Dennis T. Patrick Sears (1925-1976) at one time resided in Carden Township, Kawartha Lakes. He is the author of three novels, two set in Kawartha Lakes (then known as Victoria County), The Lark in the Clear Air and Aunty High Over the Barley Mow, with the latter being published posthumously.
His most famous words are often misquoted. The well-known phrase, “Lindsay has the widest street and narrowest minds”, came from Sears but is not the whole quote. In 1977, in an interview published posthumously, Sears made the remark about Lindsay having “the reputation for having the widest main street and the narrowest minds of any town north of the Rio Grande.” (The Last Post “Victoria Co. before the city folk came”, volume 6, page 47.)
Sears died in 1976 at age 51 of pneumonia following surgery in Kingston. Born in Victoria County in 1925, Sears left school after Grade 8. He was a factory worker, merchant seaman, ranch hand, police officer, plainsclothes military police officer, and carpenter. He also served the Royal Canadian Navy.
Sears was a columnist for the Kingston Whig Standard. The Lark in the Clear Air was written after he retired from the Whig.
Works:
Fair Days Along the Talbert
Aunty High Over the Barley Mow
The Lark in the Clear Air
Articles: Interview with McLean’s magazine, 1977
kawarthalakeswriters.com 