| Number 14 | April 1, 2001 |
PEI SPORTS HISTORY DONATED
The new Sports Hall of Fame at the University of Prince Edward Island is off to a good start thanks to a contribution from Dr. Mac Beck.(1.4.3B.7.3.) Mac took part in hockey, football, basketball, and track and field and excelled in all four sports during his years at Prince of Wales College in the 1940s. But what is of more interest now to the Hall of Fame organizers is that he kept careful records and pictures of the teams and athletes of the day. Many of the PWC athletes are now gone, but their images are still preserved in Mac's five scrap books.
"I was sort of a pack rat, I guess," he says of his sport collection that spans his three years at PWC from 1941 to 1944. Mary MacKay of The Guardian got Mac and Gordon Tweedy together in Mac's dining room in February to display their sports memorabilia. Gordon, a retired Charlottetown lawyer, played hockey and football for Prince of Wales during his time there in the mid 50s. Now he's part of the planning committee organizing the Hall of Fame, which is designed to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the athletic programs at PWC, Saint Dunstan's University, and the University of PEI. PWC and SDU closed their doors and became part of the new institution when UPEI officially opened in July 1969.
"This really is the beginning of a collection of memorabilia," Gordon says of Mac's scrapbooks donation to the Hall of Fame. Gordon still has most of his hockey equipment from his college days. And both men have many memories of their athletic feats.
"The best ever (game) was in 1942-43 when we played St. Dunstan's in hockey and beat them. And it was the first time that Prince of Wales ever beat St. Dunstan's first team. That would be a feat in those days," Mac remembers.
"(With)one minute to go I went down to stop the puck from coming out the side of the net and a fellow slashed me across my face and broke my teeth, so I remember that game very well. But we won," he adds, chuckling.
The organizers are hoping that donations such as this will inspire others who saved material from those days to donate it to the collection.
The first annual Sports Hall of Fame dinner and inductions will be held Friday, April 6. The first inductees were named during the last two weeks of March and not surprisingly Mac is among them.
MACKAY'S LAUNCH NEW CD
There's a new Compact Disk of Christian Music available in the Maritimes, thanks to the efforts of a couple of musicians from Beach Point. Kevin MacKay was the driving force behind the new CD, assisted by his cousin and fellow band member, Jamie MacKay,(1.4.8A,4,1.1.2).
The project has been in the works for a year, ever since Kevin won 500 CD duplications from Blue Sky Records of Halifax in a draw. He could have used his own music, but decided to put together a compilation of Christian music from all over the Maritimes under the title, "In Jesus' Name We Play."
Kevin is a third year music student at Maritime Christian College in Charlottetown and Jamie is a professor at the College. They also play together in the band, Jamie MacKay and the Great Beyond. Other Maritimers with musical connections rallied round to offer support.
Kevin said that Callum Beck, (1.4.3B.7.3.3) another professor at MCC, was very supportive. "Callum was the one who kept pushing my idea," Kevin said.
Jamie said the album, which features two numbers by his band, will definitely make the Maritimes more aware of regional Christian music talent. He told the Eastern Graphic that he thinks this CD is really going to take off, and if one band succeeds, "we all succeed."
The CD was oficially launched on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Confederation Court Mall in Charlottetown during the East Coast Music Awards weekend.
Kevin says there will definitely be another CD and planning is already underway for, "In Jesus' Name We Play 2."
WINTER TAKES HEAVY TOLL ON ISLAND BUILDINGS
To say that it was a hard winter in the Maritimes is not news to the people who live in the Region. But cousins who live in more temperate areas may be surprised to learn that this winter was marked by one of the heaviest accumulations of snow in many years. The snowfall was about 25% higher than average, but it seemed much worse than that. Weather officials say, "the big difference this year was the lack of rainfall and slightly cooler temperatures, resulting in a large buildup of snow on the ground. "
Storms moved through at the rate of one or more a week most of the winter. The accumulation on rooftops created stress on the structures. At least two rinks collapsed in the Maritimes and others suffered storm damage.
Dozens of barns and other farm buildings buckled under the weight of snow, and suddenly people were finding a new source of employment, clearing snow from rooftops. Some do-it-yourselfers were injured in falls from their roofs but there were no reports of injuries in the building collapses, although young hockey players in Springhill, N.S., barely made it out before their rink caved in. Some farm animals suffered injuries, and a number of pigs were shipped to market earlier than planned.
