Walter G. MacLaughlan, professional photographer, was born on 9 August 1871 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. After finishing school he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, United States where he opened his first photographic studio and married Ella Jane Murray of Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada. He subsequently moved to Pugwash and opened a photographic studio there in 1895. He travelled west circa 1908 and opened a photographic studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, but returned to Halifax in 1914, just prior to World War I, to open a studio at 237 Barrington Street. MacLaughlan was appointed the official military photographer of the City of Halifax and he also began making motion pictures. He appears to have worked for both British-Canadian Pathe News and International Newsreel until late 1922. He was subsequently employed by Fox Films from 1923 to 1926. In 1926 he and his wife moved to Florida for health reasons where he continued to work part-time in still photography until his death on 9 May 1935.
Fred R. MacKinnon was born in Woodfield, Pictou County in 1912 and educated at Mount Allison University, Harvard University and University of Chicago. Originally a teacher by profession, he was a school principal before changing his career to social work. In 1939 he was appointed Nova Scotia's assistant director of child welfare (now family and children's services), and in 1944 director. During that time he was directly involved in the British Guest Children Movement. In 1959 he became deputy minister of public welfare (now community services), retiring in 1980. He then became director of the newly-created Senior Citizens' Secretariat, retiring for a second time in 1995.
Roy Harrington MacKenzie (ca. 1917-1989), son of druggist Edwin Sutherland MacKenzie (1883-1961) of New Glasgow, N.S., began his photographic career in 1941 in the former Rice Studio located near the Norfolk Hotel in New Glasgow. In 1942 Reid Dennison joined the business and it was relocated to the Underwood Building under the name, Dennison and MacKenzie, Commercial Photo Finishers. In 1947 MacKenzie bought Dennison's shares in the business and moved into the floor above his father's new pharmacy at 131 Provost Street. The business operated as Roy MacKenzie's Photographic Sales and Services and MacKenzie Studios, Photographic Studio and Suppliers. In 1976 he sold his business to C. Barry MacKay, formerly of Pridham's Studios in New Glasgow, in order to run his late father's company E.S. MacKenzie Ltd. In 1979 MacKay sold out to Robert Murray, who continued studio work under the name of MacKay Photography Ltd. and photofinishing and sales under Murray Photography Ltd.
Henry "Harry" Poole MacKeen was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia on 17 June 1892, the son of David MacKeen, former Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (1915-1916), and Jane Kate (Crerar) MacKeen. He was educated at St. Andrew's College in Toronto and graduated from McGill University with a BA in 1914. He served during World War I as an artillery officer, rising from the rank of lieutenant to major. He completed his BCL at McGill in 1920 and received his LL.B. from Dalhousie University in 1921. Thereafter, he practiced law with Stewart, Smith, and MacKeen in Halifax, starting that same year. On 6 October 1928 he married Alice Richardson Tilly, daughter of former New Brunswick Premier Leonard Percy de Wolfe Tilley in Saint John, New Brunswick. He also served with the 2nd Battalion, Halifax Rifles, during World War II and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel by 1945. He acted as the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the battalion from 1948 to 1960. He was a director of the Nova Scotia Trust Company, Point Pleasant Park, Atlantic Building Materials Ltd., Consulting Ed., and the Canadian Encyclopedic Digest. He served on the Board of Governors of the Federation of Insurance Counsel, 1960-1963. He also served as president of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society, which made him an honorary president in 1960 and honorary life member in 1966; and as a vice-president of the Canadian Bar Association. In 1963 he was appointed the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia since Confederation. He served in that capacity until 1968. Thereafter, he was appointed the first Chancellor of Acadia University in 1969. That same year he received the Medal of Service from the Order of Canada. He died on 20 April 1971.
Alice Richardson (Tilley) MacKeen was born in Saint John, New Brunswick on 11 August 1904, the daughter of former New Brunswick Premier, Leonard Percy de Wolfe Tilley and Laura Tremaine (Richardson) Tilley. She was also the granddaughter of Samuel Tilley, one of the Fathers of Confederation. On 6 October 1928 she married Henry Poole MacKeen, son of former Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor, David MacKeen in Saint John, New Brunswick. In 1936 Alice was badly burned during a Halifax Harbour boating accident after she was trapped in the flames near the bow of the vessel. In 1963 her husband was appointed the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia since Confederation and served in that capacity until 1968. She died in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 14 July 1996.
Andrew MacKay was born at Elmfield, Pictou County, Nova Scotia on 13 April 1845, the son of Angus and Helen (Murray) MacKay. He succeeded his father as the postmaster at Elmfield and also worked as a reviser and assessor in the district. He is most noted for conducting “Singing Schools” in Pictou and Colchester counties. He died in Meadowville, Nova Scotia, on 29 June 1934 and was buried in Bethel Cemetery in Scotsburn, Nova Scotia.
