Posted on June 2, 2016 under Faces in the Crowd with one comment

“I am just a caretaker. I feel compelled to honor the heritage of this institution.”

Meet Kent MacDonald

Although he claims New Glasgow as his childhood home, he is really an Antigonisher by birth; the grandson of Winnie and Dan Joe MacEachern. He was doubly blessed as his father’s family were originally from Judique. With this lineage, how could Kent not succeed.! He was also born with the “blue and white” coursing through his veins. Both his parents attended St. F.X., and from a very early age he made many pilgrimages with the family to watch every sport imaginable.

He grew up at a time when Pictou County was very prosperous. He enjoyed all of the benefits of small town living and was blessed that the family had a farm property in Little Harbour, a peaceful place to go over the years. He was an athletics enthusiast, playing competitive hockey and other intense sports including rugby. He was an avid skier and a regular on the slopes of Keppoch Mountain. And he was an accomplished swimmer, working as a lifeguard at beautiful Melmerby Beach.

Not unlike many students attending university for the first time, his freshman year at St. F.X.  was a matter of endurance.  “It was a question of breathing and learning how to survive.” He earned a B. Sc. in Physical Education which entitled him to a teacher’s license.

He and his future bride, Mary-Ellen, ventured off to New Zealand after graduation but, despite that country’s raw beauty, the urge to come back to Eastern Canada was too strong. “We’re going to Nova Scotia,” exhorted Kent. “We’re going to Ottawa”, said Mary -Ellen.  A short time later, Ottawa it was!

The years, miles and degrees piled up over time. And the MacDonald family grew with the arrival of four children. They were outdoors people who spent countless hours kayaking, hiking and climbing mountains. Kent and his two boys even scaled Mount Kilimanjaro.

Kent worked in both the public and private sectors. He completed his Ph. D. from the University of Pennsylvania.  His research involved finding out what high-performance universities do differently. This thirst for a definitive answer remains unslaked, and Kent has travelled the world trying to discover the secrets of greatness.

He arrived back home to a dream job as president of his beloved St .F.X. “This is a great opportunity, but it comes with great responsibility”, he says. “We hold these positions for fleeting moments of time. I take the job very seriously.” As a native of New Glasgow, when asked to state the biggest challenge of coming back to Antigonish, he quips, “Cheering for the Bulldogs. That might take some getting used to.”

He subscribes the mantra of the late Nelson Mandela who said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

And when the last mountain has been scaled, Kent would like to be remembered as someone who made a difference, to his family and to the many organizations and institutions who benefited from his leadership.

Those who know him well and understand his competitive nature can guarantee that he will deliver the goods.

Posted on May 30, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

 

My mother’s 91^st. birthday is today. We had a family barbeque yesterday. She made a passing comment that her legs have carried her a long was over nine decades. Well, it seems everyone is counting “ steps” these days so I did a little math and reckoned that mom ( and most of her peers! ) have probably clocked somewhere in the order of 500,000,000 steps. As I have said many times before, and I mean no disrespect to women of other generations, but most would agree that we will never see another generation like hers.

Social media continues to fascinate me. I met the most wonderful family this past weekend and it happened because of Facebook. They are from New Hampshire. Somehow, Meg, an X grad, stumbled upon one of my stories a while back and we’ve had a few chats via private message. So when they decided to come to Nova Scotia for a mini vacation, we decided to get together. Meg and Jeff have seven children including five from Ethiopia. They are a great family. We shared pizza and laughs… and we walked together yesterday at the MS Walk. I plan to feature them in an upcoming episode of “Faces in the Crowd.” ( FITC )

I have two more very interesting FITC stories in the next few weeks. Coming up Thursday, I have the story of a St.F.X. grad who has travelled to all parts of the world and has found his way back to Antigonish. He has roots in Antigonish even though he is a Pictou County native. He’s a sports enthusiast and an avid outdoors person, having scaled some of the tallest mountains in the world.

The other morning, while out on my daily walk, I had a brief encounter with a couple of folks who were attending the Coady. I was on one side of Braemore Avenue and they were on the other. We yelled pleasantries across the road and when I got home, I thought that they would make an interesting FITC story. Well, I tracked them down. Unfortunately by the time we met, one of them had already left Antigonish. The gentleman who is the subject of my story is almost an Antigonisher! He has been coming here every year for the past 6 years to teach a microfinance course at the Coady.

I have been officially retired for one year and I must say that it is better than I could have ever imagined. I am very lucky and extremely blessed.

Have a great week.

Posted on May 26, 2016 under Faces in the Crowd with no comments yet

 

“Art is a special endeavour. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel well.”

Meet Patrick Chisholm.

The youngest of twelve in a family from Georgeville, Patrick had a happy childhood. He was born with an inquisitive nature. He would wrap himself in a black cape and swoop into his bedroom, which was his magical kingdom. He loved his mother’s baking, especially the tail ends of the dough which she would cover in butter and sugar and bake in the oven.

Like many children living in the country, he couldn’t take part in many organized sports in town as transportation was always an issue. He loved playing softball.

Even as a child he was conscious of the environment. No wetland or stream would escape his gaze. “I found it a spiritual experience, and even today I stop at bridges to peer down at running water below.”

The school years were not his best, and in junior high he fell in with a bad crew. It was a period of searching and experimentation, which made it a challenging time. Even on the best of days he didn’t feel quite right in body and mind. Shortly after the start of grade 10, he called it quits with schooling and went to get medical help. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia. For years afterward he was disappointed by his lack of formal education. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to learn. I was just too sick to go to school.”

One of his greatest thrills later in life was earning his GED.

He was hospitalized frequently over a period of years until the doctors found a treatment that worked. “My head started to clear for the first time in years. It gave me a new lease on life.”  He was able to get certificates in small engine repair, cabinet-making and adult psychology.

He also discovered that he felt better when he was helping others, and became a loyal volunteer for several charities, including the Food Bank and St. Vincent de Paul.

A chance meeting with Gerry MacGillivray was a game changer. The well-known artist took Patrick under his wing. He taught him about shapes and lines and, most importantly, how to feel good about himself through artistic expression. “Even during my darkest times, art was there to sustain me.”  Gerry taught him how to view the world (and himself) differently.

Patrick is a mainstay of the nationally acclaimed theatre troupe, The Park Bench Players.  He and his colleagues have done a masterful job helping the public to accept and understand the challenges and gifts that encompass mental illness … 64 shows and counting!  The trip to Vancouver to receive a major award was a thrill of a lifetime, and the first time that Patrick had flown.

“I have accepted my lot in life,” he says without a tinge of regret.

Those who know him well, speak with admiration.

“He is deeply reflective, compassionate and courageous, and he is wise – his wisdom being distilled from years of complex adversity.”

“I feel confident that he (Patrick) has the ear of God and that his prayers are powerful.”

“Pat reminds me of my grandfather, not a man of many words, but when he does decide to say something listen up ‘cause he’s full of wisdom.”

And what’s next? “I am taking a locksmith course and hope to operate a mobile lock repair business someday.”

He should do very well as he continues to unlock many of life’s mysteries.