 and if I had more information than what she'd read in a brief mention in a local paper.
She believes the body was that of a homeless man who was a longtime member of the Jericho neighbourhood. She'd seen him around the community for years. He lived in a makeshift tent on the slope below the mansions on Belmont Drive just west of Blanca Street, she wrote, and spent his time keeping the area tidy by making piles of the dead branches surrounding him.
The VPD couldn't confirm the identity of the body to me, but in a press release said the person found in woods near Spanish Banks died of natural causes.
His death got me thinking about the homeless people we see in the city and how they fit into the landscapes of our everyday lives. I wondered if we've gotten so used to seeing homeless people on our streets and in our communities that we only notice them once they're no longer there.
But a few days later, I read about the death of another homeless man, this time out at UBC, and the outpouring of emotion and grief his loss created.
Travers Roy Wimble died Feb. 8 after collapsing near the corner of Wesbrook Mall and University Boulevard. He was 83 years old.
I read numerous tributes to Wimble, who had been a fixture at UBC's Student Union Building for years. According to a story and obituary in the campus newspaper The Ubyssey, everyday the bearded senior would grab a seat on what most considered "Trav's" chair, located near the entrance of the south concourse of the building.
According to students and staff of the SUB, Wimble was a private man who shared few details of his life but still made an impact on nearly everyone who came into contact with him.
According to a privileged few who heard his story, Wimble lost his wife and daughter years ago, and their deaths started him on his solo journey. And while there's speculation about where Wimble spent his nights, no one seems to know for certain.
Wimble had been a daily visitor to the SUB since 2002, but UBC security told The Ubyssey he'd been a regular on campus for almost 25 years.
Each day the quiet man would take his seat at the SUB and spend his days reading newspapers. From the pictures I've seen, Wimble could have easily passed as a bearded academic catching up on the daily news.
Since his death, a Facebook page was created honouring Wimble. The many comments are touching. One student wrote, "Sometimes when I was having the most busy and stressful day, just looking at him sitting there so constant and relaxed would chill me down. : ) Rest in peace. You will be missed."
Another shared, "May his memory remain a constant reminder of the beauty in tranquility; his presence will be missed."
Immediately following word of his death, a bouquet of flowers and a copy of the Globe and Mail was left on Wimble's chair. On the paper was written, "In memory of the old man in the chair."
The outpouring created by Wimble's death stands in contrast to the response to the anonymous body found at Spanish Banks. I couldn't confirm if that same person was in fact the homeless man the Courier reader was concerned about, but it's what I've been told off the record. And while there are no memorials or Facebook pages being created in his honour, I hope he somehow knows his absence has been noticed and he, too, is missed.
[email protected] Twitter: @sthomas10