John D. McIntyre was born 4 June 1900 in Boisdale, Cape Breton County, N.S. He became assistant director of the Nova Scotia Travel Bureau in 1957, retiring in 1970. He was active in salt-water sport fishing and Progressive Conservative Party societies and events. McIntyre was appointed to chair the Minimum Wage Board, from 1979-1980, and the Atlantic Provinces Minimum Wage Board, from 1983-1987. He died in Halifax, 29 July 1989.
Constance Ida MacFarlane, teacher, scientist, and administrator, was a leading expert on seaweed in Canada and laid the foundation for the seaweed industry in Atlantic Canada. She was born at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on 5 December 1905, daughter of Henry H. and Ida (Leslie) MacFarlane. She graduated from the Prince of Wales College, Charlottetown (1924), Dalhousie University (BA 1929, M.Sc. 1931), and did post-graduate studies in marine algae at the University of Liverpool, England. For several years MacFarlane taught in schools in PEI, Quebec and Ontario, and at Mount Allison School for Girls, 1936-1946, where she became principal. From 1946-1948, she was professor and dean of women at the University of Alberta. She returned to Nova Scotia and served as director of the seaweeds division of the Nova Scotia Research Foundation, 1949-1970, while teaching marine algae at Acadia University, 1950-1970. MacFarlane was active in various organizations including the Nova Scotia Insitute of Science, Ecology Action Centre, National Council of Women of Canada, Zonta International, and Dalhousie Alumni Association. She was the recipient of several awards and honours including the Centennial Medal and three honourary degrees (D.Sc. Acadia, LLD University of Prince Edward Island and Dalhousie). MacFarlane died 23 May 2000 at Halifax at the age of 95, predeceased by her companion, Evelyn Campbell (1908-1992).
Lillian Jean MacFadgen was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States on May 7, 1925 and moved with her family to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1930. She graduated from Dalhousie University in 1945 with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and then worked as a lab technician in Toronto, Boston US, and Ottawa. She returned to Glace Bay, married Don MacFadgen in 1952 and had four children. She was active in the Glace Bay Citizens Service League, served on the boards of the College of Cape Breton (now Cape Breton University) and the Miners’ Museum in Glace Bay, and also served on the steering committee of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. After her husband’s death in 1973, she attended Wilfred Laurier University, wrote a major research paper on Jane B. Wisdom, whom she worked with as a summer student, and graduated with a Master of Social Work degree in 1980. After graduation, Ms. MacFadgen worked as executive director of the YWCA in Kitchener, Ontario until 1984 when she moved to Vancouver and became executive director of the West End Seniors Network until her retirement in 1991. She died on March 26, 2016 in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Sharon MacDonald was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1948, the daughter of Dr. Robert Murray and Katherine Constance (MacLeod) MacDonald. She is a freelance historian who has worked with the Nova Scotia Museum, as a Research Fellow with the Canadian Museum of Civilization and presently is a Research Associate with the Gorsebrook Research Institute for Atlantic Canadian Studies at St. Mary's University. She completed her doctorate at the University of New Brunswick in 2010 on Western women who supported the Indian Independence Movement. She co-wrote Old Nova Scotian Quilts with Scott Robson. She continues to write and work in Halifax.
Ronald St. John Macdonald was born on 20 August 1928 in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Col. Ronald St. John Macdonald and Elizabeth Marie (Smith) Macdonald. He was educated in Montreal. He served with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve and was discharged in 1946 as a sub-lieutenant. He graduated from St. Francis Xavier University with a BA in 1949 and from Dalhousie University with an LL.B. in 1952. He did further study at the University of London – LL.M. 1954 and Harvard Law School – LL.M. 1955. He lectured in law at Osgoode Hall, 1955-1957; University of Western Ontario, 1959-1961; and University of Toronto, 1961-1967. He served as the Dean of the University of Toronto Law School, 1967-1972; and Dean at Dalhousie University Law School, 1972-1979 and professor of international law, 1979-1990. He served a consultant with Republic of Cyprus, 1974-1978, and was a Canadian representative to the United Nations General Assembly in 1965, 1966, 1968, 1977, and 1990. He was the only non-European judge of the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg, 1980-1998; member Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague 1984; Honourary Professor in the Law Department, Peking University, 1986-1998; and President, World Academy of Arts and Science, 1983-1986. He became an officer of Order of Canada in 1984 and Companion of the Order of Canada in 2000. Ronald St. John Macdonald died on 7 September 2006 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was buried in the family plot in the St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church parish cemetery in Lismore, Pictou County.