As late as March 18 problems were still being reported with the collapse of the roof of a storage building owned by Stewart and Beck in Montague. George Beck, (1.11.8.3.2) co-owner of the business, told the Eastern Graphic that the building had been threatened for some time and the weight finally became too much for the structure.
"There was a little bit of stuff stored in it, but it's too hazardous for anyone to go in and take anything out." He said he didn't know what they would do with it, and would not decide until after the snow melts.
Weather problems are still not over as March went out like a lion, dumping up to a foot of wet, heavy snow on the Region on the 31st.
JORDAN FAMILY REUNION
Plans are progressing for the Jordan Family reunion scheduled for Murray River, PEI, this summer. One glance at the Jordan home page is all that's required to see that the deadline is approaching. The clock is ticking down, and as of today, April 1, it's showing that there are only 102 days until the reunion. The gathering starts on July 13 and runs through the 15th at the Northumberland Arena in Murray River.
The name Jordan is said to have come from the famous River Jordan in Palestine.
There is a legend in the Jordan family that one of their ancestors traveled with King Richard, the Lion-Hearted, to take part in the third crusade. Richard fought many battles in the Holy Land during the summer of 1191. It was during one of these battles with the Saracens on the banks of the River Jordan that the incident occurred.
A fierce fight was underway in which the English were being beaten. The early family member was knocked down and a huge Saracen raised a long curved blade to strike a lethal blow; but before the blade could land, he was on his feet again and in the next instant had slain the Saracen. Encouraged by his success, he led a charge that was victorious.
King Richard apparently saw the incident and that evening as the weary crusaders rested in their tents, he called the young man to him. Then in the presence of the assembled soldiers, he conferred on him a Knighthood; and for a name, Richard turned to the placid waters of the nearby River Jordan and said, "I knight thee Sir Jordan."
You can learn more about the reunion by checking
the Jordan home page. The contact is Juliana Jorden and she can be reached by email at jmjorden@hotmail.com.
The Becks and Jordans have been connected since Martin Luther Jordan married Ada Margaret Beck (1.4.9,) in 1884.
ANOTHER FAMILY REUNION PLANNED
A Beck, MacLean and Mashon family reunion will be held in western Canada this summer. The names are so familiar that you might expect the gathering to be held in eastern Prince Edward Island. However, the site chosen is in Alberta - far from PEI and the relationship is probably quite distant too. This branch of the Beck family trace their roots to Judge and Lady (St. Clare) Beck by way of Ireland, the USA, the Gaspe, Quebec and Manitoulin Island in Ontario. They may have been Loyalists who left the United States after the Revolution and moved to the Gaspe to take over fishing rights granted to them there. Many of their descendants made their way to western Canada.
The reunion will be held at the Handhills Lake Club in Alberta on Saturday, June 30, and Sunday, July 1. The organizers have planned an action-packed two-day agenda featuring events for the entire family. They will be searching for information that will help fill in blanks in their family tree. Anyone living in that area, or who happens to be travelling that way at that time should find the reunion interesting.
DEATHS
BECK, Esther - died at the Kings County Memorial Hospital Feb. 25, 2001 at the age of 72. She was the wife of Charles Beck (1.6B.5.2.1B.) of Murray Harbour and the mother of Kenneth. She is also survived by a sister, Catherine, of Truro, N.S., as well as by many nieces and nephews. Esther was predeceased by her parents Angus and Emma MacFadyen, brothers Murdock and Roddy, and a sister, Margaret Howksworth. The funeral service was held in the Ferguson Funeral Home Chapel in Montague with interment later in the Murray Harbour Cemetery.
BIOGRAPHY
Marion Elizabeth Beck (1.10B.7.4.2,) was born Jan. 10, 1930, near Kamloops, B.C.
She was the second child of Leonard Beck and Agnes Jane Bell, who had married in 1928 and travelled to the West Coast as Leonard pursued work as a telegrapher with the CNR. At this time the great Depression was starting to be felt and Leonard was accepting work wherever he could find it and was stationed along the main line north of Kamloops, toward Blue River.
