Tribute to Jack MacDonald

May 18, 2010 -- Ottawa, ON -- Recently, we lost a great Hamiltonian and a great Canadian when former Mayor Jack MacDonald passed away at age 82.

Its my distinct honour to say a few words of tribute about him.

Jack MacDonald was larger than life and for good reason.

He leaves a profound legacy.

Future generations living in our communitiesthose who may never have known or even heard his name.will be better off because of what he accomplished and what he stood for during his life.

First and foremost, he was a great husband, father and grandfather. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Jesse their children Sandy, Keith, Cameron and Jo-Anne.and their seven grandchildren in this time of bereavement.

He touched so many with his passion for his communityduring his time in the Mayors Chair in the late 1970s as well as with his extensive involvement in Kiwanis and so many community organizations throughout his entire life.

His Scottish heritage helped fuel that passion. But ultimately, what drove Jack is that he wanted to build a better city. No doubt the thousands of youth he saw through his work with the Hamilton East Kiwanis Club were an inspiration.

Jack saw the great potential and great future of the Hamilton region and worked tirelessly to make it happen. He had a vision a vision that was bigger than himself.a vision of potential and opportunities..and there was no stopping jack!

Prime Ministers, Premiers, high-powered business peopleand even former Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard took note!

In fact, an indication of his stature and his love of his country is that Jack was an honourary pallbearer at former Prime Minister John Diefenbakers funeral.

We owe thanks to Jack for much that has shaped our city and our lives. He worked to get Jackson Square and the Convention Centre in downtown Hamilton built. And he was one of the original advocates for an NHL team in Hamilton kick-starting the process to build the requisite NHL-capacity arena.todays Copps Coliseum.

And what hes best known for is his 50 years pushing for the Red Hill Expressway. Again, he had the vision and now it is a reality providing a transport corridor that is essential to our regions economic growth today and into the future.

While his decisions were not without controversy, Jack took that all in stride with his trademark smile, wit and infectious personality.

Im fortunate to be able to call Jack MacDonald one of my early supporters. Introduced by our good friend Duncan Beattie, I will be forever grateful for Jacks friendship and advice.

Jack MacDonald -- your city and your country will miss you.

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