Early Years
Rankin was born Harry Riffkin in Vancouver to secular Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine. His father worked at a factory while his mother grew up in Glasgow's working class Jewish community.
At 14, Rankin dropped out of secondary school to work in a bakery and through the trade union he got involved in politics. During World War Two he served in the army with Vancouver's Seaforth Highlanders. They fought in Italy where he was wounded during the Battle of Ortona.
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Famous quotes related to early years:
“I believe that if we are to survive as a planet, we must teach this next generation to handle their own conflicts assertively and nonviolently. If in their early years our children learn to listen to all sides of the story, use their heads and then their mouths, and come up with a plan and share, then, when they become our leaders, and some of them will, they will have the tools to handle global problems and conflict.”
—Barbara Coloroso (20th century)
“If there is a price to pay for the privilege of spending the early years of child rearing in the driver’s seat, it is our reluctance, our inability, to tolerate being demoted to the backseat. Spurred by our success in programming our children during the preschool years, we may find it difficult to forgo in later states the level of control that once afforded us so much satisfaction.”
—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)