Mairi Teresa Macdonald was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1925, the daughter of Col. R. St. John Macdonald, MD (1880-1948) and Elizabeth Marie (Smith) (1895-1977). She received her early education in Montreal and obtained a B.Sc. in Agriculture Engineering, McGill University; MA, St. Francis Xavier University; and Ph.D. in Education, University of Toronto. For several years she managed the family farm in Pictou County, Nova Scotia (NS) and subsequently taught in schools and colleges in England, Ontario and Nova Scotia. She worked in Toronto, Ontario as director of counselling services and supervisor of M.Ed. students at Seneca College, and later as a part-time instructor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. From 1972 until her retirement in 1988, she was director of continuing education at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS. During her professional career, Dr. Macdonald was a founding member of the Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women, the Metro Council on Continuing Education, and the Canadian Association of University Continuing Education; and was instrumental in founding Experience Unlimited and Elderlearners. She has been awarded the Canadian Silver Jubilee Medal, the Halifax YWCA Recognition of Women Award and an honorary degree from Mount Saint Vincent University. She died on March 4, 2017 in Halifax, NS at the age of 92.
James Simon Macdonald was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 7 May 1837, the son of Robert Macdonald of Dornoch, Scotland. He was educated at Dalhousie College School. He married Grace Thomson of Halifax on 7 June 1864. He joined the North British Society in 1861 and served as President in 1873 and 1882. He was elected historian of the Society in 1896 and compiled and issued the first volume of its Annals in 1868; second volume, 1893; and the third volume, 1905. He died on 24 October 1914 and was buried in Camp Hill Cemetery.
Angus Lewis Macdonald was born at Dunvegan, N.S. on 10 August 1890, the son of Lewis and Veronica (Perry) Macdonald. He was educated at Port Hood Academy, Saint Frances Xavier University (BA), Dalhousie University (LLB) and Harvard University (SJD). After serving overseas in World War One, he taught and practiced law in Halifax. Elected as a Liberal for Halifax South to the Nova Scotia Assembly in 1933, he was sworn in as premier and provincial secretary on 5 September 1933. He resigned in 1940 to become minister of national defence for naval services and was elected to the House of Commons for Kingston, Ont. In 1945 he resigned from the federal cabinet and resumed the premiership of Nova Scotia. He died in office on 13 April 1954. His wife was Agnes Foley; they were married at Halifax on 24 June 1924.
May Agnes MacLennan (1875-1956) and Edward Murray MacDonald (1869-1950) were married on October 3, 1906 in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia (NS). Edward was a medical doctor in that mining community, and later in Sydney, NS. May enjoyed travelling and writing. Together they raised 3 children: Helen A. (1908-1993), Lilias M. (1911-1996), and Robert M. (1913-1996), who were all university educated in Canada and the United Kingdom. Helen went on to earn a diploma from the New York School of Interior Design in 1954 and founded Fabrics Inc., an interior design business in Halifax with partner Lillian Farquhar and later Jean Shaw. Helen married Captain Roland F. Harris (1903-1960) in 1956 and then Harry E. Rand in 1961. Helen’s sister Lilias married Thomas Toward, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, United Kingdom, in 1935, and lived in England during the Second World War. She returned to Canada in 1944. In 1957 she graduated from Dalhousie Law School, practiced law in Nova Scotia at Hudson & Toward law firm, owned the Silver Dart Motel in Baddeck, and wrote extensively on legal topics as well as the book “Mabel Bell: Alexander’s Silent Partner” (1984). Their younger brother Robert became a physician like his father. He trained at McGill and University of Edinburgh in 1930s. From 1941 to 1945 he served as medical officer overseas in the Royal Canadian Navy. From 1948 he practiced and taught medicine at Camp Hill Hospital, and the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax, NS, serving as a specialist, professor and administrator. In 1963 he was appointed the first Dean of the Faculty of Health Professions at Dalhousie University. He married Katherine C. MacLeod, a registered nurse, in 1943 and had 4 children: Ian, Sharon, Carol and Edward. Katherine (MacQuarrie) MacLennan (1877-1971), mother of Canadian author Hugh MacLennan (1907-1990) married twice: first to Dr. Samuel MacLennan, May's step-brother, then to C.W. Anderson. Hugh and his sister Frances (1902-1989) were cousins to Robert, Helen and Lilias. Hugh married fellow writer Dorothy Duncan (1903-1957) in 1936 then after her death, Frances “Tota” Walker in 1959. Hugh’s sister Frances was a teacher at Halifax Ladies College in the 1930s, then taught in Toronto, Montreal and New Brunswick until retirement in 1971 brought her back to the family home in Halifax. Frances died in 1989, followed by her famous brother in 1990. Helen died in 1993 and the remaining 2 siblings, Lilias and Robert, died in 1996.