When Marion reached school age the family moved to Kamloops and she grew up in that community and got her schooling there. After graduating from high school she enrolled in a commercial course and then got a job with a finance company. Later she got work with CN Telegraphs as a clerk in the Kamloops office. During this time she met her future husband, James S. Maxwell, and they were married in 1952. The young couple moved to Victoria on Vancouver Island where they were still living in 2001. They have three children - two girls and a boy.
Her husband, James, describes Marion as a warm, outgoing person who bestowed "unconditional love" on her family, her friends and her community. She was quick to support every project and cause and was a willing worker for charitable agencies. She supported school projects while her children were in attendance and even afterwards. James said she was always known as a good cook, and was always asked to bring baking for every community event. Her volunteer work became recognized and she was called upon by local and national organizations to canvas her neighbourhood for donations. It was a frustrating task because often there would be no answer at the door as both parents were at work, and even when someone answered the door it was often with the reply that, "Oh, we gave at the office." Despite this Marion found it difficult to turn people down and she would tackle the job again when asked to do so.
In addition to this work, Marion acted as a foster mother for the British Columbia Family and Children's Services division. She accepted children and cared for them on an emergency basis until regular foster homes could be found for them. James said that at last count she had taken care of 16 over the years, "but only on an emergency basis and she imparted total love to each and every one of those unfortunate children."
After their own children were grown, Marion and James made a couple of trips east and spent some time on Prince Edward Island, meeting her relatives and learning about her roots. It was during one of these trips - in 1980 - that James took pictures of the Bell and Beck homesteads. Marion's hobby at that time was ceramics and she sketched the pictures on two platters and then coated and fired them into the finished product. The platters were shown in our Beck newsletter editions of October and December, 2000.
THIEVES NABBED IN DAYLIGHT BREAK IN
Two young men displayed bad timing when they picked Sunday afternoon, Feb. 25, to break into a storage facility used by Stewart and Beck of Montague. Rick Beck, (1.11.8.3.4.1) a member of the firm, decided to swing by the warehouse on the way to Sunday dinner with his parents. He noticed two sets of footprints in the snow leading to a broken window in the building.
His wife dialled 911 and the RCMP swooped in and captured the men with a duffel bag containing $500. worth of goods. They arrested John Ryan Compton and Mark Frederick Chandler. They searched Compton's nearby residence and discovered the apartment filled with stolen goods also taken from the Stewart and Beck storage centre. The crown prosecutor told the court about $2,500 worth of goods was confiscated.
The judge sentenced 19-year-old Compton to 80 days in jail, along with two years probation and 160 hours of community service. 21-year-old Chandler was sentenced to 30 days in jail, a year's probation and 80 hours of community service.
PEOPLE WARNED TO KEEP OFF THE ICE
The Deputy Fire Chief of Montague, Jock Beck, (1.4.3B.7.2.2.) says venturing out on the river ice at this time of year can be very dangerous. He was interviewed by the Eastern Graphic following a rescue effort that saw several local people cooperate to save a dog that fell through the ice on Feb. 28th. While the rescue had a happy ending, he emphasized that it was a dangerous undertaking as the ice was starting to break up.
Jock pointed out that such rescues are better left to the fire department. It has trucks equipped with ladders, ropes, boats and survival suits for just such an emergency.
"We're prepared to deal with one of those calls," Jock said, referring to the rescue of the dog. "In one or two minutes we would have been there." He said that although the people who went to the aid of the dog asked a resident to call the fire department, records show that the call wasn't made.
BOOKS STILL AVAILABLE
While the latest version of the Beck listings is sold out, there are still copies of the 1983 book, The Descendants of Vere Beck. This is the professionally printed and bound volume and it includes generations 1 to 6 and some of generation 7.
It's more than adequate for people interested in tracing their line back to Vere and Elizabeth Beck, or for browsing through the early generations of the family. If you're interested you can get a copy from:
Dr. Mac Beck,
5 West Street,
Charlottetown,
PEI.
C1A 3S3.
Mac's phone number is 902-894-3544 and the price is $10.00.
The Vere Beck Family Home Page
We're always looking for news of Beck family members. If you know of any significant events drop me a line with the information. imunn@accesswave.ca
imunn@accesswave.ca