Date Range

1968

Description Level

Item

Creator

Robert (Bob) Shippobotham

Physical Description

35 mm colour Slide

History Biographical

Robert (Bob) Howard Shippobotham was born on March 18, 1943 in the Galt Hospital. He is the only son of Frank and Garnette Shippobotham. Robert was employed with C.P. Rail as a Train Machine Clerk for 35 years until his retirement in 1997. He was married to Margaret Deans for 37 years until her passing in 2016 and he has one daughter, Bobbie Jean from a previous marriage. Robert was an amateur photographer and had his own dark room. He liked to try new photographing and processing techiniques. Inn Purple was a young adult coffee house that existed in 1967/68 in Lethbridge. It was a place where teens and young adults could go to hang out, listen to music and dance, without drugs, alcohol or their parents. It was run by the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church youth group but was non-denominational. The idea for the coffee house was born out of the desire of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church youth group which motivated members of the congregation to find a way to “...uphold new approaches and experiments in establishing communication with youth.” A location was picked, volunteers were recruited, supplies were gathered and in July 1967 the doors to the Inn Purple opened. A jukebox, table tennis and board games were provided. Groups could rent out the venue for a small fee. Besides live music, dancing and poetry readings, the Inn Purple held occasional church services. The stage of the Inn Purple saw many local talents, like Cheri Thompson or Dale Ketcheson, fill the coffee house with songs and poems. None that visited the Inn were quite as iconic as Gordon Lightfoot. While in Lethbridge for his concerts at the Yates on September of 1967, he learned of the little coffee house and paid them a visit. Even with the modest admission fee, a $1 membership, a concession and a memorial fund, the Inn Purple was not able to generate enough income to stay open. In June 1968 the Inn Purple committee was forced to hold an auction to keep the doors open. By mid-September 1968 the coffers were empty. A year and a half after opening this teen/ young adult hangout closed forever.

Custodial History

Photographed by Robert Shippobotham and kept in the Shippobotham Family.

Scope and Content

Group of unidentified youth enjoying a concert at the Inn Purple.

Accession No.

20201002046

Collection

Archive

Less detail