Wallace Robinson MacAskill, professional photographer, was born 1887 at St. Peters, Cape Breton County, N.S., the third son of Angus and Mary (Cunningham) MacAskill. He graduated from the Wade School of Photography in New York in 1907 and opened photographic studios in St. Peters and then Glace Bay before moving to Halifax in 1915. There, he worked for official military photographer W.G. MacLaughlan, and as a printer at Elite Studios from 1916 to 1919. Between 1920 and 1929 he was a photographer with Commercial Photo Service. In 1926, MacAskill married fellow commercial photographer Elva Abriel. In 1929, the Bluenose stamp based on his photograph was issued, and he opened a business under his own name on Barrington Street in Halifax. He became internationally known as a marine photographer and his photographs were used extensively for advertising by the Nova Scotia government. MacAskill published two books, Out of Halifax (1937) and Lure of the Sea (1951). A number of his photographs were also published in Schooner Bluenose by Andrew Merkel (1948). MacAskill was the recipient of numerous awards for his achievements in both photography and yachting, including the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron's Prince of Wales Cup (1932-1934, 1938), Thunderbird Crest Award for marine photography, and fellowship from the Photographers Society of America. He died at his home, "Brigadoon", in Ferguson Cove on 25 January 1956.
Peter Lynch was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 25 August 1815 to Peter Lynch, merchant, and Sarah Hawthorn (?). Lynch was educated at the Halifax Grammar School under Rev. Dr. Charles Twining and was articled to Mr. J.W. Johnstone, who later became Judge in Equity. Lynch was called to the bar in October 1837 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1868. On 8 June 1841 he married Charlotte Emma Creighton, daughter of Alexander Creighton, and they had two daughters, Emma and Harriette. Emma was born in 1852 and died just months before her father on 14 February 1893. Harriette married Lieut. A.E. Wilby and they had a son, Roger, born circa 1875; she died in London, England, ca. 1923. Lynch was involved in the Nova Scotia Historical Society, for which he wrote papers, such as “Early Reminiscences of Halifax” and “A Visit to Louisburg,” and acted as a member of the Publication Committee. Lynch also served as a vestryman and church warden at St. Paul's Anglican Church for many years and was one of the founders of the Halifax Young Men's Christian Association. He died on 22 May 1893.
William P. Lynch was born on 25 August 1900 at Ferguson's Cove, Nova Scotia, the son of Matthew and Josephine (Palmer) Lynch. He was raised on McNab's Island, Nova Scotia. He began a road show in 1925 and won the bid to hold his carnival at the Halifax Exhibition in 1929. It later became the Bill Lynch Shows, the only major carnival owned locally and operated exclusively in Atlantic Canada. He died in Halifax on 23 October 1972.
Robert Samuel Lowden (1812-1869) and Elizabeth ("Eliza") Olding (1813-1903) were married 1838 in Pictou County, N.S. They lived in Merigomish, where Lowden was involved in industrial and prospecting ventures such as iron, gold and oil, in Nictaux and Isaacs Harbour, N.S. and Parsons Pond, Nfld. Robert Lowden's brother, Charles Thomas Lowden (1815-1891), and the latter's family moved to Cattarangus, New York.
Ronald Lorne White, 1928-2008, African Nova Scotian teacher, administrator, actor and singer, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1928 the 12th child of Rev. Captain William Andrew White, 1874-1936 and Izie Dora White Sealy Johnston, 1890-1972. Lorne earned a Bachelor of Education degree in 1952 from Acadia University, then a Master of Physical Education in 1955 and Master of School Administration in 1975 from Dalhousie University. He taught school in Halifax 1952-1973 then was Vice Principal of Bloomfield Elementary and Junior High School 1973 until retirement in 1986. He was also principal performer on CBC television show “Singalong Jubilee” 1960-1972 and acted in several television and theatre shows 1981-2007. In November 1955 he married fellow Acadia graduate Ann Mary (Hennigar) White, 1933-2018 and had 3 daughters: Holly, Shelly, and Rosalie “Lee” White. Together with Lorne’s younger sister Yvonne White, they performed religious concerts as the White Family Singers, 1980-1991. Lorne’s older sister Portia White, 1911-1968 became internationally famous as a classical singer in the 1940s and 1950s, overcoming anti-black racism. Lorne’s father served overseas in the First World War as chaplain to the No. 2 Construction Battalion, a racially segregated Canadian military unit for people of colour. After the war Rev. Captain William A. White served as pastor of the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church in Halifax (known as New Horizons Baptist Church starting in 2018) and was a member of the African United Baptist Association of Nova Scotia. Lorne White died in Halifax on 14 April 2008 and Mary died 19 November 2018.
