Oscar Ryan (1904-1989) was born Oscar Weinstein; he took his underground name from his mother’s maiden name, Rein. He grew up in Montreal and Winnipeg and after high school took a number of odd jobs before joining the Young Communist League as a full-time party activist. He was a writer on the Daily Worker and its successors, the Daily Clarion and the Canadian Tribune for the rest of his life. As Martin Stone, he was a theatre critic for the Tribune from 1955-1988. In the Communist Party of Canada (CPC) he was an early supporter of Tim Buck, a cultural organizer, publicity director of the Canadian Labor Defence League, and the author of numerous pamphlets. His published work includes the agitprop play Unity, the novel Soon to be Born, and a biography of Tim Buck. He met Toby Gordon, founder of the Workers’ Theatre, in the Progressive Arts Club. They became life partners soon after and married in 1949.