May 6, 2026

A TRIBUTE TO LYN GOLDMAN

Lyn Goldman and I were friends for 75 years. We met in high school when we auditioned for a weekly CKCK Radio show called Collegiate Reporter. We both chose careers in media and we spent a lifetime as colleagues as well as friends. Lyn passed away peacefully earlier this year and the world turned from technicolour to black and white.

More than 50 years ago, at the urging of our friend, Jean Freeman — the first member of ACTRA Saskatchewan — we both joined the organization. Together, the three of us fought for equality for women in media at a time when it was very much a man’s world. We did our best to make sure no one placed a glass ceiling over our heads.

Lyn stared her career in Regina as a writer-producer at CKCK Television. But it was her freelance work on air that brought her the greatest joy. For several years, Lyn, Jeannie, Mossie Hancock and I hosted a Saturday morning CBC Radio program called That’s Entertainment. We reviewed theatre, music, visual art, books, touring shows and television. You name it, we discussed it. We laughed, we cried and we never forgot how fortunate we were to share our love of the arts with an audience that loved entertainment as much as we did.

She never hesitated to take the road less travelled. She knew what she wanted and how to get it. She loved opera and jazz, theatre and old movies. She loved travelling the world, taking cooking lessons in Italy and attending symposiums on British author Lawrence Durrell. She loved her family and her friends. To be invited to Lyn’s annual December birthday party was to find yourself elbow to elbow with artists, actors, writers, governments officials, CEO’s, doctors, lawyers and university presidents.

Lyn achieved great things in her career, in her personal life and through her philanthropy. Her generosity benefited a wide range of organizations, including the MacKenzie Act Gallery, Regina Little Theatre, Globe Theatre, the Regina Symphony Orchestra and the restoration of Government House and Darke Hall, among many others. She was honoured for her contributions to the arts and her community with several awards including the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, an honorary doctorate from the University of Regina and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal.

As Lyn moved through her golden years, she became a north star for how to face life’s challenges. She was an example of positivity and perseverance. She went to exercise classes twice a week. She never missed her Friday afternoon hair appointment. She went to concerts, lectures and dinners and she remained a constant seeker of wisdom through Zoom classes on her computer. She had some bumpy rides, but she fastened her seat belt and rode out the journey.

Lyn’s favourite theatre character was Auntie Mame, a role she longed to play. But when Regina Little Theatre finally decided to add the play to its season, Lyn was cast as Vera. She protested, “How can I play Vera? I can’t sing or dance!” Serendipitously, her last gig for ACTRA — when she was in her 90s — was dancing in a music video. Like Auntie Mama, Lyn believed that life was a banquet and she was going to taste everything it had to offer: art, music, travel, friendship, love, laughter, ideas and beauty. In the process, she became one of those rare people whose presence magnified the lives of those around her. Lyn Goldman will always be original, inspiring and impossible to forget!

Yours in solidarity,
Victor Lam
Branch President