John M. Loré Jr. was born in Bronx, New York circa 1922, the son of John Marion and Lillian E. (Langel) Loré. He studied at Regis High School, Holy Cross College and in New York University, graduating with a degree in medicine. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy between 1946 and 1948. Circa 1950 he married Chalis Wanamaker. In 1966 he moved from New York to Buffalo to become head of the Department of Otolaryngology of the State University of New York at Buffalo's School of Medicine, remaining in that position until 1972. He continued teaching as professor and chairman of the division from 1972-1991. He also was head of the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo from 1975 to 1991. Dr. Lore was an avid skier and sailor and spent one month of each summer in the Jordan Bay section of Shelburne County. He shared an interest in photography with his father and as a youth took many pictures of deer in Nova Scotia. These photographs were later used by Walt Disney in the creation of the motion picture Bambi. He died in Buffalo, New York on 12 January 2004.
John Marion Loré was born on 3 January 1892 in Corleone, Sicily, the only son of Frank Paul and Antonina Maria Loré. In 1897 his family left Italy and settled in New York City. He graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School and entered New York University – Bellevue Medical Hospital in 1911, graduating in medicine in 1915. He married Lillian E. Langel on 1 April 1914. After completing his residency he entered into private practice in 1917; in that year he also became a naturalized American citizen. He was an early pioneer in the use of motion picture cameras to document surgeries, first employing the technique with a hand-operated 35 mm camera in 1925. He was a great outdoorsman and first came to Nova Scotia from New York City in 1928. It is believed that Dr. Lore's interest in Nova Scotia came from close associates in New York who originally came from the province, including Dr. Luther Burns MacKenzie (1880-1981). He subsequently bought a farmhouse and barn in Middle Clyde, Shelburne County in 1931. In 1930 he was one of the earliest rod and reel fishermen for giant bluefin tuna off Soldier’s Rip at Wedgeport, Nova Scotia. He died in New York City on 21 January 1950.
Ralph Marsters Loomer was born on 12 May 1905 in Falmouth, Nova Scotia, the son of Handley Wilcox and Eva May (Marsters) Loomer. He was married first to Cloyda Hope Neaves on 16 September 1929 and secondly to Mrs. Avis MacCammon. With assistance from Frank Marriott and others, Loomer organized and operated Avon Greenhouses Limited which became the third largest flower grower in Canada. He was well known on television as the "Avon Valley flower man." Loomer was involved in local cooperatives and agricultural societies, including Nova Scotia Greenhouse Growers Association, 1950s-ca. 1979; Hants Cooperative Limited, 1943-1961; and Producers, Retailers and Consumers Cooperative (PRC), serving as chairman, 1956-1957. He also contributed to the establishment of the Cooperative Snowplow Service in Falmouth, Nova Scotia circa 1974. Loomer was also active in world peace and social democracy issues. He began corresponding with the United States Unitarian Church in the late 1940s and was involved with establishing it in the Maritimes, serving as Executive Secretary, 1952-1961. In the late 1940s, Loomer became involved with the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), serving in various capacities. He ran as the CCF candidate for Colchester-Hants in 1955 and became President of the Nova Scotia Committee of the CCF in 1959, serving in that capacity until the formation of the New Democratic Party on 4 August 1961. He continued working for the party, broadcasting on local radio and making regular television appearances on the "Provincial Affairs" program on CBHT. He also served as a member of the World Federalists of Canada, 1958-late 1970s. He participated in the "Law of the Seas" conferences, 1971-1974, and served as a branch director of the World Federalists of Canada, 1974-1976. Loomer was also President of the Windsor-Falmouth Rotary Club, 1952-1955. He died on 21 February 2003 in Windsor, Nova Scotia.
Jotham Wilbert Logan was born in 1864 in Upper Stewiacke, the son of Edward A. Logan. He was educated at Truro Normal School, Pictou Academy and Dalhousie University. He started his career as a school teacher by teaching at Upper Stewiacke school for two years. From 1894 to 1933 he taught Latin and Greek at Halifax County Academy. He also served as an officer (first Captain, then Major) with the 25th Infantry Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in France during the First World War. Later he taught advanced Greek and Latin at Dalhousie University. He was active in various associations such as the Classical Association of the Maritime Provinces, Provincial Education Association of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Headmasters' Association, and Nova Scotia Teachers' Union. He died in 1958.